10 Best Online CEU Courses for Therapists

The best online CEU courses for therapists count toward your license renewal and teach skills you can use with clients the following week. Here at eCare Behavioral Health Institute, our catalog of online CEU courses holds more than 500 continuing education courses and 1,000+ online CEUs for mental health professionals. We narrowed it down to the 10 we recommend most.

We’re an accredited continuing education provider, approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) ACE program, and NAADAC. We’re also an APA-approved sponsor, though only courses that display the APA logo count for psychologists.

Below, we ranked each course on its learner rating, the presenter’s expertise, and how widely the skills apply across a typical caseload. Every pick is a 6-hour recorded CE course you can finish at your own pace.

Top 10 Online Continuing Education Courses for Therapists

Here’s our full ranking at a glance. Each of these online courses is worth 6 CE hours, and you can start any of them today.

1. Breaking Maladaptive Patterns Masterclass: Schema Therapy

Some clients can name every pattern they have and still repeat them. Wendy Behary, LCSW, teaches this schema therapy masterclass for exactly those clients.

Schema Therapy, developed by Dr. Jeffrey Young, blends cognitive behavioral therapy, attachment theory, psychodynamic concepts, and emotion-focused techniques. You’ll learn to apply Imagery Rescripting, Mode Dialogues, and Empathic Confrontation. You’ll also learn to manage your own schemas when a client triggers you.

Behary has trained and worked with Dr. Young since 1989 and served as president of the International Society of Schema Therapy’s executive board. We put her course first because it ties for the top learner rating on this list. It also fits a wide range of hard cases, from personality disorders to treatment-resistant anxiety and depression.

2. Abandonment & Rejection Treatment

Many clients carry a fear of abandonment that drives clinging, testing, withdrawal, or avoidance, sometimes in the therapy room itself. In this attachment-focused training, Terry Levy, PhD, shows how early relational experiences shape those patterns across the lifespan.

You’ll learn to recognize anxious and avoidant attachment and see how it affects the therapeutic alliance. You’ll then learn attachment-based and cognitive behavioral interventions that build relational safety, with case examples to guide you.

Levy has more than 50 years of experience as a psychotherapist and trainer, and he co-authored Attachment, Trauma & Healing. He also co-founded the Association for Training on Trauma and Attachment in Children (ATTACh). He has taught for the American Psychological Association, PESI, and many other organizations.

3. DSM-5-TR Masterclass

Diagnostic frameworks are changing quickly, and this DSM-5-TR masterclass keeps you current. Dr. Greg Neimeyer compares the DSM with the ICD, RDoC, and HiTOP frameworks. He then covers emerging diagnoses in trauma and stress, prolonged grief, serious mental illness, substance and behavioral addictions, and personality disorders.

You’ll get assessment measures and diagnostic dashboards you can apply immediately. Clinical videos show new disorders and diagnostic procedures in actual practice.

Neimeyer is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Florida and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. We ranked this course third because accurate diagnosis shapes every treatment plan you write.

4. Ethical AI for Clinicians

AI now drafts progress notes and powers between-session chatbots, and some clients arrive having already asked an AI about their symptoms. This ethical AI course from Dr. Michael Jones, LPC-S, gives you a framework for using these tools without weakening the therapeutic relationship.

It covers documentation, client communication, assessment support, clinical supervision, and informed consent for AI use. You’ll also learn to spot bias and equity concerns that affect marginalized and underserved clients. The final objective is a personal implementation plan for your own setting.

Jones is a tenured professor of counseling and a board-certified telemental health provider. The course sits in our Ethics & Legal Issues category, so ask your licensing board whether its 6 CE credits count toward your ethics requirement.

5. Mood Dysregulation Masterclass: DBT Interventions

Some clients escalate quickly, while others shut down emotionally. Alexa Mulee, LMHC, C-DBT, the founder of Wise Mind Counseling, teaches this DBT masterclass to give you in-session tools for both.

You’ll learn to conceptualize dysregulation within a DBT framework and use chain analysis to identify common pathways of escalation. You’ll also learn to teach mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness skills.

The training integrates CBT and trauma-informed care. It does not replace formal DBT program training, but it gives you skills you can use right away with dysregulated clients across many diagnoses.

6. Hidden Bipolar Masterclass

Depression that does not respond to antidepressants can be an unrecognized bipolar spectrum condition. In this bipolar spectrum course, psychiatrist Jim Phelps, MD, shows you how to screen for bipolarity, explain it to clients, and manage diagnostic uncertainty.

You’ll also cover the role of sleep, bipolar-specific psychotherapy, and how medications are used across the mood spectrum. The medication content is psychoeducational and does not replace a prescriber’s judgment.

Phelps focused his psychiatric practice on complex mood disorders for more than 20 years and served on International Society for Bipolar Disorders task forces. We ranked this course sixth because a missed bipolar diagnosis can keep clients cycling through treatments that do not work.

7. High-Conflict Couples Masterclass

Some couples damage their relationship nearly every time they argue. In this high-conflict couples course, Dr. Marty Klein explains why conflict turns destructive and how to make it collaborative instead.

You’ll learn the features of healthy conflict, Fair Fighting guidelines, and how to work with narratives and triggering. Klein also covers the existential issues, such as fear of vulnerability and powerlessness, that drive couples to attack each other.

Klein has worked as a licensed marriage and family therapist and certified sex therapist for over 40 years. This course ranks seventh only because its focus is narrower. For LMFTs and anyone who sees couples, it may be the most useful course on this list.

8. Polyvagal Regulation for Trauma Training

This Polyvagal Theory training shows how nervous system states shape emotions, behavior, relationships, and responses to stress and trauma. It’s taught by Courtney Rolfe, LCPC, who co-authored Polyvagal Prompts with Deb Dana. Rolfe runs a private practice in Chicago and trains clinicians around the world.

You’ll learn neuroception, co-regulation, and the Social Engagement System, plus interventions that create felt safety in session. You’ll also learn to teach clients regulation skills they can keep building outside of therapy.

Rolfe also shows you how to read a client’s nervous system state from observable cues and self-report, which can guide treatment planning. If you want to strengthen your trauma-informed care with dysregulated clients, this course is a practical place to start.

9. Multicultural Clinical Skills Masterclass

Many therapists hold back with clients from different backgrounds because they’re afraid of saying the wrong thing. Lambers Fisher, LMFT, teaches this multicultural counseling course to replace that hesitation with practical skills.

You’ll use the DSM-5 Cultural Formulation Interview, recognize and reduce your own biases, build rapport across differences, and recover from an unintentional cultural misstep. The course also covers age, gender, sexuality, religion, acculturation, and social justice.

Fisher has counseled individuals, couples, and families from many cultural backgrounds for over 20 years. If your board requires cultural competency hours, confirm that this course qualifies before you enroll.

10. Compassion Fatigue Recovery Masterclass

Our last pick is for you, not your clients. In this compassion fatigue course, Diane Bigler, LCSW, LSCSW, teaches you to tell burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma apart. You’ll also learn the 16 signs of trauma exposure response.

Using the trauma stewardship framework and its Five Directions, you’ll build a short personal plan for sustainable practice. Bigler has more than 25 years of experience in mental health, including work as a clinical supervisor. She also teaches social work at the University of Kansas.

This course also helps you identify the personal, relational, and systemic factors that raise your risk. Therapist burnout can affect clinical judgment and ethical practice, which is why we included it.

Online CEU Courses for Therapists – FAQs

How many CE hours do therapists need?

It depends on your license and state. Each board sets its own continuing education rules for total hours, renewal cycles, and required topics such as ethics or suicide prevention.

Our CE requirements tool lets you look up requirements by state and profession. Confirm the numbers with your licensing board, since some boards change their rules.

What’s the difference between a CEU and a CE hour?

Many therapists use the terms interchangeably, but they are different units. Under the IACET standard, one continuing education unit (CEU) equals 10 contact hours.

Most mental health licensing boards set requirements in hours, so check how your board defines a CEU before you add up your continuing education credits. Each CE course on this list is worth 6 CE hours.

Are online CEU courses accepted by licensing boards?

Usually, as long as the provider is approved. Each board sets its own rules, and some limit how many home study hours count toward renewal.

Our board approvals page lists each of our accreditations and the states that accept NBCC, ASWB ACE, NAADAC, and APA approved providers. Your board has the final say, so check its rules before you enroll.

Is eCare an accredited continuing education provider?

Yes. We hold national approvals from NBCC (ACEP No. 6703), the ASWB ACE program, and NAADAC (provider #139138).

We’re also approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. In New York, the State Education Department recognizes us as an approved provider for licensed mental health counselors, psychologists, and social workers.

Are these courses right for LPCs, LMHCs, LCSWs, and LMFTs?

Yes. Each course on this list is intended for mental health professionals, including social workers, mental health counselors, addiction counselors, and MFTs.

Psychologists should look for the APA logo and sponsor statement on a course page before counting it toward renewal.

Do live webinars count differently than recorded courses?

They can. Our live webinars usually run on Zoom, include direct access to the instructor, and count as face-to-face CEs with most boards.

Recorded online courses count as home study. If your board caps home study hours, live webinars can cover the rest of your requirement.

How do you get your CE certificate?

Watch the recorded course, complete a short evaluation, and pass the quiz with a score of 80% or higher. You get three attempts, and your CE certificate is available immediately.

If you’re licensed in a state where we report to CE Broker, such as Florida, Ohio, or South Carolina, we report your CE credits for you. You don’t need to buy a textbook or any other materials.

Can you rewatch a course after you finish it?

Yes. Every CE course on this list includes unlimited replays, so you can return to the video lesson whenever you need a refresher. You can watch on any device, at your own pace.

Is a membership cheaper than buying courses one at a time?

If you plan to take three or more CE courses from this list in a year, yes. Our Home-Study Membership costs $197 per year for 300+ recorded courses, while three of the $97 courses here would cost $291.

Our Unlimited Membership costs $297 per year and adds live webinars, for 500+ courses in total. Some certification programs and specialty offerings may not be included. If you’re not satisfied and have completed fewer than three courses, we’ll refund your membership.