Continuing education / Requirements / Georgia
Georgia continuing education requirements for counselors
Georgia LPCs and APCs normally need 35 continuing education hours every two years, including 5 hours of professional ethics delivered synchronously. Of the other 30 hours, at least 15 must be counseling core hours and no more than 15 may be related hours. The current renewal deadline is September 30, 2026.
Live interactive webinars can satisfy the synchronous requirement. No more than 10 hours may come from asynchronous courses. Starting January 1, 2026, licensees required to complete CE must register with CE Broker and record their qualifying education there. Counselors delivering telemental health also have a separate training prerequisite.
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What the board requires
Mandated topics
Complete 5 specifically designated ethics hours relating to counseling, social work or MFT through synchronous activities. An interactive live webinar can qualify; a recorded course cannot satisfy these required ethics hours.
Our courses do not qualify for this one. This requirement calls for live, synchronous training. Every Psychology.com course is self-paced and asynchronous, so none of them can be used for these hours. Look for a live interactive webinar or an in-person course from an accepted provider.
Of the 30 hours remaining after the required ethics hours, at least 15 must be counseling core credit. Up to 15 may be related credit. Core classification depends on both counseling content and an eligible sponsor or approver.
Before delivering clinical telemental health, obtain at least 6 CE hours meeting Rule 135-11-.01. Qualifying hours already taken within the preceding 5 years need not be repeated to meet this prerequisite. The rule does not establish a recurring two-year telehealth quota. Eligible hours earned during the renewal period may also count toward renewal.
Related course: Telehealth Law and Ethics. 3 hours, self-paced and asynchronous (home study, not a live webinar). It covers 3 of the 6 hours required, so you would need additional hours elsewhere. Not yet CE-approved for this license: until an approval is confirmed, it counts as professional development only.
Before providing supervision by telemental health, obtain at least 9 CE hours, including 3 specifically on supervising telemental health therapy. Qualifying prior training within 5 years need not be repeated. This supervisor prerequisite is not 9 additional hours at every renewal.
Related course: Supervisor Ethics and Effective Supervision. 6 hours, self-paced and asynchronous (home study, not a live webinar). It covers 6 of the 9 hours required, so you would need additional hours elsewhere. Not yet CE-approved for this license: until an approval is confirmed, it counts as professional development only.
Format and self-study limits
Where our courses fit. Every Psychology.com course is self-paced and asynchronous: you read and listen on your own schedule and finish with an online exam. Where your board separates home study, self-study, distance or non-interactive CE from live or synchronous CE, our courses fall in the first group. They never count as live, interactive or in-person training.
Synchronous education can be in person, a live interactive webinar or video conferencing that allows immediate questions and answers. All 5 required ethics hours must be synchronous. Asynchronous courses, including recordings accessed on your own schedule, are capped at 10 hours per biennium. If completing all 35 hours through courses, at least 25 must therefore be synchronous.
Independent study is a separate category capped at 5 hours, usable only as related credit, not ethics or core credit. It includes activities such as professional reading, writing and self-directed research, and requires a notarized affidavit for an audit. No more than 20 hours may come from one course, workshop or presentation; professional conferences with multiple presentations are excepted.
Some older language in the board FAQ says ethics must be in person and limits all online credit. Use the current Rule 135-9-.01, applicable beginning October 1, 2020, which expressly permits synchronous online participation and limits asynchronous hours.
Which providers count
Georgia does not individually approve CE providers. Counseling core credit must be sponsored, co-sponsored or approved by a professional association in counseling, a qualifying counseling academic department, or an eligible licensing or certification board in another jurisdiction. Related credit has broader eligible sources, including associations and academic departments in allied mental health fields, government agencies and licensed hospitals.
The rule uses sponsor and subject categories rather than a blanket named APA, ASWB or NBCC approval list. Check the actual sponsorship or approval and whether the activity is counseling core, related or ethics credit. An approval associated with another profession does not by itself make a course counseling core credit. Certificates should state the hours and whether delivery was synchronous or asynchronous.
Reporting and audits
As of January 1, 2026, CE-required licensees must register with CE Broker and record their qualifying CE. A free basic account is available. The board advises entering all course activities and certificates before applying to renew. You must still submit the license renewal and attest to compliance.
Retain CE documentation for 4 years. If audited, submit the board's CE Audit Reporting Form and supporting certificates or other required evidence. Independent study requires a notarized affidavit describing the activity, subject, dates and hours.
First renewal
If the license was initially issued in the second year of the biennium, on or after October 1, 2025, no CE is required for the first renewal due September 30, 2026. The next renewal requires the full amount. A license initially issued in the first year of the biennium does not receive this exemption.
The exemption does not apply when an APC license is superseded by an LPC license. That upgrade does not restart a first-renewal CE exemption. A CE exemption also does not remove the training prerequisite for delivering clinical telemental health.
Common questions
How many CE hours do Georgia LPCs and APCs need?
Normally 35 hours each two-year biennium: 5 synchronous ethics hours plus at least 15 counseling core hours and up to 15 related hours. Check whether the narrow initial-license exemption applies.
Can my five ethics hours be a live webinar?
Yes. The current rule permits synchronous online activities with immediate interaction between participants and the instructor. Recorded or on-demand ethics courses cannot satisfy the required 5 ethics hours.
How many on-demand CE hours can I use?
At most 10 asynchronous hours per biennium. Independent study has its own 5-hour limit and may count only as related credit. A self-paced course with an approved sponsor is not automatically the same category as independent reading.
Do I need six telehealth hours at every renewal?
Rule 135-11-.01 requires at least 6 qualifying CE hours before delivering clinical telemental health. It does not set a recurring every-renewal quota. Telemental health supervisors have a 9-hour prerequisite, including 3 hours on supervising this work.
Am I exempt from CE at my first renewal?
Only if the initial license was issued in the second year of the biennium. For the September 30, 2026, renewal, that means initial issuance on or after October 1, 2025. Upgrading an APC license to LPC does not qualify for this exemption.
Is CE Broker required for Georgia counselors?
Yes. Beginning January 1, 2026, licensees with CE requirements must register and record qualifying education in CE Broker. Complete the separate renewal application as well.
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Not legal advice. This guide summarizes board rules for convenience. Your board's current published rules control.
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