Professional Ethics for Counselors, MFTs, and Social Workers

How many ethics hours do Texas licensees need?

Texas licenses renew every two years. Each renewal, LPCs need 24 hours and LMFTs, LCSWs, and LMSWs need 30 hours, including 6 hours in ethics and 3 hours for a distinct population.

Who is this course for?

Texas LPCs, LMFTs, LCSWs, and LMSWs who need their 6 ethics hours for renewal.

Is it in the Texas bundle?

Yes. It is included in the Texas bundle, $69 for 36 CE hours, or sold on its own.

Do you report it to CE Broker?

Yes. All Texas courses are listed on CE Broker (provider ID 70094), and we report your completions to CE Broker within 30 days, using the Texas license type and number you give on the test.

How fast is the certificate?

Your certificate comes by email within 1 business day after you pass the post-test (70% to pass) and complete the evaluation.

Do I need a subscription or an account?

No. Each course or bundle is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. Checkout on Payhip asks only for your email and payment. No account, no login.

About this course

Most ethics courses are built around one state’s statutes. This one is built around the part of ethics that goes with you wherever you practice: the ACA, AAMFT, and NASW codes of ethics, the principles underneath them, and practical ways to decide what to do when the right answer is not obvious. It covers law versus ethics and the standard of care, ethical principles and professional values, a close look at each code (including the AAMFT Code effective January 1, 2026), decision-making models, confidentiality and the duty to protect, boundaries, competence, telehealth, supervision, and billing, with worked examples and composite cases.

Texas law appears in its own clearly labeled section. The course was written around the four categories of acceptable ethics hours in the Texas rules (22 TAC 681.140(c), 801.261(c), and 781.501(c)).

Learning objectives

After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Distinguish law, codes of ethics, the standard of care, and agency policy as sources of professional obligation, and explain mandatory versus aspirational ethics.
2. Name the six ACA principles of ethical behavior and the six NASW core values, and explain how they guide practice when standards conflict.
3. Describe the structure of the 2014 ACA Code of Ethics and apply its standards on informed consent, personal values, referral, and former clients.
4. Describe the structure of the AAMFT Code of Ethics effective January 1, 2026, and apply its standards on sexual behavior and confidentiality in couple, family, and group treatment.
5. Describe the structure of the NASW Code of Ethics and apply its standards on confidentiality and on colleagues' impairment, incompetence, and unethical conduct.
6. Apply the decision-making elements in ACA Code I.1.b and the seven-step Practitioner's Guide model, including the tests of justice, publicity, and universality.
7. Distinguish confidentiality, privilege, and privacy, apply minimum necessary disclosure, and explain why state law controls the duty to protect or warn.
8. Distinguish boundary crossings from boundary violations and apply the codes' standards on cultural humility, competence, and telehealth.
9. State the ethics continuing education rules for Texas, Oregon, and Washington, and use a checklist to find the rules in any other state.
10. Apply the codes to composite cases involving termination, continuity planning, and professional boundaries, and build a personal ethics practice.

Who this course is for

Instructor

Instructor: John Oliver Ycaro, LPCC (also the course developer and CE provider). About 10 years of clinical experience in community mental health and private practice. Expertise relevant to this course: professional ethics, mental health law, and outpatient mental health practice.

Under CAMFT CEPA rules, the named instructor meets instructor qualifications by current related licensure and a related master’s degree (and related practice experience). A current CV is kept in the provider’s CE records.

How it works

1. Enroll through the secure Payhip checkout. You get the course right away.
2. Read the self-study text at your own pace.
3. Take the online post-test (70% to pass; retakes free) and confirm you did the work yourself.
4. Complete a short course evaluation (required for CE credit).
5. Receive your certificate by email within 1 business day after you pass and complete the evaluation.

Completion records are kept for at least 7 years.

Price

$19

Enroll for $19

Also included in the $69 for 36 CE hours Texas bundle.

Pay securely on Payhip. CE credit is awarded after you complete the reading, pass the post-test at 70% or higher, and complete the evaluation.

CE information

Self-study course in professional ethics, offered as distance learning with a 30-question test of comprehension. 6 CE hours.

CE hours are based on the length of the required reading, using our documented hours method. Your time may vary with your clinical experience and reading speed.

John Oliver Ycaro, LPCC is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs and LEPs. John Oliver Ycaro, LPCC maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.

Texas requires me to report your completion to CE Broker within 30 days. Please enter your Texas license exactly as it appears on your license. Check the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council rules for your license if you have questions about acceptance.

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