Licensure as a Psychologist - Instructions

General Instructions and Information

COMPLETE ALL SECTIONS OF THE APPLICATION.

Failure to do so will delay approval. Please type or print legibly in BLUE ink.

HOW TO CONTACT THE BOARD:

If you need additional information after carefully reading all of these instructions, you can call the board at (916) 263-2699, ext. 3303. However, the board encourages applicants to communicate with staff via email. It is more efficient than telephone contact and provides applicants with a written record of the information provided. The email address for the board is bopmail@dca.ca.gov.

LAWS AND REGULATIONS:

A booklet containing relevant sections of the Business and Professions Code and the California Code of Regulations can be purchased by submitting a request along with a check or money order in the amount of $6.00 to the Board of Psychology, 2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 1400, Sacramento, CA 95815-3831. The board's laws and regulations are also available free of charge as a link through the board's web site at www.psychboard.ca.gov. Please review this booklet carefully prior to completing and submitting your application.

WHEN TO APPLY:

An application for licensure may be filed at any time after the awarding of the doctorate degree and accrual of at least 1500 hours of qualifying supervised professional experience.

TRANSCRIPTS:

Official transcripts from all educational institutions where you completed relevant graduate coursework must be sent directly by the institution to the Board of Psychology, 2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 1400, Sacramento, CA 95815-3831. If you have previously submitted doctoral transcripts in support of a psychological assistant application or registered psychologist application, you are NOT required to submit another set of official transcripts for the purpose of this application for licensure as a psychologist.

FEES:

The current application fee of $40.00 must accompany the completed application. If you are required to take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP), you will be required to pay the examination fee of $500 directly to the Professional Examination Service (PES). If you have previously taken the EPPP and passed at or above California's pass point, or if you qualify for a waiver of the EPPP, you must submit the examination fee for the California Psychology Supplemental Examination (CPSE) of $129.00 to the board along with this application.

FINGERPRINT PROCEDURES:

Before the Board of Psychology issues a license or registration, a clearance must be received from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to document that the applicant has no criminal history which has a substantial relationship to the qualifications, functions or duties of a psychologist. If you have not been registered or licensed with the board previously, you must have your fingerprints scanned for a criminal history clearance. You need to complete a "Request for Live Scan Service" form and take the completed form (in triplicate) to the Live Scan site. Please refer to the Fingerprint Procedures Form.

VERIFICATION OF EXPERIENCE FORMS:

Verification of Experience forms are to be completed by every primary supervisor verifying a portion of the required hours of experience. Be sure to type or clearly print both your supervisor's name and address and your name in the spaces indicated. Send these forms directly to your supervisors. When the form is competed, the supervisor is to sign it in BLUE ink and send it directly to the Board of Psychology, 2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 1400, Sacramento, CA 95815-3831. Only the primary supervisor in each setting has to complete this form.

STARTING DATE FOR POST-DOCTORAL EXPERIENCE:

Post-doctoral supervised professional experience may commence any time after the doctorate degree is awarded. However, applicants who met ALL requirements for their doctorate degree prior to the degree's ceremonial awarding may commence their post-doctoral experience anytime after the "met requirements" date. For those who started their experience early, if a "met requirements" date is clearly noted on your transcript, no further documentation is required. If this date is not on your transcript, however, it will be necessary to have the registrar, director of training, or dean of the academic institution verify this date in a separate document. NOTE: The board will accept only the date on which ALL requirements were met. This means that both substantive and administrative requirements for your doctorate degree must be met prior to accruing post-doctoral experience.

HUMAN SEXUALITY REQUIREMENT:

All applicants must submit evidence of compliance with this requirement prior to licensure. See Section 1382 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations for detail.

CHILD ABUSE COURSEWORK REQUIREMENT:

All applicants must submit evidence of compliance with this requirement prior to licensure. See Section 1382.4 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations for details.

DETECTION AND TREATMENT OF ALCOHOL AND OTHER CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE DEPENDENCY REQUIREMENT:

All applicants who started graduate training on or after September 1, 1985 must show evidence of this training prior to licensure. See Section 1382.3 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations for details.

SPOUSAL OR PARTNER ABUSE ASSESSMENT, DETECTION AND INTERVENTION REQUIREMENT:

All applicants who began graduate training between January 1,1995 and December 31, 2003 must show evidence of completing at least two hours of coursework in this area prior to licensure. All applicants who started graduate training on or after January 1, 2004 must show evidence of completing at least 15 hours of coursework in this area prior to licensure. See Section 2914(f) of the Business and Professions Code for details.

AGING AND LONG TERM CARE REQUIREMENT:

All applicants who started graduate training on or after January 1, 2004 must show evidence of this training prior to licensure. See Section 2915.5 of the Business and Professions Code for details.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

The board will send you an email or postcard to confirm receipt of your application. Within approximately four weeks of receipt, you will be notified if additional documentation is needed. All required materials (transcripts, verification of experience forms, etc.) must be received prior to scheduling an examination.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICANTS WITH FOREIGN DEGREES:

All applicants with doctorate degrees that were awarded outside the United States or Canada must provide the board with a comprehensive evaluation of the degree performed by a foreign credential evaluation service that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) as well as official transcripts from all graduate level educational institutions. To obtain a list of credential evaluation services that are members of NACES, visit the NACES web site at www.naces.org.

CANADIAN DEGREES:

Applicants who receive their doctorate degrees from accredited Canadian schools need only submit their official transcripts, provided that the transcripts are in English. If the transcripts are in any other language than English, they must be translated in English by an accredited agency.

WAIVER OF THE EXAMINATION FOR PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE IN PSYCHOLOGY (EPPP):

Pursuant to Section 1388.6 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations, the national written examination, the EPPP will be waived if you:

• are a California licensed psychologist who has been licensed for at least five years but allowed your license to expire by not renewing the license for at least three years.
• are licensed as a psychologist in another state, Canadian province, or U.S. territory, for at least five years, and have not been subject to discipline. This requires the licensing agency in another state, Canadian province or U.S. territory where you possess a license to complete a certification of licensure and mail it directly to this board. Certification must include license number, initial issue date, expiration date, date of birth, current status of license, and any disciplinary action.
• possess a Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ) issued by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB). For more information about CPQ's, contact ASPPB at (800) 448-4069, visit their web site at www.asppb.org, or write to P.O. Box 241245, Montgomery, AL 36124. Verification of your CPQ must be sent to the board directly from ASPPB.
• are a licensed psychologist who is credentialed as a Health Service Provider in Psychology by the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology (NRHSPP) and has been licensed based on a doctoral degree in another state, Canadian province, or U.S. territory for a minimum of five years. For more information regarding NRHSPP, contact them at (202) 783-7663, visit their web site at www.nationalregister.org, or write to 1120 G Street, NW, Suite 330, Washington, DC 20005. Verification of your credential must be sent to the board directly from NRHSPP.
• were an applicant for licensure as a psychologist in California who has abandoned his or her application pursuant to section 1381.5 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations and thereby must reapply for a license.
  NOTE: Although the EPPP may be waived under this section, an applicant must file a complete application and meet all current licensing requirements not addressed above, including payment of any fees, take and pass the California Psychology Supplemental Examination (CPSE), and not been subject to discipline.

REQUEST FOR ACCOMMODATION:

All examination sites are physically accessible to individuals with disabilities. Pursuant to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and California law, the board will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified candidates with mental disabilities, physical disabilities, or medical conditions. However, the board will not provide accommodations that fundamentally alter the measurement of the skills or knowledge the examination is intended to test. Accommodations will not be provided at the examination site unless prior approval by the board has been granted. A candidate who seeks an accommodation has the responsibility to make the request and provide documentation substantiating the need for accommodations at the time of submission of the application for licensure. The information supplied to substantiate a candidate's request for an accommodation will be kept confidential to the extent provided by law. Any request for accommodation (except for accommodations requiring a physically accessible examination site) must be submitted to the board on a form prescribed by the board. If you wish to submit a request for an accommodation, please contact the board for a Request for Accommodation of Disabilities package.

INTERIM PRACTICE IN CALIFORNIA:

Under the provisions of Section 2946 of the Business and Professions Code, if you are currently licensed in another state and you have applied for a California license, you may practice psychology without a valid California license for a period not to exceed 180 calendar days from the date of submitting your application or from the date you commenced residency in California, whichever first occurs.

ABANDONMENT OF APPLICATION/FAILURE TO APPEAR FOR EXAMINATION:

Pursuant to Section 1381.1 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations, an application shall be denied without prejudice when, in the discretion of the board, an applicant does not exercise due diligence in the completion of his or her application, in furnishing additional information or documents that have been requested or in the payment of any required fees. Additionally, pursuant to Section 1381.4 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations, any applicant approved to take or retake a board licensing examination who fails to appear for such examination in any twelve (12) month period shall have his or her application withdrawn. An applicant who subsequently decides to take the examination shall be required to file a new application and pay the current application and examination fees.

NOTICE OF COLLECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION:

The Board of Psychology collects the personal information requested on this form as authorized by Business and Professions Code Sections 480, 2914 and 2960 and Title 16 of California Code of Regulations Sections 1381, 1387, 1387.1, 1387.2, 1387.3, 1387.4, 1387.5, 1388 and 1388.6. The board uses this information principally to identify and evaluate licenses and enforce licensing standards set by law and regulation.

Mandatory Submission.

Submission of the requested information is mandatory. The board cannot consider your application for licensure or renewal unless you provide all of the requested information.

Access to Personal Information.

You may review the records maintained by the board that contain your personal information, as permitted by the Information Practices Act. See " Information" on the next page for contact information.

Possible Disclosure of Personal Information.

We make every effort to protect the personal information you provide us. The information you provide, however, may be disclosed in the following circumstances:

• In response to a Public Records Act request (Government Code Section 6250 and following), as allowed by the Information Practices Act (Civil Code Section 1798 and following);
• To another government agency as required by state or federal law; or
• In response to a court or administrative order, a subpoena, or a search warrant.

Contact Information.

For questions about this notice or access to your records, you may contact the Board of Psychology 2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 1400, Sacramento, CA 95815-3831, (916) 263-2699, or email bopmail@dca.ca.gov. For questions about the Department of Consumer Affairs' privacy policy or the Information Practices Act, you may contact the Office of Privacy Protection in the Department of Consumer Affairs, 1625 North Market Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95834, (866) 785-9663 or email privacy@dca.ca.gov.

Instructions for applicants who have previously taken the Examination for
Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP)

CALIFORNIA PASS POINT:

For forms of the EPPP taken prior to September 1, 2001, the passing score is the score that was recognized by the board at that time. For computer administered forms of the EPPP, the board applies a scaled score of 500 as recommended by the ASPPB.

IF YOU SCORED BELOW THE CALIFORNIA PASS POINT:

If the score you obtained on the EPPP did not meet or exceed the California pass point for that administration of the examination, you must retake the EPPP.

IF YOU SCORED AT OR ABOVE THE CALIFORNIA PASS POINT:

If the score you obtained on the EPPP met or exceeded the California pass point for that administration of the examination, it will not be necessary for you to retake the examination. You must, however, have your score reported to the board through the ASPPB, P.O. Box 241245, Montgomery, AL, 36124-1245. You may obtain a copy of the EPPP Score Transfer request form by calling (800) 448-4069. To expedite the scheduling of your examination, you should also submit the current CPSE fee of $129.00 along with your application.