CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAM INFORMATION FOR SPONSORS

If you are a clinician looking for retroactive approval for a training you've completed, please follow this link to our retroactive continuing education approval for LMFTs

All of the below is applicable as of 1/1/2026

DEFINITIONS:

Sponsor: A group, educational facility, agency, organization, individual practitioner or other entity hosting a training for providers (e.g. NEAFAST, CFINE, PESI).

Continuing Education Program: A structured learning experience, designed to improve clinician knowledge, skill, or performance in the domain of Marriage and Family Therapy. To be eligible for Continuing Education approval, an event must have defined educational objectives, be designed to meet specific learning outcomes, must be directly relevant to the practice of Marriage and Family Therapy, and must include a process of evaluating the efficacy of the program. Networking events, wellness activities (e.g. a therapist specific yoga class), independent Q&A panels that do not directly address LMFT specific issues, marketing education, business-focused or management trainings are not eligible for continuing education credits. 

Continuing Education Unit: 50-60 minutes of educational content. NEAFAST recognizes CEUs in increments of .25 (e.g. 2.0, 2.25, 2.50, etc.). If your event is in between, you will need to round down to the nearest quarter. 

Post-Test: A test provided at the completion of an asynchronous, distance-learning program. NEAFAST requires that a sponsor administer 6 questions per CEU. 

Evaluation: A form distributed to attendees post-training to evaluate efficacy of a program. NEAFAST requires that sponsors evaluate for knowledge at beginning and end of the trainings, instructor effectiveness, clarity and organization of the program, instructor and presenter ability to provide feedback, comments and respect for learners, effective use of time, quality of technology, equipment and venue (if applicable), ratings of each accomplishment of each learning objective, and a section for qualitative feedback of the event and instructors.

Late Application: An application for any program taking place within 30 days or less from the application date.

Pre-Approval Application: Applications for any program submitted 24 or more full hours prior to the program start date (not start time). 

Retroactive Approval Application: Applications for any program submitted with less than 24 full hours of program start date. 

PAYMENT AND DEADLINES:

Payment MUST be received at the time of application. NEAFAST only accepts electronic payments. Allow 6 weeks processing time for all applications. 

Please be aware, submissions made after November 15th of renewal years may not be approved prior to the January 1st renewal deadline. You may request CE approval to be expedited for an additional fee. NEAFAST attempts to process all expedited applications within two weeks of receipt. However, this does not guarantee approval or approval prior to the January 1st deadline of a renewal year.

 ADVERTISING:

 Should a program receive approval, it can be advertised as:  This program has been approved by NEAFAST for __ credits for LMFTs. If an application has been submitted, but has not yet been approved, the program should be advertised as: Application has been submitted to NEAFAST for __ credits for LMFTs. Please contact us (your organization’s information) for an updated status of approval. Under no circumstances should a program be advertised as offering continuing education units for LMFTs when approval has not been received. NEAFAST offers the opportunity to advertise on our website and our newsletter.  For more information about advertising with NEAFAST click HERE.

 WHICH APPLICATION DO I CHOOSE?

Single Program Application: Use this application if you plan to apply for one stand-alone program. Single programs may contain break out sessions or take place on multiple concurrent or non-current days (e.g. a conference or series). A single program awards one CE certificate encompassing ALL educational hours. 

Multiple Program Application: Use this application to submit up to four separate programs on a single application. 

Repeat Program Application: Use this application for events which have previously received approval by NEAFAST to provide CEUs for LMFTs. If a program will be repeated in it's entirety on multiple dates, each date requires a separate repeat application. 

Retroactive Program Application: Use retroactive applications for single, multiple, or repeat continuing education program which have not yet received LMFT continuing education approval and have already begun, already ended, or have a start date (not time) that is less than 24 hours from the application date.

Sponsors should carefully review all continuing education requirements found here to ensure their program meet NEAFAST, AAMFT and Massachusetts Board of Allied Mental Health and Human Services requirements for LMFT continuing education prior to applying for their program. 

Are you a sponsor looking to receive PRE-APPROVAL for an upcoming training? Click here to apply for an future program. 

Are you a sponsor looking to receive RETROACTIVE APPROVAL for a training which has already begun, ended or has a date that is less than 24 full hours from the application date? Click here to apply for a completed or in progress program.

If you have any questions not addressed above please contact [email protected]