Continuing education (CE) in psychology is an ongoing process consisting of formal learning activities that:
- Are relevant to psychological practice, education and science.
- Enable psychologists to keep pace with the most current scientific evidence regarding assessment, intervention, and education as well as important legal, statutory, or regulatory issues.
- Allow psychologists to maintain, develop and increase competencies in order to improve services to the public and enhance contributions to the profession.
Continuing education builds upon a completed doctoral program in psychology. It is not a substitute for the basic academic education and training needed for entry to the field of psychology, nor should it be the primary vehicle for career changes from one APA-recognized specialty area (e.g., clinical, counseling, school psychology) to another.
APA offers a variety of programs in several formats: book- and article-based, video on-demand, webinars, and in-person workshops and webcast workshops.
Visit our continuing education catalog to browse more than 550 CE courses.
Upon purchasing a CE program you will receive an email confirmation of your purchase with specific instructions on how to access your program. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please check your spam/junk folder.
You can also find your online CE programs by logging in to MyAPA and scrolling down to the Continuing Education box.
- For CE credits, 1 hour = 1 credit. This is the system used by APA and all APA-approved sponsors.
- For CE units, 10 hours = 1 credit.
Please check with your state licensing board to confirm which type of credits are required.
CE state requirements (PDF, 73KB)opens in new window vary state-by-state.
Note: this list may not be up-to-date as state licensing boards can change rules and regulations at any time throughout the year. Please confirm with your state licensing board for the most recent information. APA does not govern state licensing requirements.
More than likely yes but we always suggest that you check with your state licensing board.
APA CE programs are general and not geared toward any specific state licensing requirements. Please check with your state licensing board.
The APA CEP Office does not categorize its programs.
Please check with your state licensing board to determine how credit formats are categorized.
In-person:
CE sessions (1-hour presentations) offered by APA divisions and governance groups. Eligibility to earn unlimited CE credit for in-person CE sessions is included in the convention registration fee. Full attendance at each CE session is required to earn CE credit. No partial credit is awarded.
Virtual:
CE credit is also offered for select sessions virtually. Eligibility to earn unlimited CE credit for virtual CE sessions is included in the virtual convention registration fee. If attending a live virtual CE session, full attendance is required to earn CE credit. No partial credit is awarded.
Post-convention, recordings of the virtual sessions are made available for on-demand CE credit. To earn CE credit for on-demand CE programs, participants must watch the entire recording and pass a CE test with a score of 75% or better in two attempts.
No.
Great question! There is often confusion about who handles the approval process. The APA CEP Office is not involved in the sponsor approval process. Please visit the Office of CE Sponsor Approval for information.
No.