The Council issues three types of licenses for the practice of psychology:
- Licensed Psychologist
- Licensed Psychological Associate
- Licensed Specialist in School Psychology
The application packet for each type of license may be downloaded from the Board’s Forms and Publications webpage.
Licensed Psychologist
The requirements for obtaining licensure as a psychologist are set forth in 22 TAC 463.10. Generally, these requirements include:
- a doctoral degree in psychology;
- passage of the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology;
- passage of the Jurisprudence Examination;
- a minimum of 1,750 hours of supervised experience received in a formal internship within a doctoral program; and
- a minimum of 1,750 hours of supervised experience received following conferral of a doctoral degree. NOTE: Applicants who graduated from an APA or CPA accredited degree program (or a substantially equivalent degree program) may be able to count certain experience acquired in their doctoral program toward this requirement. Please see 22 TAC 463.11 for further details.
The requirement for documentation of supervised experience is waived for applicants who (1)are actively licensed as a doctoral-level psychologists in good standing and have been practicing psychology in another jurisdiction for at least five years, or (2)can affirm they have received at least 3,000 hours of supervised experience from a licensed psychologist in another jurisdiction, at least one-half of which was completed within a formal internship with the remaining one-half completed after the doctoral degree was conferred.
Individuals who hold an active Certificate of Professional Qualification in Psychology (CPQ) are considered to have met all requirements for licensure, except for passage of the Jurisprudence Examination.
Individuals who hold an active specialist certification with the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) are considered to have met all requirements for licensure, except for passage of the EPPP and Jurisprudence Examination.
CAUTION: Individuals who did not go through a formal internship during their doctoral program are strongly encouraged to review 22 TAC 463.10 – .11 before submitting an application for licensure. Individuals who have not undergone a formal internship as part of their doctoral program, or who took part in an internship that does not meet the Council’s internship requirements, are generally not eligible for licensure as a psychologist. Individuals who fall into this narrow category of applicants may be required to complete a re-specialization program before they will qualify for licensure. You can learn more about re-specialization through the American Psychological Association’s website by clicking here.
Individuals may also consider applying for licensure as a psychological associate if they do not wish to undertake re-specialization, but still want the ability to practice independently.
Licensed Psychological Associate
The requirements for obtaining licensure as a psychological associate are set forth in 22 TAC 463.8. Generally, these requirements include:
- a graduate degree in psychology, consisting of at least sixty (60) semester credit hours, with no more than twelve (12) hours of practicum, internship, or structured experience counted toward the total degree hour requirement;
- demonstrate proof of graduate level coursework required in 463.8(a)(4) by identifying courses/training listed on the applicant’s transcript;
- Six (6) semester credit hours of practicum, internship, or other structured experience within the graduate degree program, while under the supervision of a licensed psychologist;
- passage of the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology; and
- passage of the Jurisprudence Examination.
The following are requirements for independent practice authority for licensed psychological associates:
- A minimum of 3,000 hours of post-graduate degree supervised experience obtained within 24-48 consecutive months, and in not more than three placements; and
- Application for independent practice authority to the Board.
Licensed Specialist in School Psychology
The requirements for obtaining licensure as a specialist in school psychology are set forth in 22 TAC 463.9. Generally, these requirements include:
- completion of a training program in school psychology approved/accredited by the American Psychological Association or the National Association of School Psychologists, or a graduate degree in psychology with specified course work;
- a formal internship of at least 1200 hours, of which 600 must be in a public school;
- passage of the Praxis School Psychology Examination; and
- passage of the Jurisprudence Examination.