What IS a "Registered Psychologist"?

Most psychology practitioners and consumers of psychological services are aware of two license or registration categories under the jurisdiction of the Board of Psychology: "licensed psychologist" and "registered psychological assistant." Most are unaware, however, that the board has authority over one other category of registration: "registered psychologist."

The designation of "registered psychologist" is authorized by Section 2909(d) of the California Business & Professions Code. Just as the psychological assistant registration is intended to be a method by which an unlicensed person can perform limited psychological functions to accrue hours of supervised professional experience, so, too, is the intent of the "registered psychologist" designation. The two practical differences between the registered psychologist and the psychological assistant registrations are (1) qualifications to become registered, and (2) the setting in which the supervised experience occurs.

To become a registered psychologist, one must possess a doctoral degree which qualifies for psychology licensure and at least 1500 hours of qualifying supervised professional experience. To become a psychological assistant, all one needs is a qualifying master's degree in psychology, with no experience whatsoever required for the registration.

The registered psychologist can be registered only at a nonprofit community agency that receives a minimum of 25% of its funding from some governmental source(s) and must be supervised by a licensed psychologist.

You could say that the registered psychologist designation is but one of four ways a person can go about accruing postdoctoral hours of supervised professional experience. In addition to accruing postdoctoral hours as a registered psychologist, one may also accomplish this as a registered psychological assistant or by working in an exempt setting such as a university or governmental setting or under a Department of Mental Heath Waiver.

In order for a nonprofit community agency to qualify as an employer of a registered psychologist, it must verify that its funding includes a minimum of 25% from governmental sources other than Medi-Cal/Medi-Care. Further, the agency must have a qualifying supervisor on staff to provide the supervision required in Section 1387 of the Code of Regulations.

The registered psychologist is a two and a half-year, nonrenewable registration. A person may be registered concurrently as a registered psychologist at more than one qualifying nonprofit community agency.