Psychologist Licensure Requirements in Vermont

Vermont licenses psychologists at both the master’s and doctoral levels. They are regulated by the Board of Psychological Examiners with the administrative support of the Office of Professional Regulation, or OPR (VT Board of Psychological Examiners).

Licenses are based on education, supervised practice, and national and state examination.

Trainees first come under Board regulation when they are completing postdoctoral practice.

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Education Requirements for Psychologist-Master in Vermont

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A candidate for licensure as a Psychologist-Master must earn a master’s degree in psychology. The program must be a member of the Council of Applied Master’s Programs in Psychology (CAMPP) or judged to be substantially equivalent.

To qualify as substantially equivalent, a U.S. program must be housed in a regionally accredited academic institution. A Canadian program must be a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

The course of study must be identified as a psychology program and must include substantive coursework that is primarily psychological (as opposed to coursework in another discipline that may draw from psychology). Coursework must survey the literature of the discipline. The program must be at least 60 semester hours in length and include at least 275 hours of coursework (not including internship) that is campus-based.

There must be at least six credit hours of coursework in each of the following areas:

  • Psychopathology
  • Assessment
  • Intervention

There must be three credit hours in each of the following:

  • Statistical Methods
  • Professional Ethics

The Vermont Board will allow a candidate to take up to six credit hours of supplemental coursework to make up for deficiencies in the master’s program. However, no more than three credit hours may be supplemented in any one content area.

Education: Psychologist-Doctorate

A doctoral program must be housed in an appropriately accredited institution. Generally speaking, the program is expected to be accredited by the American Psychological Association or Canadian Psychological Association or to have joint designation through the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards and the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. However, other programs, including those outside the jurisdiction of the ASPPB, may be accepted if they meet equivalent standards.

At this level, at least 400 hours of coursework must take place in a campus setting. Again, internship is not figured in to this total.

A candidate at the doctoral level is still required to demonstrate only three credit hours each of statistical methods and professional ethics. However, there must be at least nine credit hours each in psychopathology, assessment, and intervention.

The psychopathology and assessment content areas must include at least three credit hours of generalist or foundations coursework. Child or adult psychopathology, advanced abnormal psychology, and DSM/ICD are among the course offerings that will satisfy the requirement for foundational psychopathology. The generalist assessment requirement can be satisfied by intellectual, personality, or psychological assessment or by an introduction to psychometric measurement.

A doctoral level candidate is also allowed six credit hours of supplemental coursework with no more than three in any content area.

Supervised Practice

Supervised practice requirements are similar for both master’s and doctoral level psychologists. Both licenses require at least 4,000 hours of supervised practice, with at least 2,000 hours occurring after the degree was granted. It is acceptable to earn more than 2,000 post-degree. Vermont does require that each candidate have worked under at least two supervisors for a minimum of 500 hours each.

In order to commence post-degree practice, the graduate must register with the Board. The supervisor must be a licensed psychologist with at least three years of experience. The trainee will need at least one hour of supervision for every 20 hours. A trainee who is working full-time and receiving two hours a week of supervision may have one hour of formal individual supervision and one hour of small group supervision. A trainee who is practicing clinically for 20 or fewer hours a week, though, may credit only individual supervision.

A candidate who works a full-time week but receives only an hour of supervision will be credited with only 20 hours of experience.

In most cases, a trainee is not allowed to credit experience hours in a year where fewer than 700 were accrued. However, exceptions may be made, at Board discretion, when there are unforeseen circumstances.

The Vermont Board will credit only supervised experience that took place in the preceding five years.

Examination

A candidate must pass two examinations. The first is a state jurisprudence examination. The candidate prints it out and mails it when registering supervision.

The second is the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology, a national board examination developed by the ASPPB (http://www.asppb.net). OPR will communicate eligibility to the testing company, and the candidate will be allowed to register and schedule an examination. The exam is administered at computerized testing centers on an ongoing basis. A candidate who has registered and paid the $600 fee will be issued an ATT and allowed to schedule in any jurisdiction.

The Board will communicate EPPP scores to the candidate. Vermont allows examination retakes, subject to policies set by the testing company. A candidate who fails an examination attempt must wait at least 60 days.

The Application Process

In order to be approved to take the licensing examination, candidates must submit a license application. Certified transcripts should be requested directly from the university. There is a $175 application fee.

Candidates should submit license applications at least 60 days in advance of the time they plan to take the examination.

Three professional references must be submitted before a license can be issued.

There is a $75 fee to register supervision. All forms can be downloaded from the OPR site (OPR site).

Upgrading from Master’s to Doctoral Level Psychologist Licensing

A psychologist who practices for at least a year at the master’s level before beginning doctoral education may later apply for an upgrade by submitting a transcript along with the appropriate application. Such candidates are not required to complete additional supervised practice. However, the Board cautions that psychologists who have upgraded to doctoral status may not meet licensing requirements in all jurisdictions.

A candidate who moves seamlessly from master’s to doctoral level study will be required to meet the usual postdoctoral practice requirement before being awarded licensure at the doctoral level.

Out-of-State Psychologists

Psychologists who are licensed at either the master’s or doctoral level and in good standing in another U.S. or Canadian jurisdiction may be eligible for license by endorsement. An endorsement license is only awarded if, in the opinion of the Board, the other state has substantially equivalent standards. The Board notes that a state that requires as few as 1,500 hours of postdoctoral practice may be accepted as substantially equivalent.

Doctoral level psychologists have additional mobility pathways. Diplomate status through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) is accepted as evidence that the psychologist has met qualifications on the level that Vermont requires. Vermont may also consider other professional certifications.

Internationally educated candidates must have their education and training evaluated by one of four Board-approved organizations: the Center for Applied Research, Evaluation & Education, Inc., Educational Records Evaluation Service, Inc., Evaluation Service, Inc., or World Education Services, Inc. (sos.vermont.gov/psychological-examiners/forms-instructions/).

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 Vermont.

The Licensing Board Specialist can be contacted by email or by telephone at (802)828-2390.

Vermont Board of Psychological Examiners (https://sos.vermont.gov/psychological-examiners/).

The Vermont Psychological Association, the state affiliate of the APA, is an additional professional resource (https://vermontpsych.org/).