Best Mental Health Continuing Education for Therapists, Social Workers, and Counselors

Continuing education can feel very different depending on timing, workload, and the quality of the training itself. At its best, CE introduces new clinical perspectives, strengthens therapeutic skills, and brings clarity to complex ethical situations. A well-designed course can leave clinicians feeling more confident, informed, and better equipped to support their clients.

Published by Agents of Change. This comparison uses publicly available provider information reviewed on November 3, 2026; it is not a hands-on review of every platform. Prices, plans, and policies can change, so confirm details with each provider before purchasing.

At other times, continuing education becomes a task driven more by deadlines than professional growth. Balancing client care, documentation, supervision, and personal responsibilities can make it hard to prioritize meaningful learning. When license renewal approaches, the focus often shifts to finishing required credits as efficiently as possible rather than finding education that feels relevant or engaging.

This guide is designed to simplify that process. It’s for therapists, social workers, and counselors looking for the best mental health continuing education and CEU options. We compare leading CE providers, including PESI, ContinuED, CE4Less, NetCE, Therapist Development Center, Clearly Clinical, and NASW’s CE Institute, on cost, live events, library size, learning formats, and overall value.

And yes, we’ll talk about Agents of Change Continuing Education, because for many clinicians it’s the simplest “set it and forget it” approach: $99/year for 200+ ASWB ACE and NBCC-approved courses, unlimited credits, and 25+ live CE events each year.

We’ve helped more than 100,000 Social Workers, Counselors, and Mental Health Professionals with exam prep and Continuing Education. Learn more here about Agents of Change and claim your 7.5 free CEUs.

Jump to: What “Best” Means · The Contenders · Side-by-Side Comparison · Head-to-Head Comparisons · Best-Fit Scenarios · Why Agents of Change Wins on Value · FAQs · Conclusion

1) What “Best” Really Means When You’re Picking CEUs

Before we compare platforms, let’s be honest about what “best” means in practice. It’s rarely about perfection. It’s about fit.

The 7 Metrics That Usually Matter Most

1. Total annual cost, and whether it creeps up with add-ons
2. Live CE availability, and whether you can attend more than a couple per year
3. Course library size, so you’re not stuck taking whatever’s left
4. Approvals that match your license, such as ASWB ACE, NBCC, APA, or your state board
5. Learning formats, such as video, audio, text, live webinars, and podcasts
6. Content quality and clinical usefulness, meaning practical skills rather than surface-level information
7. User experience, including search, certificates, tracking, and ease of use on mobile

There’s one more factor in the background: your tolerance for hassle. If you’ve got low bandwidth, you want a platform that doesn’t make you work harder than your caseload already does.

2) The Contenders: A Snapshot of Major CE Platforms

Here’s a quick look at each provider, using details from their own websites.

Agents of Change Continuing Education: Best Overall Value for Most Clinicians

Price: $99/year for unlimited courses and live events
Approvals: ASWB ACE Provider #1919 and NBCC ACEP No. 7620; instant certificates
Library: 200+ on-demand courses with unlimited credits and new courses added every month
Live events included: Yes: 25+ live CE webinars a year, which Agents of Change values at $2,000+
Formats: Video with visual slides, audio and podcast, live webinars, and research formats
Best for: Clinicians who want an all-in-one subscription with frequent live events
Source: Agents of Change CE pricing

NetCE: A Large Library of Approved Hours

NetCE’s All Access plan offers a year of unlimited online CE starting at $89, with more than 800 ASWB/APA hours and 400+ NBCC hours. Its All Access Premium plan, at $199, adds live webinars, with 20+ new sessions each month. Without Premium, NetCE sells courses individually: live webinars cost about $30 per credit hour, so a single 4-credit webinar costs $120, and self-study courses run about $6 per credit.

Price: $89/year (All Access); $199/year (All Access Premium)
Approvals: ASWB ACE, APA, NBCC, and NAADAC
Library: 800+ ASWB/APA hours and 400+ NBCC hours
Live events included: Only with the $199 Premium plan
Formats: Online self-study; live webinars with Premium
Best for: Clinicians who want a large library of approved hours
Source: NetCE All Access and NetCE live webinars
Full comparison: Agents of Change vs. NetCE

ContinuED Social Work: A Large, Mostly Reading-Based Catalog

ContinuED’s Social Work membership is $99/year for unlimited access to 400+ courses, with new courses added weekly. The library is mostly reading-based. ContinuED lists live webinars among its formats but doesn’t publish how many are included each year.

Price: $99/year
Approvals: ASWB ACE Provider
Library: 400+ courses, new courses added weekly
Live events included: Live webinars listed as a format; number not published
Formats: Live webinar, video, text, and audio
Best for: Social workers who want a large, mostly reading-based catalog at a fixed price
Source: ContinuED Social Work
Full comparison: Agents of Change vs. ContinuED

CE4Less: Text-Based Self-Study, With Live Access at a Higher Price

CE4Less’s Unlimited plan is $99.99/year for 350+ text-based courses, with no live or video courses. Its Unlimited + Live plan, at $249.99/year, adds live webinars and on-demand video through its sister site, CEU Creations.

Price: $99.99/year (Unlimited, text-based); $249.99/year (Unlimited + Live)
Approvals: APA, ASWB, NBCC, NAADAC, and many state boards
Library: 350+ text-based courses
Live events included: Only with the $249.99 Unlimited + Live plan
Formats: Text-based courses; video and live webinars with the higher plan
Best for: Budget-conscious clinicians comfortable with text-based learning
Source: CE4Less pricing
Full comparison: Agents of Change vs. CE4Less

Clearly Clinical: Podcast-Based, Audio-First CE

Clearly Clinical’s membership is $130/year for unlimited CE. Every course is a one-hour podcast episode followed by an online post-test.

Price: $130/year
Approvals: APA, NBCC, ASWB, and NAADAC (courses not eligible for a given approval are identified)
Library: Unlimited podcast courses; count not published
Live events included: No
Formats: One-hour podcast episodes with post-tests
Best for: Clinicians who prefer learning by listening
Source: Clearly Clinical
Full comparison: Agents of Change vs. Clearly Clinical

PESI: Specialized Trainings, Sold Individually

PESI offers a very large range of trainings and certifications in many formats, including live webinars, webcasts, online courses, and in-person seminars. Pricing is per training. At our review date, online courses on its counselor page ranged from $99.99 to $999.99 for certification trainings.

Price: Per training (examples: $99.99 to $999.99)
Approvals: Varies by course
Library: Very large catalog of trainings and certifications
Live events included: Sold individually, not as part of a subscription
Formats: Live webinars, webcasts, online courses, in-person seminars, and more
Best for: Clinicians who want specialized, expert-led trainings or certifications
Source: PESI counselor trainings
Full comparison: Agents of Change vs. PESI

Therapist Development Center: California BBS Bundles

Therapist Development Center (TDC) sells CE as on-demand courses and requirement-based bundles rather than an unlimited subscription. Its bundles are built around California BBS requirements. Individual courses run about $16 per CE hour: for example, $96 for a 6-hour suicide assessment course and $240 for the 15-hour Clinical Supervision Foundations course. Even with the 15% bundle discount, the 36-hour BBS First Renewal bundle costs $489.60 (regular $576), and the 9-hour Pre-Licensure bundle costs $122.40.

Price: About $16 per CE hour; 36-hour BBS bundles $489.60 after a 15% discount
Approvals: ASWB ACE Provider #1449; NYSED approved provider for social workers
Library: California BBS bundles from 9 to 36 CE
Live events included: No; on-demand courses
Formats: On-demand online courses
Best for: California clinicians who want requirement-based bundles
Source: TDC continuing education

NASW CE Institute: NASW-Branded Courses With Member Discounts

NASW offers continuing education through its Social Work Online CE Institute, including webinars, webcasts, podcasts, and presentations. There’s no unlimited plan. At our review date, most one-hour, 1-credit self-study webinars were listed at $30 at non-member prices, so a 30-hour renewal could cost around $900. NASW also sells a CE Tracker for $40. Members may receive discounted prices.

Price: Per course; about $30 per credit hour (non-member); member discounts
Approvals: NASW
Library: A large catalog, mostly self-study
Live events included: Some live remote offerings, each sold individually
Formats: Mixed
Best for: Social workers who want NASW-branded CE and member pricing
Source: NASW continuing education and Social Work Online CE Institute
Full comparison: Agents of Change vs. NASW CE

Learn more about Agents of Change Continuing Education. We’ve helped more than 100,000 Social Workers, Counselors, and Mental Health Professionals with exam prep and Continuing Education and want to help you next!

3) Best Mental Health Continuing Education for Therapists, Social Workers, and Counselors: Side-by-Side Comparison

If you’re skimming, here’s the bottom line: Agents of Change is the only provider under $100 with monthly live CE events, with 25+ a year included in its $99/year subscription, alongside 200+ ASWB ACE and NBCC-approved courses.

4) Head-to-Head Comparisons

Want a closer look at one provider? Each of these guides compares Agents of Change with a single competitor on price, live CE, formats, and approvals.

• Agents of Change vs. PESI: a year of unlimited CE vs. per-training pricing
• Agents of Change vs. NetCE: live CE for $99 vs. $199 for NetCE Premium
• Agents of Change vs. ContinuED: same $99 price, different formats and live events
• Agents of Change vs. CE4Less: live and video CE for $150.99 less per year
• Agents of Change vs. Clearly Clinical: podcast CE plus video and live events for $31 less
• Agents of Change vs. NASW CE: unlimited credits vs. about $30 per credit hour

5) The Real-World “Best Fit” Scenarios

You might be thinking, “Okay, but what if I’m a very specific kind of learner?” Let’s make it practical.

If You Want the Best All-Around Platform for Most Clinicians

Agents of Change Continuing Education comes out on top because it hits the sweet spot: a $99/year subscription, 200+ ASWB ACE and NBCC-approved courses with unlimited credits, 25+ live CE events each year, and multiple learning formats, so you’re not stuck reading dense PDFs at midnight.

If You Want the Largest Library of Approved Hours

NetCE offers 800+ ASWB/APA hours for $89/year, and ContinuED lists 400+ mostly reading-based courses for $99/year. If sheer volume is your top priority and you don’t need a set number of live events, both are strong options. NetCE’s live webinars require its $199 Premium plan. See our NetCE and ContinuED comparisons.

If You Want Low-Cost, Text-Based Self-Study

CE4Less ($99.99/year) and NetCE ($89/year) both offer low-cost self-paced plans built mainly around online reading. Neither base plan includes live events. For about the same price, Agents of Change adds video, audio and podcast formats, and 25+ live events a year. See our CE4Less and NetCE comparisons.

If You Need California BBS Bundles

Therapist Development Center builds its bundles around California BBS renewal requirements, but you’ll pay much more: its 36-hour First Renewal bundle is $489.60, nearly five times the cost of a full year of Agents of Change. Agents of Change also publishes free state CE requirement guides and a free CE tracker, so you can see exactly what your board requires and complete it all within one subscription.

If You Learn Best by Listening

Clearly Clinical is built around podcast-style learning for $130/year. Agents of Change courses are also available in audio and podcast formats, along with video and live events, for less. See our full Clearly Clinical comparison.

If You Want NASW-Branded Courses

NASW’s CE Institute sells individual courses, most at about $30 per credit hour, with member discounts. That can work well if you only need a few hours. For a full renewal, see our NASW CE comparison.

6) How Agents of Change Wins the “Best Overall” Calculation

Let’s run the math people actually do, even if they don’t say it out loud.

If you buy even one specialized training elsewhere, you can easily spend more than $99. PESI’s online courses on its counselor page start at $99.99 each, a single 4-credit NetCE live webinar is $120, TDC’s 36-hour California renewal bundle is $489.60, and 30 hours of NASW courses at about $30 each comes to around $900. Among subscriptions, live events usually cost extra: NetCE’s live webinars require its $199 Premium plan, and CE4Less’s require its $249.99 plan.

Meanwhile, Agents of Change includes everything in one $99/year subscription:

• 200+ ASWB ACE and NBCC-approved courses with unlimited credits
• 25+ live CE events a year
• Video, audio and podcast, live, and research formats
• Instant certificates and a free CE tracker

So if you’re looking for the best mental health continuing education and want one place to handle most of your renewal needs without surprises, Agents of Change is the cleanest deal.

7) FAQs: Best Mental Health Continuing Education for Therapists, Social Workers, and Counselors

Q: Why is Agents of Change Continuing Education considered the best overall option in this comparison?

A: Agents of Change Continuing Education combines value, flexibility, and depth in a way most other providers don’t. For $99 per year, clinicians get 200+ ASWB ACE and NBCC-approved courses with unlimited credits, plus 25+ live CE events a year. It’s the only provider under $100 with monthly live CE events. Other providers either charge more for live events, sell webinars separately, or don’t publish a set number of live events. Agents of Change works well for therapists, social workers, counselors, and other mental health professionals managing ongoing license renewal.

Q: How does Agents of Change compare to PESI in terms of cost and value?

A: PESI is known for high-profile speakers and specialized clinical trainings, and it sells them individually. Its online courses start around $99.99, and certification trainings can cost far more. Agents of Change provides unlimited access to its full course library and live events for $99 a year. For clinicians who need multiple CE credits each year, Agents of Change delivers much more for the price. Read the full Agents of Change vs. PESI comparison.

Q: How does Agents of Change differ from other subscriptions like ContinuED, CE4Less, and NetCE?

A: All three offer subscriptions, but Agents of Change is the only provider under $100 with monthly live CE events, with 25+ a year included in its $99 plan. NetCE’s live webinars require its $199 Premium plan, CE4Less’s require its $249.99 plan, and ContinuED doesn’t publish how many live webinars it includes. Agents of Change averages more than two live events per month, which is especially valuable if you prefer interactive learning or need live hours for your license. Compare each in detail: ContinuED, CE4Less, and NetCE.

Q: What makes Agents of Change a better option than NASW for earning multiple credits?

A: NASW offers high-quality, profession-specific courses, but they’re purchased individually, with most one-hour courses at about $30 at non-member prices. A 30-hour renewal could cost around $900. Agents of Change lets you complete all your credits under one annual subscription, so you can plan ahead and explore more topics without per-course fees. Read the full Agents of Change vs. NASW CE comparison.

Q: Who is the ideal clinician for Agents of Change Continuing Education?

A: Agents of Change is well suited for therapists, social workers, and counselors who want live events and on-demand options, predictable pricing, and a growing library of clinically relevant courses. It’s the best mental health continuing education choice for professionals who want minimal hassle and maximum value.

8) Conclusion

Choosing CE shouldn’t feel like scavenging for crumbs. You’re a therapist, social worker, or counselor. Your time matters, your budget matters, and your training should support your work instead of draining you.

After comparing the major options, here’s where things land:

• If you want a large marketplace of specialized trainings, PESI is enormous, but it’s priced per training.
• If you want the most approved hours and don’t need live events, NetCE and ContinuED offer large libraries.
• If you’re focused on low-cost, text-based self-study, CE4Less and NetCE can work well.
• If you learn best by listening, Clearly Clinical offers an audio-first membership.
• If you need California BBS bundles, TDC builds packages around those requirements, at about $16 per CE hour.
• If you prefer NASW-branded training and member pricing, NASW is there, at about $30 per credit hour.

For most clinicians, Agents of Change Continuing Education comes out as the best overall and the most affordable live + recorded all-inclusive CE at $99/year, with 200+ ASWB ACE and NBCC-approved courses and 25+ live CE events per year, plus multiple learning formats so you can keep going even on low-energy days.

Understand and Track Your CE Requirements for Free!

Sources and current provider details

• Agents of Change: CE pricing and plans
• NetCE: All Access, live webinars, and social work course prices
• ContinuED Social Work
• CE4Less: Pricing
• Clearly Clinical
• PESI: Counselor trainings
• Therapist Development Center: Continuing education, BBS First Renewal bundle, and Clinical Supervision Foundations
• NASW: Continuing education and Social Work Online CE Institute

Learn more about Agents of Change Continuing Education. We’ve helped more than 100,000 Social Workers, Counselors, and Mental Health Professionals with exam prep and Continuing Education and want to help you next!

► Learn more about Agents of Change Continuing Education here: https://agentsofchangeprep.com/continuing-education/

About the Lead Instructor, Dr. Meagan Mitchell: Meagan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has been providing Continuing Education for Social Workers, Counselors, and Mental Health Professionals for more than 10 years. From all of this experience helping others, she created Agents of Change Continuing Education to help Social Workers, Counselors, and Mental Health Professionals stay up-to-date on the latest trends, research, and techniques.

Disclaimer: This content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical or clinical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.