# CE tracking and practice logs > **Verify before you rely on this.** The continuing education (CE) requirements below are for **mental health counselors**: the Washington licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) credential (WAC 246-809-630, as amended effective October 2025) and the Rhode Island mental health counselor (MHC) license (216-RICR-40-05-11). Social workers and marriage and family therapists have their own rules in both states. Check the current rule and your state's Department of Health CE page for your credential. --- ## Requirements at a glance ### Washington | | **Washington (LMHC)** | |---|---| | **Renewal** | Annually, on your birthday | | **CE required** | 32 hours per 2-year window | | **Ethics & law** | 6 hours per 2 years | | **Professional roles & boundaries** | 2 hours per 2 years, **separate from** the ethics hours | | **Suicide** | 6 hours every 6 years, from a Department of Health (DOH)-approved course | | **Health equity** | 2 hours every 4 years | | **Approved supervisor** (if you supervise associates) | 15 clock hours of supervision training, one-time | | **Keep certificates** | Through at least the audit period | | **Deadline trap** | Don't let it lapse. Practicing on an expired credential is a violation | ### Rhode Island | | **Rhode Island (MHC)** | |---|---| | **Renewal** | Every 2 years; cycle runs July 1 to July 1 | | **CE required** | 40 credits per 2-year cycle | | **Format rules** | At least 20 must be **Category I**, which in practice means ordinary courses, workshops, and web-based programs. Category II is the unusual stuff: publishing, teaching a semester course, holding national office. | | **Ethics & law** | No separate mandate | | **Approved supervisor** (if you supervise associates) | Check RI rules if you supervise | | **Keep certificates** | **4 years**; random audits | | **Deadline trap** | Renew before the late-fee date (about a month before the cycle ends) | **Licensed in both?** Courses from **National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) Approved Continuing Education Providers (ACEP)** are widely accepted in both states. A course completed after a new RI cycle starts counts toward that cycle *and* your current Washington window. ### Timing - **Washington** counts CE in a **rolling 2-year window ending at each renewal**, so self-study just before a window opens can miss it by days. If your renewal was ever off-cycle, call DOH to confirm how your window is anchored. - **Rhode Island** has fixed cycles; credits used for one renewal can't be reused for the next. - In both, record the *completion date*, not just the year, and check which window or cycle each course lands in. - About **1.5 to 2 hours a month** covers either state (or both, with courses that count in both) with no year-end scramble. Do the Washington mandates (ethics, boundaries) early. --- ## CE log One row per course. File each certificate in a folder by year. Download: **[ce-log.csv](files/ce-log.csv)** | Completed | Course | Provider | Hours | Ethics Hours | Mandate Satisfied | Certificate Filed | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 2026-02-12 | *Example: Law & Ethics of Roles and Boundaries* | *Provider* | 2 | 0 | WA roles & boundaries; RI Category I | ✓ | --- ## Time-off log One row **per practice day** off: a 3-day trip is three rows. It helps you plan next year, notice when you haven't had a break in months, and ground any income projection that assumes weeks off. Download: **[time-off-log.csv](files/time-off-log.csv)** | date | type | who | description | notes | |---|---|---|---|---| | 2026-07-14 | vacation | | *Family beach trip* | | | 2026-09-02 | sick | self | | | `type` = vacation / sick / holiday / personal. `who` only for sick days (self, or a family member). --- ## Business mileage log Log business drives (a networking event, a colleague lunch, the post office for a referral mail-out) the same day. The IRS expects a contemporaneous record, and it's nearly impossible to rebuild at tax time. Download: **[mileage-log.csv](files/mileage-log.csv)** | Date | Vehicle | From | To | Miles | Business Purpose | Rate | Deduction | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 2026-05-05 | *Car* | Home | *Coffee shop* | 6.2 | *Dropped referral cards* | *IRS rate for the year* | | Check the IRS standard mileage rate each January.