Psychologist Licensure Requirements in Connecticut

Connecticut’s psychologists are regulated by the Connecticut Board of Examiners of Psychologists, under the banner of the Department of Health (http://www.ct.gov/dph/cwp/view.asp). In order to be licensed, a candidate must complete a qualifying doctoral degree program, work under supervision for at least one year, and pass two examinations.

Select a Connecticut Psychologist License topic below…

• Education Requirements
• Supervision Requirements
• Psychologist Exam
• Application & Related Materials (Link to Form)
• Licensure by Endorsement
• Contact Information: Board and Professional Organizations

Educational Requirements

The candidate may complete a doctoral program in clinical or applied psychology.

The program is acceptable if it is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) or if it is housed in a regionally accredited institution and meets Connecticut’s academic requirements. A qualifying program must comprise at least three years of academic study, at least one of which is completed in residence.

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The program must include at least 21 semester hours of coursework in the following content areas:

• Biological bases of behavior
•  
• Social bases of behavior
• Cognitive-affective bases of behavior
• Individual differences

Coursework in the above substantive areas must have a clinical or applied focus. Acceptable courses in ‘individual differences’ could include human development, personality theory, and abnormal psychology. Examples of acceptable coursework in ‘social bases of behavior’ include group processes and organizational and systems theory.

Additionally, the program must include at least six semester hours in scientific methods:

• Research methodology and design
• Statistics and pychometrics

The program must include a year of practicum, internship, or other appropriate field experience.

A graduate of a non-APA program will need to have the educational institution fill out a form verifying that the above requirements were met.

A non-APA programs (if located within the United States) must be housed in an institution with one of the following accreditations:

• Middle States Commission on Higher Education
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges
• North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
• Northwest Association of Colleges and Universities
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges

A graduate whose psychology doctorate does not meet specific coursework requirements can make up deficiencies by re-enrolling in an APA-accredited program.

If an individual completes a doctoral degree in a branch of psychology that is not considered clinical or applied, they will need to complete an accredited respecialization program in order to be eligible for licensure in Connecticut.

*A program is considered APA-accredited if it held full accreditation, held provisional (initial) accreditation and was progressing toward accreditation, or held probational accreditation and subsequently was again granted full accreditation.

The Application Process

A link to the application form can be found in the licensing section of the DPH site (https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Practitioner-Licensing–Investigations/Psychology/Psychologist-Licensure-Requirements). There is a $565 application fee. The application must be notarized and submitted with a passport-type photograph.

Transcripts should be sent to the DPH office in Hartford directly from the issuing institution.

Supervised Professional Experience

Connecticut requires candidates to do at least year of supervised experience; internship is not credited. (Clinical psychology students typically do one year of formal internship as part of their doctoral degree.)

An individual goes by the title “psychology resident” while working to meet the experience requirement. A resident may not be in private practice or receive fees directly from clients for services rendered. The resident is expected to work in a practice area that corresponds to practicum, internship, or other field training.

The experience requirement may be satisfied in twelve months if the candidate works 35 hours per week for 46 weeks.

A candidate has the option of taking up to 24 months to fulfill an 1,800 hour requirement; the candidate may not credit more than 40 hours a week.

Every 40 hours requires three hours of supervision or consultation; at least one hour must be individual and face-to-face.

Residents may file a form for pre-approval of experience hours (https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Practitioner-Licensing–Investigations/Psychology/Pre-Approval-of-Work-Experience). While Connecticut does not mandate that a form be filed, candidates who do not do so run the risk of having experience disallowed. Most of the form is filled out by the supervisor.

Examination Requirements

After all supervised practice requirements have been met, the candidate can be authorized to take the EPPP. State permission is required; Connecticut will send registration information once eligibility has been determined. The candidate must be prepared to remit $600 upon registration. At this point, an ATT will be issued by the testing company. The ATT grants a 60-day eligibility window.

The examination is administered via computer and may be taken at any authorized Prometric Testing Center. Connecticut requires a scaled score of 500. A candidate may download a candidate handbook from the site of the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB); other study resources are also available (https://www.asppb.net).

A Connecticut jurisprudence examination is also required. The examination is given six times a year. Upcoming examination dates can be found on the DPH site (https://portal.ct.gov/dph). In 2014, the exam will be given in January, March, May, July, September, and November; registration deadlines are approximately six weeks earlier. Candidates may download study bulletins. A 72% (18 of 25) is considered passing.

Out-of-State Psychologists

Any psychologist who has been licensed in another state or providence must have official license verification submitted.

A Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ) can aid in mobility (https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Practitioner-Licensing–Investigations/Psychology/Psychologist-Licensure-Based-on-a-Certificate-of-Professional-Qualification-Issued-by-the-Associatio). A candidate who holds a CPQ is deemed to have met all requirements but the state jurisprudence examination.

Candidates who have earned diplomate staus through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) are not required to take the EPPP.

International Candidates

An internationally educated candidate is eligible for licensing if the educational institution was authorized to operate in that jurisdiction and if a professional evaluation agency determines that the education was equivalent to that which would be had in a license-qualifying U.S. program. Documents must be translated into English.

Additional Information

If you are still in High School, hold a High School Diploma/GED, hold a bachelor’s degree, or hold a master’s degree check out suggested steps to take along the path to becoming a Psychologist in Connecticut.

Candidates can call 860-509-7603 for licensure information.

Connecticut Board of Examiners of Psychologists, under the banner of the Department of Health (https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Public-Health-Hearing-Office/Board-of-Examiners-of-Psychologists/Board-of-Examiners-of-Psychologists).

The Connecticut Psychological Association is the state affiliate of the American Psychological Association and serves as an additional professional resource (https://connpsych.org/).