Pennsylvania Code
Title 49 - PROFESSIONAL AND VOCATIONAL STANDARDS
Part I - DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Subpart A - PROFESSIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL AFFAIRS
Chapter 41 - STATE BOARD OF PSYCHOLOGY
QUALIFICATIONS
Section 41.32 - Experience qualifications

Universal Citation: 49 PA Code ยง 41.32

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 44, November 2, 2024

To meet the experience requirements for licensure under section 6 of the act (63 P. S. § 1206), an applicant shall complete 1 year of acceptable postdoctoral supervised experience.

(1) Timing.

(i) One year is calculated as a period of at least 12 months consisting of at least 1,750 hours of experience.

(ii) No more than 45 hours but no less than 15 hours of experience may be counted per week.

(iii) Fifty percent of the required hours must be obtained performing diagnosis, assessment, therapy, other interventions, supervision or consultation and receiving supervision or consultation. The remaining required hours may be obtained by teaching in association with an organized psychology program preparing practicing psychologists or a postdoctoral training program, psychological research or any of the categories listed in this paragraph.

(iv) The total experience must be obtained within 10-calendar years from the award of the doctoral degree. A psychologist who cannot meet this time frame due to hardship or medical necessity may apply to the Board in writing for a waiver. The request must include a description of circumstances sufficient to show why compliance was impossible. Waiver requests will be evaluated by the Board on a case-by-case basis and will be approved or disapproved at its discretion.

(v) The required experience may be obtained at more than one entity simultaneously, if the following criteria are met:
(A) The experience is obtained for each entity for a minimum of 6 consecutive months.

(B) The experience occurs for a minimum of 15 hours per week at each setting.

(C) The total experience for all settings does not exceed 45 hours per week.

(D) The experience complies with the requirements in paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2) Acceptable experience.

(i) The practice at an entity in which experience is obtained must be consistent with the psychology resident's education and training.

(ii) No experience may be obtained where the psychology resident acts independently (for example, as a qualified member of another recognized profession under section 3(3) of the act (63 P. S. § 1203(3)).

(3) Supervision. All experience, including that obtained during consultation, must be obtained under the supervision of a primary supervisor.

(i) Primary supervisors. If the experience is obtained from more than one entity, the psychology resident shall obtain a primary supervisor for each entity.

(ii) Delegated supervisors. The primary supervisor may delegate supervision over the psychology resident to a delegated supervisor for up to 1 hour per week.

(4) Exceptional circumstances. A psychology resident who cannot comply with the supervisory requirements, may, upon a showing of exceptional circumstances, request the Board to approve a detailed written plan for supervision. The granting of such a request is at the Board's discretion. The Board will evaluate each plan submitted and each psychology resident's situation on a case-by-case basis.

(5) Effective date. First-time applicants for licensure who commenced postdoctoral supervised experience prior to December 6, 2010, will have their postdoctoral experience credentials evaluated under regulations in effect prior to that date. Applicants who commence postdoctoral supervised experience after that date will have their postdoctoral experience evaluated under the regulations in effect at that time.

(6) Supervised practice following completion of training. Upon completion of the required supervisory hours, a psychology resident may practice psychology under the supervision of a licensed psychologist until the psychology resident obtains a license, under § 41.58 (relating to standards for the employment and supervision of unlicensed persons with graduate training in psychology) or may practice psychology in exempt settings under section 3(4), (6), (8) and (10) of the act (63 P. S. § 1203(4), (6), (8), and (10)).

The provisions of this §41.32 amended under section 3.2(1) and (2), 6(a) and 8(a)(6) of the Professional Psychologists Practice Act (63 P.S. § 1203.2(1) and (2), 1206(a)(2) and 1208(a)(6)).

This section cited in 49 Pa. Code § 41.8 (relating to Department of Health licensing of substance abuse services provided by psychology practices-statement of policy); 49 Pa. Code § 41.11 (relating to licenses); 49 Pa. Code § 41.30 (relating to qualifications and documentation necessary for licensure); and 49 Pa. Code § 41.52a (relating to licensure by endorsement).

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Pennsylvania may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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