Below, find relevant snippets of Alaska law and NASW guidance pertaining to CE designation requirements. The information on this page was last updated on April 9, 2026. For the most up-to-date information as it relates to Alaska law, please contact Alaska’s Professional Licensing Division. To reach this office, please call 907-465-2550 or go online to send Alaska’s Professional Licensing Division a contact form.
(A) the name of the sponsoring organization;
(B) the location of the course, seminar, or workshop;
(C) the title or a brief description of the course, seminar, or workshop;
(D) the principal instructor;
(E) the dates of attendance;
(F) the titles, issues, and dates of publications or presentations; and
(G) the number of continuing education contact hours claimed.
Section 12 AAC 18.210: Continuing Education Requirement
(a) A licensee applying for renewal of a social worker license shall complete the continuing education contact hours set out in this section for a biennial licensing period. For the licensee's
(1) first biennial renewal, the licensee shall complete
(A) 21 contact hours, if the licensee has been licensed for fewer than 12 months during the concluding biennial licensing period;
(B) 45 contact hours, if the licensee has been licensed for at least 12 months during the concluding biennial licensing period; or
(2) second or subsequent biennial renewal, the licensee shall complete 45 contact hours.
(e) A licensee applying for renewal may not earn more than 12 contact hours of continuing education activities required under this section in one day.
(g) For the purposes of this section,
(1) one "contact hour" equals 50 to 60 minutes of classroom instruction between an instructor and a participant.
Section 12 AAC 18.220: Approved Continuing Education Activities
(a) To be accepted by the board, continuing education must contribute directly to the professional competency of a social worker and must be directly related to the skills and knowledge required to implement social work principles and methods as defined in AS 08.95.990.
The following continuing education activities are acceptable if they are related to social work in accordance with (a) of this section:
(3) courses offered by or certified by the National Association of Social Workers or any state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers;
(8) first-time preparation and presentation of a social work course, seminar, or workshop, up to a maximum of 10 contact hours allocated among all social workers and other professionals involved.
Professional Ethics
Section 08.95.040: Continuing Education Requirement
(a) …Continuing education requirements that must be satisfied before the first biennial renewal of a person’s license must include a minimum of… three hours in professional ethics… After the first biennial renewal of a license, continuing education requirements for that person’s license renewal must include three hours in professional ethics…
Section 12 AAC 18.210: Continuing Education Requirement
(b) To be eligible for renewal, a licensee shall complete the following minimum continuing education contact hours during each biennial licensing period:
(3) three contact hours in professional ethics.
NASW CE Guidelines for the Development of Ethics Programs
Professional Ethics courses must reflect the social work profession’s current code of ethics. Be sure to review the NASW Code of Ethics for more details and information when developing programs for social work ethics. Program content for social work ethics should address specific core areas:
- History and evolution of values and ethics in social work
- Ethics Theories
- Professional standards of social work practice, such as exhibited in the NASW Code of Ethics
- Professional values and self-awareness about ethical professional behavior
- Ethical decision-making processes and dilemma examples
While there are elements of ethical practice that apply to many health and mental health care professions, the relationship of these ethical principles to the practice of social work, and the integration of ethics into the core values of the profession, demands that presenters be members of the social work profession, and that they have extensive knowledge in broad ethical principles and theory, values and ethics within social work, and the practical application of these concepts. It is recommended that presenters should have the following qualifications:
- Degree in social work
- Knowledge of high-risk areas of practice
- Practice competence in course content
Additional Guidance
To be eligible for a "Professional Ethics" CE designation, an Alaska-licensed social worker MUST be apart of the development and review of your event to be considered for approval. Additionally, the course must be characterized by an explicit reflection on the standards of professional practice in social work or related to social work ethics as defined by the NASW Code of Ethics. The course needs to specifically address the NASW Code of Ethics and not, for instance, general ethical behavior, medical ethics, etc.
Cross-Cultural Education
Section 08.95.040: Continuing Education Requirement
(a) …Continuing education requirements that must be satisfied before the first biennial renewal of a person’s license must include a minimum of… six hours in cross-cultural education that includes issues relating to Alaska Natives. After the first biennial renewal of a license, continuing education requirements for that person’s license renewal must include… six hours in cross-cultural education, three hours of which must include issues relating to Alaska Natives.
Section 12 AAC 18.210: Continuing Education Requirement
(b) To be eligible for renewal, a licensee shall complete the following minimum continuing education contact hours during each biennial licensing period:
(2) six contact hours in cross-cultural education;
(A) for the first biennial renewal, all six hours must include issues relating to Alaska Natives;
(B) for the second or subsequent biennial renewal, at least three hours must include issues relating to Alaska Natives;
(g) For the purposes of this section,
(2) "relating to Alaska Natives" means a structured educational experience, including a course, lecture, workshop, or other organized training that focuses on the indigenous peoples of Alaska as applicable to social work.
Section 12 AAC 18.990: Definitions
(3) “cross-cultural education” means a structured educational experience such as a course, lecture, workshop, or other organized training that focuses on characteristics of and differences among cultures or groups; cross-cultural education is not limited to clinical applications but should be relevant to the practice of social work; topics may include cross-cultural communications, contemporary anthropology, or Alaska Native cultures.
Substance Abuse Education
Section 08.95.040: Continuing Education Requirement
(a) …Continuing education requirements that must be satisfied before the first biennial renewal of a person’s license must include a minimum of… six hours in substance abuse… After the first biennial renewal of a license, continuing education requirements for that person’s license renewal must include… six hours in substance abuse.
Section 12 AAC 18.210: Continuing Education Requirement
(b) To be eligible for renewal, a licensee shall complete the following minimum continuing education contact hours during each biennial licensing period:
(1) six contact hours in substance abuse education.
Section 12 AAC 18.990: Definitions
(7) “substance abuse education” means a structured educational experience such as a course, lecture, workshop, or other organized training that focuses on a misuse of psychoactive substances, as it applies to social work practices; “substance abuse education” does not include an educational experience that focuses on behavior addiction; for the purposes of this paragraph,
(A) “psychoactive substance” means a chemical substance that changes brain function and results in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, or behavior, and includes alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs, pharmaceuticals, or illegal substances;
(B) “behavior addiction” means a behavior that produces short-term reward that may create persistent behavior despite knowledge of adverse consequences and diminished control over the behavior.
Teletherapy Practice
Section 12 AAC 18.210: Continuing Education Requirement
(b) To be eligible for renewal, a licensee shall complete the following minimum continuing education contact hours during each biennial licensing period:
(4) three contact hours in teletherapy practice;
(g) For the purposes of this section,
(3) "teletherapy practice" means the use of audio, video, or data communication to perform, while physically separated from a client, the function or practice within the training required for licensure under AS 08.95 and this chapter.
Section 12 AAC 18.990: Definitions
(10) “teletherapy” means the use of audio, video, or data communications to perform functions or practices within the training required for licensure under AS 08.95 and this chapter and while physically separated from a client.
Suicide Education
Section 12 AAC 18.210: Continuing Education Requirement
(b) To be eligible for renewal, a licensee shall complete the following minimum continuing education contact hours during each biennial licensing period:
(5) three contact hours in suicide education.
Section 12 AAC 18.990: Definitions
(11) “suicide education” means a structured educational experience such as a course, lecture, workshop, or other organized training that focuses on suicide awareness, prevention, intervention, or crisis management.