New York Psychologist Licensing

The New York State Board for Psychology (http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/psych/) oversees the licensing of psychologists within the state. To achieve licensure, applicants must obtain a doctoral degree in psychology from a program recognized by the New York State Education Department, clear the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP), and complete two years of supervised experience in the field of psychology, one of which can be fulfilled pre-doctorally. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the steps required to acquire and retain your license in the Empire State.

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What’s in this guide?

By PsychologyJobs.com Staff Writer

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Education Requirements

Like other states, someone who wants to be a working psychologist, must first earn their doctorate degree in psychology, but unlike most states, New York maintains its own list of acceptable colleges.

When you’re choosing your psychology program, the accreditation information should be included in the university’s course catalog. You can also check New York’s college list.

If you’re attending college in another state and want to get a New York-based psychology license, your college will need to be regionally accredited. The psychology program also needs to take the equivalent of three years of work or 30 semester hours.

In addition to earning your doctorate, you must take three semester hours of each of the following subjects:

  • Psychology history and design
  • Research design, methodology, and statistics
  • Psychometrics
  • Biological basis of behavior
  • Individual differences
  • Social basis of behavior
  • Cognitive-affective basis of behavior

Psychology students must also take classes that cover cultural and ethnic diversity and scientific and professional standards. Their coursework will include child abuse training as well. New York-based students will have this content included in their classes, but transfers will need to get this training through an approved provider.

Before graduating, candidates must also have a year’s worth (or 1,750 hours) of practical experience. This could be a practicum, internship, or applied research.

Supervised Experience Requirements 

New York psychologists will need to complete two years of supervised experience to earn their license to practice psychology. The state code mandates that 1,750 hours is a year’s worth of experience.

While they’re still pursuing their graduate degree, students can accrue up to 1,750 hours. Their experience activity must be through a college-approved program. They do have the option to research instead of completing an internship experience, but their research must be different from their dissertation or thesis subject.

The second half of their work experience must be finished after they’ve received their doctorate. Depending on where they’re working, psychology candidates must receive a limited license before accruing their hours. There are some locations that are exempt from this requirement. If your supervised experience incorrectly categorized, your hours will not count toward your 3,500 total.

You may take up to three years to complete the second half of your psychology hours under your limited license, but the New York Psychology Board can extend this up to another year.

While you’re earning hours, you’ll need to work at least 16 hours a week to be considered part-time and 35-45 hours to be a full-time worker. Part-time employees only need supervision two hours every two weeks while full-timers require two hours weekly.

Required Exams

If you’re getting your license to practice psychology in New York, you’re only required to take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). New York does not have a state-specific exam.

The EPPP is a computer-based, multiple-choice test that was created by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB). Candidates have about four hours to complete the 225 questions. The test costs $600 in New York and it’s $79.56 to schedule it. See our list of EPPP study resources & providers.

To pass the EPPP, the prospective psychologist must earn a converted score of 75 points. The New York State Board of Psychology only counts the candidates score on the Part 1 — Knowledge section of the EPPP. Currently Part 2 — Skills isn’t considered necessary per the state code.

Future psychologists may register for the EPPP when they’ve completed 1,750 hours of their experience requirement. Most students are eligible to take the take after they’ve received their graduate degree.

If you fail the EPPP, you have the option of retaking it, but you’ll still pay the same $679.56 every time. New York allows psychology candidates four attempts per year.

New York’s Psychologist License Application Process

  1. Start the Application Process:
  2. Submit Educational Transcripts:
    • Have Form 2 (Certification of Professional Education) and transcripts submitted by your university. A tentative Form 2 and transcript may be submitted once all doctoral degree requirements have been met to obtain the limited permit, but once the doctoral degree has been confirmed, a final Form 2 and transcript are also required for licensure​.
  3. Complete Child Abuse Identification and Reporting Training (if applicable):
    • If you did not graduate from a New York State registered degree program, complete coursework or training in the identification and reporting of child abuse and submit an authorized Certification of Completion.
  4. Apply for a Limited Permit (if needed):
    • Submit Form 5A if you need a limited permit to gain hours for licensure. This form, along with Form 1, Form 2, and the respective licensure and permit fees, are required before a limited permit is issued.
    • The Limited Permit from the Office of Professions allows you to complete the required number of supervised working hours, and lasts for one year but can be extended for an additional two years if necessary​.
  5. Document Supervised Experience:
    • To be eligible for the examination, Form 4 (verification of 1,750 hours of experience) must be directly submitted by the supervisor and approved by the Department. This usually comes from pre-doctoral (internship) experience but can also come from post-doctoral experience​.
  6. Take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP):
    • You can qualify to take the EPPP after receiving a doctoral degree in psychology. The EPPP is administered by Pearson VUE and needs to be taken prior to completing post-doctoral experience.
  7. Submit Additional Supervised Experience (if necessary):
    • Another Form 4 attesting to post-doctoral hours must be directly submitted by the supervisor if required.
  8. Finalize Licensure:
    • Once all the above steps have been completed, including fulfilling education, experience, and examination requirements, a license to practice psychology in New York will be issued.

Continuing Education Requirements

As of January 1, 2021, licensed psychologists in New York are required to complete 36 hours of approved continuing education (CE) courses for each triennial (three-year) registration period. All courses must be taken from psychology providers approved by the State Education Department, which assesses applications and fees according to the Education Law and Commissioner’s Regulations. Courses from approved providers taken on or after January 1, 2021, are deemed acceptable​.

The CE requirement of 36 hours per triennial registration period equates to 1 CE unit per month​​. Moreover, starting April 1, 2023, all licensed psychologists, social workers, or mental health practitioners are required to complete an additional 3 hours of acceptable coursework on appropriate professional boundaries during each 3-year registration period​.

The continuing education courses aim at maintaining or enhancing the professional competence of licensed psychologists, similar to the traditional CE model in California. The offerings may include structured educational experiences like courses, seminars, or workshops. However, unlike California, New York hasn’t shifted to a broader Continuing Professional Development (CPD) model that encompasses a wider range of learning and professional activities.

License Renewal

New York requires psychologists to renew their licenses every three years as part of a triennial registration period​1​.

A total of 36 hours of approved continuing education courses are required for each triennial registration period. This equates to 1 CE unit per month​2​.

The renewal fee is $179.

Will My Out-of-State Psychology License Carry Over to New York? 

New York State does not allow psychologists licensed in another state to practice in New York without a New York license. This includes providing telepsychology services to clients in New York.

However, New York may offer Licensure by Endorsement to psychologists licensed in other states, under certain conditions​.

If you are licensed in another state or jurisdiction, you will need to submit a Certification of Out-of-State Licensure and Exam Grades (Form 3) as part of the application process for licensure in New York.

What are New York’s Board and Professional Organizations?

The entity responsible for overseeing the psychology licensing process is the NYS Licensure Department.

For more information about being a practicing psychologist in New York, check out the New York Psychological Association.