Psychologist Licensure Requirements in Indiana
Indians psychologists are licensed by the Indiana State Psychology Board (https://www.in.gov/pla/psych.htm).
In order to be licensed as a psychologist, a person must complete a doctoral degree and pass a licensing examination. In order to engage in diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders, the psychologist must also be endorsed as a health service provider (HSSP). The endorsement requires two years of supervised professional experience in health service delivery.
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Select an Indiana Psychologist License topic below…
- Education Requirements
- Supervision Requirements
- Psychologist Exam
- Application & Related Materials (Link to Form)
- Criminal Background Check
- Licensure by Endorsement
- Contact Information: Board and Professional Organizations
Education Requirements
The foundation for practice is a doctoral degree. If the program is not accredited by the American Psychological Association or the Canadian Psychological Association, it must meet state standards. The program must be identified as a psychology program. The degree must represent three years of study. At least one year must be done in residence. The Board defines this as 18 semester hours in residence over a nine to 18 month period.
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The degree should include the equivalent of at least three semester hours in each of the following core content areas:
- The biological basis of behavior
- The cognitive-affective basis of behavior
- The social basis of behavior
- Individual differences
The program should also cover statistics, psychometrics, research design, methodology, and professional and scientific standards.
A student seeking a health service endorsement must complete a program in an applied branch of psychology such as clinical, counseling, or school psychology*. Such programs must include practicum or field experiences.
*While school psychologists can be licensed by the Board, they do not necessarily need to be, provided that they are credentialed by the Department of Education (DOE) and are working solely within the scope authorized by the DOE.
Supervised Professional Experience
A psychologist who provides health services will need two years of supervised work experience. At least 1,500 hours must be earned through an internship or organized health service training program. The experience must last at least 12 months.
Typically 1,600 hours are done at the post-doctoral level. In some cases, practicum work done at the pre-doctoral level may be counted toward the total. The practicum must have been done after a master’s degree was conferred and be “post-basic” in level.
While completing postdoctoral practice hours, a person must be under the supervision of an HSSP-endorsed psychologist.
A candidate seeking endorsement as a health service provider may not practice independently until such time as a license has been granted.
Licensing Examination
A candidate must take two examinations. Indiana’s psychology candidates take the state jurisprudence exam before the national board examination.
Successful candidates will then take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP), developed by the ASPPB. After receiving authorization from the Indiana Board, candidates will be able to register online through the ASPPB site. An examinee should be prepared to pay $600 upon registration. At this point, an ATT will be emailed, and the candidate will have a 60 day window in which to take the examination. The EPPP is administered at Prometric sites around the country. An additional $79 fee will be due to Prometric.
A candidate bulletin can be downloaded from the ASPPB site (https://www.asppb.net).
The Application Process
Licensing applications can be downloaded (https://www.in.gov/pla/2610.htm) or requested at (317) 234-2051. An applicant will need two passport-style photographs to attach to the application.
The Board will require official transcripts. Separate documentation of internship will be required if this information is not included on the transcript. (If the program did not require an internship, this should be noted.)
Fees are as follows: $100 for the application and $100 for HSPP endorsement. There is a $50 fee for examination candidates seeking temporary permits.
Candidates can expect some correspondence within about three weeks of turning in the application. If there are missing materials, notification will be sent. If everything is in the file, the candidate will be notified that review will take place at the next board meeting.
Criminal Background Checks
Indiana requires fingerprint-based criminal background checks. The process is not initiated until after the license application has been submitted. (The Indiana Professional Licensing Agency cannot process fingerprints unless an individual is currently a candidate for licensure.)
Once the application has been entered into the system, the candidate should schedule fingerprinting appointment by visiting L-1 at https://www.identogo.com/ or calling (877) 472-6917.
Out-of-Stare Psychologists
Out-of-state psychologists must provide license verification from each state of licensure. Test scores should be requested from the EPPP Score Transfer Service; applicants my call (334) 832-4580.
Endorsement psychologists are expected to meet the educational requirements that were in place in Indiana at the time they were originally licensed. The exception is that anyone licensed before July 1, 1969 is subject to educational regulations that went into effect in Indiana on January 4, 1971.
In most cases, out-of-state psychologists are expected to have passed the EPPP. A psychologist who was licensed before January 1, 1990, though, may be licensed in Indiana on the basis of having passed some other examination. A psychologist licensed before September 30, 1972 is not necessarily expected to have passed a licensing exam.
A temporary permit will allow an endorsement candidate to practice as a psychologist while waiting to take and pass the state jurisprudence examination. This privilege will be revoked if the applicant does not sit for the examination he or she has been approved for and/ or does not achieve a passing score.
Limited Scope Temporary Permits
A limited scope temporary permit allows an out-of-state psychologist to practice up to 30 days. An out-of-state psychologist can have no more than one such permit every two years.
Candidates Who Completed Doctoral Degrees Before September 1, 1983
A psychologist who obtained a doctoral degree before September 1, 1983, but did not have the supervised experience required for a health service endorsement in Indiana may do a preceptorship; this is considered the equivalent of one year of supervised experience.
The preceptorship will entail 1,800 hours of work experience. The psychologist will receive at least 50 hours of supervision related to mental and behavioral health diagnosis and 50 related to treatment. The Board will need to approve the preceptorship.
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 become a Licensed Psychologist in Indiana.
The Board can be reached at (317)234-2051.
The Indiana Psychological Association is an additional professional resource (https://www.indianapsychology.org/).