Continuing education / Requirements / Washington
Washington marriage and family therapist CE requirements
Washington marriage and family therapists need 32 CE hours every two years. Include 6 hours of professional ethics and law and 2 separate hours on professional roles and boundaries. The license itself renews annually on your birthday.
You also need 2 hours of health equity training every four years and at least 6 hours of suicide assessment, treatment and management training every six years. The 32-hour total and separate boundaries requirement took effect October 1, 2025, replacing the older 36-hour total.
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What the board requires
Mandated topics
Included in the 32 hours. Must be separate from the 2-hour roles and boundaries requirement.
Related course: Ethics and Professional Boundaries. 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.
Required separately from the 6 ethics and law hours under the rule effective October 1, 2025.
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.
Training must meet WAC 246-12-830, including implicit bias strategies for assessment and diagnosis, and may count toward the general CE total.
Related course: Cultural Responsiveness in Clinical Practice. 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.
Use one provider for a qualifying course of at least 6 hours, which may span multiple sessions, on the DOH model list. From July 1, 2021, the second training must be advanced or cover effective treatment modalities; if the second was completed earlier, the next training must meet that standard. WAC 246-809-615 includes limited employer-training exemptions. Hours count toward the 32-hour total. The advanced-training requirement has an exception if the licensee demonstrates that suitable training is not reasonably available.
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.
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.
All CE may be completed through qualifying online distance learning; there is no general live-hour minimum or self-study cap. Distance learning must include a comprehension test. Employer-sponsored training is limited to 26 hours per reporting period, and other learning experiences such as peer consultation or research to 6 hours.
Which providers count
WAC 246-809-620 explicitly lists NBCC, NASW, AAMFT and other recognized professional organizations and accredited higher education institutions. APA and ASWB are not expressly named in that nonexclusive list; eligibility must meet the broader industry-recognized organization standard. General CE acceptance does not establish suicide-mandate eligibility.
Choose the required suicide training from the DOH model list, including its advanced category when applicable. Standard suicide-course content rules were amended effective June 14, 2026; a course title or general provider approval alone is insufficient.
State or local government employees and employees of qualifying licensed or certified behavioral health agencies under RCW 71.05 or 71.24 may use the employer-training exemption if they receive at least 6 suicide-training hours from that employer every 6 years. The employer may divide those hours into shorter sessions.
Reporting and audits
Attest to CE compliance when the reporting period is due. Keep certificates, transcripts or other acceptable documentation for at least four years and provide them if DOH audits you. Retain suicide-training records across the six-year interval so you can identify the next due date. Annual renewal remains due on your birthday.
First renewal
For full licensure, complete the first suicide training during the first full CE period after initial licensure. An associate applying for initial full licensure may defer the first requirement until six years after initial licensure by documenting qualifying training completed no more than six years before that application.
Associates follow a separate 16-hour annual CE requirement under WAC 246-809-632. The suicide mandate in that associate rule applies to social work associates, not mental health counselor or marriage and family therapist associates.
Common questions
Does Washington require 32 or 36 CE hours for LMFT renewal?
32 hours per two-year CE period under the rule effective October 1, 2025. Renew the license annually even when CE reporting is not yet due.
Can I complete all my CE online?
Yes. Qualifying distance learning is permitted without a general cap and must include a test of comprehension.
Does any six-hour suicide course count?
No. Select a course on the DOH model list, and check whether your next training must meet the advanced-course requirement.
Can the same hours satisfy ethics and boundaries?
No. The 2 hours of roles and boundaries must be separate from the 6 hours of professional ethics and law.
Is suicide training required at every renewal?
No. It is due at least every six years, with an initial training deadline and an advanced-training rule. Health equity follows a separate four-year interval.
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.