Here’s what the Professional Counselor Section of the Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board asks of licensed professional counselors at renewal, and the course I built around its required topic.
Renewal requirements
Who this covers
- Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC)
30 CE hours every 2 years
- At least 4 hours in professional ethics and boundaries.
- If you hold more than one MPSW credential, 4 ethics and boundaries hours cover all of them.
- No CE is due at your first renewal.
- The rest from the approved sources in MPSW 19.03 (Wis. Admin. Code MPSW 19.02).
Rules for every license
- NBCC courses count. MPSW 19.03 lists NBCC among the approved sources. I’m an NBCC Approved Continuing Education Provider.
- DSPS doesn’t preapprove courses. A course qualifies when it meets MPSW 19.
- Home study works for counselors. The interactive format rule in MPSW 19.02(2)(b) applies to social workers only.
- Hours belong to one period. Make-up hours completed on or after the renewal date don’t apply to the period you missed (MPSW 19.02(4)).
- Keep your certificates for at least 4 years and produce them on request (MPSW 19.05).
- Postponement or waiver: available for prolonged illness, disability, or other exceptional circumstances (MPSW 19.04; Wis. Stat. 457.22).
Courses for each requirement
Ethics and boundaries (4 hours)
Wisconsin Ethics and Professional Boundaries for Counselors. Built on Wis. Stat. 51.30, 146.82, and 905.04, the duty to warn under Schuster v. Altenberg and Wis. Stat. 51.17, abuse reporting, the MPSW 20 conduct rules, Wis. Stat. 940.22, and the telehealth rules. Self-paced, 4 hours, $17.
See the courseBundles
Wisconsin 30-Hour Full Renewal Bundle
Ethics and Professional Boundaries (4) plus 26 clinical hours: Spiritually Integrated Practice, Stress, Trauma, Forgiveness, AI in Behavioral Health, Chronic Pain, Caffeine and Mood, and Suicide Assessment. 30 hours, $49.
See the bundleCommon questions
How many CE hours do Wisconsin LPCs need?
30 CE hours every 2-year period, including at least 4 hours in professional ethics and boundaries. No hours are due at your first renewal.
Do NBCC-approved courses count in Wisconsin?
Yes. MPSW 19.03 lists NBCC among the approved sources of continuing education.
Can I take the ethics hours as home study?
Yes. The interactive format rule for ethics and boundaries hours applies to social workers, not professional counselors.
When do Wisconsin LPC licenses renew?
In odd-numbered years. DSPS lists February 28 as the renewal date, and the current CE period runs March 1, 2025 through February 28, 2027.
Is there one bundle for the whole renewal?
Yes. My Wisconsin 30-Hour Full Renewal Bundle covers all 30 hours, including 4 hours of ethics and boundaries, for $49. Bought one at a time, the same courses come to $120.
How fast do I get my certificate?
As soon as you pass the post test with a score of 80 percent or higher and complete the program evaluation, your certificate is ready to download from your account.
Last reviewed October 20, 2026.
My Wisconsin course is designed around the continuing education requirements of the Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board but is not approved or endorsed by the Board.
Dr. Paulson Professional Counseling LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7987. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Dr. Paulson Professional Counseling LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.