Continuing education / Requirements / Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania psychologist CE requirements
Pennsylvania psychologists need 30 approved CE contact hours every two years. Include at least 3 hours in ethics, 1 hour in suicide prevention and 2 hours in child abuse recognition and reporting. The current biennium runs from December 1, 2025, through November 30, 2027.
Home study is limited to 15 hours under the current psychology rule. Pennsylvania's separate social work board policy allowing all hours online does not remove this psychology home-study limit. Check the sponsor's approval and delivery format before enrolling.
·
What the board requires
Mandated topics
Included in the 30 contact hours. Carried-over ethics hours cannot satisfy the next biennium's ethics minimum.
Related course: Ethics and Professional Boundaries. 3 hours, self-paced and asynchronous (home study, not a live webinar). Not yet CE-approved for this license: until an approval is confirmed, it counts as professional development only.
The board's renewal guidance implements the recurring requirement in Act 74 of 2016.
Related course: Suicide Assessment and Safety Planning. 6 hours, self-paced and asynchronous (home study, not a live webinar). Not yet CE-approved for this license: until an approval is confirmed, it counts as professional development only.
Must be an approved Pennsylvania Act 31 course. The requirement remains for psychologists otherwise exempt at first renewal.
Initial applicants need 3 hours of DHS-approved training, separately from the recurring renewal obligation.
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.
Up to 15 of the 30 hours may be home study from approved sponsors. Home-study courses need defined learning objectives and an evaluation of learning. The remaining hours must come from other acceptable activities under 41.59. Do not treat a recorded webinar as live CE.
Which providers count
49 Pa. Code 41.59 expressly accepts APA and APA-approved sponsors, qualifying accredited college or university credit courses, and eligible AMA-approved sponsors. Other sponsors need board approval. ASWB or NBCC approval alone is not a listed automatic route for psychology CE. Course content must relate to psychology practice; office management and practice-building courses do not count.
Reporting and audits
Certify compliance when renewing through PALS. Retain certificates or other documentation for at least two bienniums, or four years, for audit. The approved Act 31 provider must electronically submit child abuse training completion. General CE attestation does not replace that provider report.
First renewal
Except for 2 hours of child abuse training, 41.59(h)(1) exempts a psychologist licensed within two years of the first biennial renewal application. Psychologists licensed under 41.52 through the other-state licensure route instead have quarterly proration: 3.75 hours per quarter beginning with the quarter after Pennsylvania licensure, including the child abuse requirement. Check which licensure route applies.
Common questions
How many CE hours do Pennsylvania psychologists need?
30 contact hours per biennium, including the ethics, suicide prevention and child abuse minimums.
Can I take all 30 hours as recorded courses?
No. The current psychology rule caps home study at 15 hours. Recordings completed independently normally fall in that category.
When is the next psychologist renewal deadline?
November 30, 2027. The current CE period began December 1, 2025.
Can I carry extra CE hours into the next cycle?
Up to 10 excess hours from the immediately preceding biennium may carry forward. Excess ethics can count only as general credit next cycle, and child abuse hours cannot carry forward.
Does the first-renewal exemption remove child abuse training?
No. At least 2 approved child abuse hours are still required. Licensure through the other-state route has a separate proration rule.
Editorial standard. Requirement guides cite official board sources only, carry a last-verified date, and are reviewed on a schedule. Corrections: reply to any email from us or use the site contact page.
Not legal advice. This guide summarizes board rules for convenience. Your board's current published rules control.
Crisis resources. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) in the US.