Marriage and Family Therapists, Mental Health Counselors, and Clinical Social Workers in the state of Washington have continuing education requirements that can feel confusing and complicated to identify and track.
Let’s make it easy for you.
What are the requirements?
Here are the number of hours, category, and frequency required (found here on the Washington State Department of Health website as of 2026):
6 hours in Law & Ethics every 2 years
6 hours in Suicide Assessment, Treatment & Management every 6 years
2 hours in Health Equity every 4 years
2 hours in Professional Roles & Boundaries every 2 years
Leaving 16 hours unspecified every 2 years
Totaling 32 hours every 2 years
What’s the best way to keep track of my hours?
A beautiful continuing education spreadsheet that easily tracks all of the hours and details you need (you can grab yours right here).
Tabs at the bottom denote each two year period, allowing you to quickly and easy track hours across long spans of time (helpful given that some categories have 6-year timelines).
What do I turn in?
You must keep records that document proof of compliance, but you don’t actually turn anything in unless requested to do so by the Department of Health. When you renew your license, you will attest to your compliance with the continuing education requirement. Sometimes they’ll tell you to prove it (usually they won’t). Isn’t that a fun game (eye roll)? It’s like a documentation lottery in which the prize is extra administrative labor.
What satisfies their burden of proof is the completion certificate you receive at the end of each approved training. I save these in a continuing education folder that contains sub-folders for each two-year period.
I feel safest documenting the date, full title of the training, link to the course, cost, and specific number of hours from each category (all included in the Continuing Education Hours Tracker). That way I can easily provide a full picture of how I have satisfied all of the requirements individually and as a whole.
What trainings satisfy each requirement?
Great question . . . with no clear answer. The most reliable information I can find suggests that trainings that say they satisfy the requirement are your best bet. In other words, if an 8 hour training specifically claims to provide 2 hours of Washington state’s Law & Ethics continuing education requirement, then count it as such (2 hours under Law & Ethics and 8 in the total hours column).
The Suicide category has the strictest requirement, mandating that you take a training from the state’s model list here. Thankfully, it’s the only category with that height of bar to clear.
Trainings count that are “approved by a recognized organization,” which is vague and leaves room for interpretation (take all the space therein). Online trainings must “include a test” (typically very simple). Twenty-six hours can be “employer sponsored” trainings (helpful if you work in a group practice or agency). Even 6 hours of “professional activities” like peer consultation can count.
Half of the required 32 hours fall under specific categories like Health Equity, but that leaves 16 hours unspecified to follow the lead of your own professional and clinical interests and needs.
I know the expense and time of continuing education requirements are problematic, but I actually love that our field holds space for ongoing learning, development, and growth. I appreciate the room for flexibility and interpretation that exists in satisfying the requirements while maintaining a minimum standard of accountability. Learning is fun (nerd alert: the only thing I enjoy more is making a spreadsheet)!
