Free continuing education for mental health professionals

There is nothing like a great training to inspire you and change you as a therapist from the inside out. Sometimes these trainings qualify for continuing education units; sometimes they do not.

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As a licensed professional counselor, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed clinical social worker, or psychologist, you are required to get continuing education regularly so that you can maintain your license.

Whether you are on a budget, only need a few last minute CEs, or you are looking for a great CE course, we have you covered!

Below, find a list of FREE CE courses. We will continue to update this, so if you know of a great FREE CE course, feel free to add it in the comments to have it considered for inclusion!

A few quick notes:

Always double-check that the CE approvals are up to date and work for your license in your state. If you have updates to any of these listings, please comment below and we can update the material. We have not been exhaustive with every approval. We have focused on approvals for counselors, social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and mental health counselors. A few of these also have approvals for Canada!

We can not guarantee the quality or content of these courses, as we have not reviewed each of them on our own. Please use your best judgement whenever taking in new materials. But, we’d love to hear what your favorites are in the comments!

These are in no particular order. Click on titles to get more information and link the free CEUs for counselors, social workers, and psychologists.

HIPAA Security Compliance in Mental Health

Marketing Masterclass: COVID Edition

Racial Awareness

Therapy, Trust, and Racial Trauma

Getting Through COVID-19 Directives: Supporting Connection and Emotional Health

The Grip of Grief: Processing The Continual Losses of the Pandemic

Swiftly Transitioning to Online Therapy, Legally, Ethically, and Efficiently

Ethics and Boundary Issues

The Effects of Child Maltreatment on Brain Development

Online Therapy: A Beginner’s Guide

Improving Cultural Competency for Behavioral Health Professionals

Dual Diagnosis: Understanding Co-Occurring Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders

Increasing the Effectiveness of Suicide Prevention Strategies

Resilience Factors for People Who Use Drugs

Clash of the Sex Drives

Sex Therapy Online: Clinical Tips from an Expert, Part 1

Sex Therapy Online: Clinical Tips from an Expert, Part 2

HIPAA Security Compliance in Mental Health

Provider: Person Centered Tech - Click to learn more

1 Hour Free CE, Recorded Video Format (non-interactive) (NBCC, APA, CAMFT, & NAADAC)

Provider: SimplePractice Learning - Click here to get started

Marketing Masterclass: COVID Edition

3 Hour Free CE (NBCC, APA, and many others)

Provider: AspiraCE - Click here to get started

Free with coupon code ZM3FREECEU (you can use this free 3 unit free code for ANY of AspiraCEs courses!)

Racial Awareness

1 Hour Free CE (NBCC, APA, ASWB, NAADAC, CCAPP, & CAMFT)

Provider: Clearly Clinical - Click here to get started

Practical, compassionate guidance for white therapists wanting to be more effective in their work with people of color

Therapy, Trust, and Racial Trauma

1 Hour Free CE (NBCC, APA, ASWB, NAADAC, CCAPP, & CAMFT)

Provider: Clearly Clinical - Click here to get started

An panel discussion about transgenerational racial trauma and its impact on therapeutic trust

Getting Through COVID-19 Directives: Supporting Connection and Emotional Health

1 Hour Free CE (NBCC, APA, ASWB, NAADAC, CCAPP, & CAMFT)

Provider: Clearly Clinical - Click here to get started

The Grip of Grief: Processing The Continual Losses of the Pandemic

1 Hour Free CE (NBCC, APA, ASWB, NAADAC, CCAPP, & CAMFT)

Provider: Clearly Clinical - Click here to get started

Swiftly Transitioning to Online Therapy, Legally, Ethically, and Efficiently

1 Hour Free CE (NBCC, APA, ASWB, NAADAC, CCAPP, & CAMFT)

Provider: Clearly Clinical - Click here to get started

Ethics and Boundary Issues

5 Hour Free CE (APA, CPCA Canada, ASWB, ACE, NAADAC)

Provider: CE4Less - Click here to get started

The Effects of Child Maltreatment on Brain Development

1 Hour Free CE (TX, IL, OH, & FL)

Provider: Mindful Continuing Education - Click here to get started

Online Therapy: A Beginner’s Guide

1 Hour Free CE (NBCC, APA, ASWB, NAADAC, BRN, FL, NY)

Provider: Zur Institute - Click here to get started

Improving Cultural Competency for Behavioral Health Professionals

4-5.5 Hour Free CE (NBCC, APA, NAADAC, NASW)

Provider: Think Cultural Health (HHS.Gov) - Click here to get started

Dual Diagnosis: Understanding Co-Occurring Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders

1 Hour Free CE (ACE, ASWB, CAMFT, FL, IL, OH, TX)

Provider: Quantum Units Education - Click here to get started

Increasing the Effectiveness of Suicide Prevention Strategies

1 Hour Free CE (ACE, ASWB, CAMFT, FL, IL, OH, TX)

Provider: Quantum Units Education - Click here to get started

Resilience Factors for People Who Use Drugs

1 Hour Free CE (ACE, ASWB, CAMFT, FL, IL, OH, TX)

Provider: Quantum Units Education - Click here to get started

Clash of the Sex Drives

1.5 Hour Free CE (APA)

Provider: The Buehler Institute - Click here to get started

Sex Therapy Online: Clinical Tips from an Expert, Part 1

1 Hour Free CE (APA)

Provider: The Buehler Institute - Click here to get started

Sex Therapy Online: Clinical Tips from an Expert, Part 2

1 Hour Free CE (APA)

Provider: The Buehler Institute - Click here to get started

We hope that this list helps you connect with some great material that helps your practice, and also helps your pocket book!

Do Webinars count as live ce for social workers?

DO THE LIVE WEBINAR CE HOURS COUNT AS IN-PERSON CE? Live webinar attendance is accepted by most states and for most professions as in-person CE.

Is Pesi approved by APA?

Psychologists: PESI, Inc. is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. PESI maintains responsibility programs and content. Full attendance is required. No partial credit will be offered for partial attendance per APA guidelines.

Why is continuing education important for therapists?

Opportunities in continuing education allow therapists and other mental health professionals to network with others while adding knowledge and new experience to their practices. In addition to learning and growing as professionals, these experiences also offer students the ability to reach out and help more people.

Can I talk to a mental health professional online free?

There are various online therapy platforms that can help you find support groups or licensed therapists, who can teach you how to manage anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other mental health conditions for free or a very low cost.