Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 2914
General Provisions
Redline — January 1, 2011 → current.View current text →
Current — January 1, 2025
As of January 1, 2011
Each applicant for licensure shall comply with all of the following requirements:
(a) Is not subject to denial of licensure under Division 1.5.
(a) An applicant for licensure as a psychologist shall not be subject to denial of licensure under Division 1.5 (commencing with Section 475).
(b) Possess an earned doctorate degree (1) in psychology, (2) in educational psychology, or (3) in education with the field of specialization in counseling psychology or educational psychology. Except as provided in subdivision (g), this degree or training shall be obtained from an accredited university, college, or professional school. The board shall make the final determination as to whether a degree meets the requirements of this section.
No educational institution shall be denied recognition as an accredited academic institution solely because its program is not accredited by any professional organization of psychologists, and nothing in this chapter or in the administration of this chapter shall require the registration with the board by educational institutions of their departments of psychology or their doctoral programs in psychology.
An applicant for licensure trained in an educational institution outside the United States or Canada shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the board that he or she possesses a doctorate degree in psychology that is equivalent to a degree earned from a regionally accredited university in the United States or Canada. These applicants shall 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), and any other documentation the board deems necessary.
(b) (1) On and after January 1, 2020, an applicant for licensure as a psychologist shall possess an earned doctoral degree in any of the following:
(A) Psychology with the field of specialization in clinical, counseling, school, consulting, forensic, industrial, or organizational psychology.
(B) Education with the field of specialization in counseling psychology, educational psychology, or school psychology.
(C) A field of specialization designed to prepare graduates for the professional practice of psychology.
(2) (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the degree or training obtained pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be obtained from a college or institution of higher education that is accredited by a regional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education.
(B) Subparagraph (A) does not apply to any student who was enrolled in a doctoral program in psychology with the field of specialization in clinical, counseling, school, consulting, forensic, industrial, or organizational psychology or in education with the field of specialization in counseling psychology, educational psychology, or school psychology at a nationally accredited or approved institution as of December 31, 2016.
(3) The board shall make the final determination as to whether a degree meets the requirements of this subdivision.
(4) Until January 1, 2020, the board may accept an applicant who possesses a doctoral degree in psychology, educational psychology, or in education with the field of specialization in counseling psychology or educational psychology from an institution that is not accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education, but is approved to operate in this state by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education on or before July 1, 1999, and has not, since July 1, 1999, had a new location, as described in Section 94823.5 of the Education Code.
(5) An applicant for licensure as a psychologist trained in an educational institution outside the United States or Canada shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the board that the applicant possesses a doctoral degree in psychology or education as specified in paragraphs (1) and (2) that is equivalent to a degree earned from a regionally accredited academic institution in the United States or Canada by providing the board with an evaluation of the degree by a foreign credential evaluation service that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), or by the National Register of Health Services Psychologists (NRHSP), and any other documentation the board deems necessary. The member of the NACES or the NRHSP shall submit the evaluation to the board directly and shall include in the evaluation all of the following:
(A) A transcript in English, or translated into English by the credential evaluation service, of the degree used to qualify for licensure as a psychologist.
(B) An indication that the degree used to qualify for licensure as a psychologist is verified using primary sources.
(C) A determination that the degree is equivalent to a degree that qualifies for licensure as a psychologist pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2).
(c) Have engaged for at least two years in supervised professional experience under the direction of a licensed psychologist, the specific requirements of which shall be defined by the board in its regulations, or under suitable alternative supervision as determined by the board in regulations duly adopted under this chapter, at least one year of which shall be after being awarded the doctorate in psychology. If the supervising licensed psychologist fails to provide verification to the board of the experience required by this subdivision within 30 days after being so requested by the applicant, the applicant may provide written verification directly to the board.
(c) (1) An applicant for licensure as a psychologist shall have engaged for at least two years in supervised professional experience under the direction of a licensed psychologist, the specific requirements of which shall be defined by the board in its regulations, or under suitable alternative supervision as determined by the board in regulations duly adopted under this chapter, at least one year of which shall have occurred after the applicant was awarded the qualifying doctoral degree. Any supervision may be provided in real time, which is defined as through in-person or synchronous audiovisual means, in compliance with federal and state laws related to patient health confidentiality. The supervisor shall submit verification of the experience to the trainee as prescribed by the board. If the supervising licensed psychologist fails to provide verification to the trainee in a timely manner, the board may establish alternative procedures for obtaining the necessary documentation. Absent good cause, the failure of a supervising licensed psychologist to provide the verification to the board upon request shall constitute unprofessional conduct.
If the applicant sends verification directly to the board, the applicant shall file with the board a declaration of proof of service, under penalty of perjury, of the request for verification. A copy of the completed verification forms shall be provided to the supervising psychologist and the applicant shall prove to the board that a copy has been sent to the supervising psychologist by filing a declaration of proof of service under penalty of perjury, and shall file this declaration with the board when the verification forms are submitted.
Upon receipt by the board of the applicant’s verification and declarations, a rebuttable presumption affecting the burden of producing evidence is created that the supervised, professional experience requirements of this subdivision have been satisfied. The supervising psychologist shall have 20 days from the day the board receives the verification and declaration to file a rebuttal with the board.
The authority provided by this subdivision for an applicant to file written verification directly shall apply only to an applicant who has acquired the experience required by this subdivision in the United States.
The board shall establish qualifications by regulation for supervising psychologists and shall review and approve applicants for this position on a case-by-case basis.
(2) The board shall establish qualifications by regulation for supervising psychologists.
(d) Take and pass the examination required by Section 2941 unless otherwise exempted by the board under this chapter.
(d) An applicant for licensure as a psychologist shall take and pass the examination required by Section 2941 unless otherwise exempted by the board under this chapter. An applicant for licensure as a psychologist who has completed all academic coursework required for a doctoral degree as required by subdivision (b), as documented by a written certification from the registrar of the applicant’s educational institution or program, shall be eligible to take any and all examinations required for licensure as a psychologist. If a national licensing examination entity approved by the board imposes additional eligibility requirements beyond the completion of academic coursework, the board shall implement a process to verify that an applicant has satisfied those additional eligibility requirements. For purposes of this subdivision, “academic coursework” does not include participation in an internship or writing a dissertation or thesis.
(e) Show by evidence satisfactory to the board that he or she has completed training in the detection and treatment of alcohol and other chemical substance dependency. This requirement applies only to applicants who matriculate on or after September 1, 1985.
(e) An applicant for licensure as a psychologist shall complete coursework or provide evidence of training in the detection and treatment of alcohol and other chemical substance dependency.
(f) (1) Show by evidence satisfactory to the board that he or she has completed coursework in spousal or partner abuse assessment, detection, and intervention. This requirement applies to applicants who began graduate training during the period commencing on January 1, 1995, and ending on December 31, 2003.
(2) An applicant who began graduate training on or after January 1, 2004, shall show by evidence satisfactory to the board that he or she has completed a minimum of 15 contact hours of coursework in spousal or partner abuse assessment, detection, and intervention strategies, including knowledge of community resources, cultural factors, and same gender abuse dynamics. An applicant may request an exemption from this requirement if he or she intends to practice in an area that does not include the direct provision of mental health services.
(3) Coursework required under this subdivision may be satisfactory if taken either in fulfillment of other educational requirements for licensure or in a separate course. This requirement for coursework shall be satisfied by, and the board shall accept in satisfaction of the requirement, a certification from the chief academic officer of the educational institution from which the applicant graduated that the required coursework is included within the institution’s required curriculum for graduation.
(g) An applicant holding a doctoral degree in psychology from an approved institution is deemed to meet the requirements of this section if all of the following are true:
(1) The approved institution offered a doctoral degree in psychology designed to prepare students for a license to practice psychology and was approved by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education on or before July 1, 1999.
(2) The approved institution has not, since July 1, 1999, had a new location, as described in Section 94721 of the Education Code.
(3) The approved institution is not a franchise institution, as defined in Section 94729.3 of the Education Code.
(f) An applicant for licensure as a psychologist shall complete coursework or provide evidence of training in spousal or partner abuse assessment, detection, and intervention.
Official source: California Legislative Information. Reproduced from public-domain California statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.