California Marriage and Family Therapist CE Requirements and Courses

36 hours every 2 years

You can take all your continuing education from CE4Less.

Click here for California Pre-Licensure information.

Click here for more California Continuing Education information.

CE4Less.com has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6991. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CE4Less.com is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs

CE4Less.com is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CE4Less.com maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

36 hours allowed (no limit for preliscensure courses)

All 36 hours can be homestudy because the post-test is submitted electronically.

Effective July 1, 2023, the Board will begin requiring both applicants for licensure and licensees to have completed a minimum of three hours of training or coursework in the provision of mental health services via telehealth, which must include law and ethics related to telehealth. This is a one-time requirement.

California (CA BBS) Mandatory Continuing Education Courses

Spousal or Partner Abuse

All licensees are required to complete a seven-hour one-time course in spousal/partner abuse assessment, detection, and intervention strategies Spousal or Partner Abuse including community resources, cultural factors, and same gender abuse dynamics. This is a one time requirement.

The course which meets the CA Spousal or Partner abuse requirements is:

Spousal or Partner Abuse

Law & Ethics

All licensees are required to complete at least six hours of CE in the area of Law and Ethics as a condition of each renewal. The six hours shall be considered part of the 36 hour CE requirement. Law and ethics must be taken for each license renewal.

Course which meets the CE requirements for the CA Law and Ethics:

California Law & Ethics

Aging and Long Term Care

All licensees are required to complete a three-hour continuing education course in aging and long- term care. The course could include, but is not limited to, the biological, social, and psychological aspects of aging. This is a one time requirement.

Course which meets the ceu requirements for CA Aging and Long Term Care:

Aging and Long Term Care

HIV/AIDS

All licensees are required to complete a course at least seven hours in length and cover the characteristics and method of assessment and treatment of people who live with HIV/AIDS. This is a one time requirement.

This course meets the CA HIV/AIDS ceu requirements:

HIV/AIDS: A Comprehensive Review (No Book to Buy)

Suicide Risk Assessment and Intervention Requirements

6 hours suicide risk assessment and intervention. This course must be taken before your first renewal after January 1, 2021. This course meets the requirement:

Suicide Risk Assessment and Intervention (6 hours)

Supervision Requirements

To provide supervision to Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT) Interns and Trainees…

You must complete a 6-hour supervision training within the two-year period immediately preceding supervision and every renewal period when supervising, NOTE: If the supervisor has never taken this course, it must be taken within 60 days of commencement of supervision

This 6 hour No Book to Buy course meets the CA BBS requirements to supervise MFT Interns and Trainees:
Supervision: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals

To provide supervision to Associate Clinical Social Workers (ASW)…

You must complete a minimum of 15 contact hours in supervision training prior to commencement of supervision. Once completed, you do not need to complete it again before supervising future ASWs.

These courses meet the CA BBS requirements to supervise Associate Clinical Social Workers (ASWs)

Supervision: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals (6 hours)
Clinical Supervision and Professional Development of the Substance Abuse Counselor – Updated (9 hours)

LMFT in-state applicants

Full details for the requirements for California In-State LMFT applicants pre-licensure education can be found at here.

In-state applicants can take their required additional pre-licensure course work through CE4Less.

• 6 hours in Suicide Risk Assessment and Intervention (This course will meet your requirement if not already satisficed per the sub-bullets below)
  • If this content was included already within your supervised experience, and you can obtain a written certification from the program’s director of training, or from your primary supervisor stating that the training was included within your supervised experience, it may be accepted in lieu of a course.
  • If this content was included within your qualifying degree program, you will need to obtain a written certification from the registrar or training director of your school or program stating that this coursework was included within the curriculum required for graduation, or within the coursework that was completed by you.

• 3 hours in Provision of Mental Health Services via Telehealth
  • If this content was included within your qualifying degree program, submit a written certification from the registrar or training director of your school or program stating that this coursework was included within the curriculum required for graduation, or within the coursework that was completed by you.

LMFT out-of-state applicants

CE4Less courses cannot be used to remediate overall degree unit deficiencies. If overall degree units are already sufficient CE4Less may be used to meet additional course work requirements.

LMFT out of state applicants full details for the requirements for California Out-of-State LMFT applicants pre-licensure education can be found:
Path A – https://bbs.ca.gov/pdf/forms/mft/mftapp_oos_01012016.pdf
Path B – https://bbs.ca.gov/pdf/forms/mft/mftapp_oos_path_b.pdf

Path A applicants can take the following courses through CE4Less.com for their prelicensure coursework requirements.

• 6 hours in Suicide Risk Assessment and Intervention
• 7 hours in Child Abuse Assessment and Reporting in California
• 12 hours of CA Law and Ethics
• 15 hours of CA Cultures and Social/Psychological Implications
  • CA Cultures and Psychosocial Implications of Socioeconomic Position Part 1 (5 hours)
  • CA Cultures and Psychosocial Implications of Socioeconomic Position Part 2 (5 hours)
  • CA Cultures and Psychosocial Implications of Socioeconomic Position Part 3 (5 hours)

Path B applicants – CE4Less courses cannot be used to remediate overall degree unit deficiencies. If overall degree units are already sufficient the following CE4Less courses may be used to meet additional course work requirements. This is not a complete list of the additional course requirements which may be found here.

• 12 hours of CA Law and Ethics NOTE: You must have already taken 2 semester unit course on Law and Ethics to have this course count, if you did not complete a 2 semester unit course on Law and Ethics you need to take an in-state course from an accredited school.
• 6 hours in Suicide Risk Assessment and Intervention
• 15 hours of CA Cultures and Social/Psychological Implications
  • CA Cultures and Psychosocial Implications of Socioeconomic Position Part 1 (5 hours)
  • CA Cultures and Psychosocial Implications of Socioeconomic Position Part 2 (5 hours)
  • CA Cultures and Psychosocial Implications of Socioeconomic Position Part 3 (5 hours)
• 7 hours in Child Abuse Assessment and Reporting in California
• 10 hours in Human Sexuality
  • Human Sexuality Across the Lifespan (3 hours)
  • Fertility and Sexual Health Interviews (3 hours)
  • Sexuality in Context and Sexually Transmitted Infections (3 hours)
  • Sexual Disorders and Sex Therapy (1 hour)
• 10 hours in Aging, Long Term Care and Elder/Dependent Adult Abuse
• 15 hours in Spousal/Partner Abuse Assessment, Detection, and Intervention