Washington psychologists renew their licenses every year but count CE over three. That mismatch — annual renewal, triennial requirement — is the single thing most likely to trip you up, because you can renew on time every year and still be short on the three-year total that actually gets verified.
The 60-hour triennial structure
Washington psychologists complete 60 hours of CE every three years, even though licenses renew annually by the licensee's birthday. CE verification is submitted every three years. So the renewal prompt you see yearly is not the deadline that matters for CE — the three-year verification is. This is the cleanest example of why your CME deadline and license expiration are not the same date.
The mandated topics
- Professional ethics and law — 4 hours during each three-year period. Part of the near-universal ethics mandate.
- Suicide prevention training — 6 hours every six years, for all psychologist license types. Part of the suicide-prevention CE push, where Washington is a leader.
- Health equity — 2 hours, required for many Washington health professionals (commonly every four years — confirm the current interval with DOH).
All of these count within the 60-hour total. Notice the cadences do not match: 60 hours every three years, suicide every six, health equity commonly every four. Three different clocks.
The six-year suicide clock is the sneaky one
A six-year requirement sitting inside a three-year cycle inside an annual renewal is a recipe for forgetting. The suicide-prevention training comes due only every other CE cycle, so it is easy to assume you did it recently when you did not. Mark it the day you complete it. Washington applies suicide training across many professions — its RNs face a one-time 6-hour suicide training too.
Health equity is a Washington signature
Washington bakes health equity into CE across its health professions, including nurses. The interval gets updated periodically, so confirm whether yours is every four years or something else with the Department of Health.
How Washington compares
Sixty hours over three years averages 20 per year — heavier than New York's 36 over three years for psychologists, and structured around the same long-cycle planning challenge. The general psychologist landscape, including PSYPACT, is in the psychologist CE overview. If you hold psychologist licenses in more than one state, each needs its own plan.
A clean Washington psychologist cycle
Treat 60 hours as 20 per year, lock in 4 ethics-and-law hours per three-year period, schedule the 6-hour suicide training on its six-year clock, and confirm your health-equity interval. Track against the three-year verification, not the annual renewal. Keep certificates for an audit. Confirm current rules with the Washington State Department of Health.
An annual renewal layered over a three-year requirement with two off-cycle mandates is exactly the kind of timing a plan keeps straight. White Glove CME maps your Washington psychologist requirements against the verification cycle for a flat $99 per license renewal — planning only, no credit granted, no DOH login. See pricing or tell us your renewal date. The breakdown is on our Washington psychologist page and the Washington overview.
Need help figuring out your CME?
Stop guessing what CME you need. Tell us your license type, state, and renewal date, and we'll map exactly which continuing-education hours and mandated topics you need — and by when. Flat $99 per plan.