Washington LMHC continuing education requirements

A Washington LMHC needs 32 hours of continuing education every 2 years to renew. This page is our summary of the continuing education rules for a licensed professional counselor (LMHC) in Washington, as we read them from the published rules of the Washington State Department of Health on September 25, 2026.

Hours: 32
Renewal: Every 2 years
Last checked: September 25, 2026

A reference, not legal or licensing advice. Confirm is not affiliated with the Washington State Department of Health and does not speak for it. We summarize the published rules as a convenience and they can change or be read differently, so this page may be incomplete or out of date. Your board has the final say: always confirm your requirements with your board before you renew. Use this page at your own risk. See the Terms.

Total hours

32 hours

Hours that must be included

Professional ethics and law: 6 hours
Professional roles and boundaries: 2 hours

One-time and recurring courses

Suicide assessment, treatment and management: 6 hours, every 6 yearsSix hours once every six years, from the DOH model list.
Health equity: 2 hours, every 4 yearsTwo hours once every four years.

Limits

Employer-sponsored training (employer in-house training): at most 26 hours
Other professional activities (teaching, presenting, writing, supervising, board service): at most 6 hoursA specific lecture or topic may be claimed once per reporting period.

If you hold two licenses from this board

The rules do not say whether a course can count toward more than one; Confirm counts it toward each and suggests you check with the board.

Source

Washington State Department of Health — continuing education (WAC 246-809-600 to -650), read on September 25, 2026.

Board: Washington State Department of Health.

This summary may be incomplete or out of date. The board’s own rules are the only authority; confirm your requirements with the board before you renew.