Registered 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.

EXPIRATION DATE:

The registered psychologist is a 30-month, non-renewable registration.

FEES:

There is no fee for this application.

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.

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 completed, 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. NOTE: 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.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

The board will send you a postcard or an email 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.

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 "Contact 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, 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.