How to Get Your Psychologist License in California: Requirements Guide

California stands out as the nation’s top employer of psychologists. These professionals earn impressive salaries between $114,520 and $147,650 per year. Your decision to pursue a psychologist’s license in California targets a state that offers unmatched career opportunities and earning potential.

Getting your California psychologist license demands deep commitment. The process takes 10-13 years to finish all work to be done. Your investment should pay off well. Employment opportunities for psychologists in California show promising growth of 6.2% from 2023 to 2033. Some sources suggest even higher growth rates of 13.3%. The California Board of Psychologists has laid out detailed yet clear requirements to get licensed.

This guide covers everything you need to get licensed in California. You’ll find information about educational paths, supervised experience, exam requirements, and continuing education. The content helps both newcomers starting their psychology education and candidates preparing for licensing exams. We’ve included all the essential details to help you become a licensed psychologist in California.

Educational pathways

Your path to becoming a licensed psychologist in California starts with a bachelor’s degree, usually in psychology or related fields. A strong undergraduate foundation sets the stage, but your doctoral training will shape your professional practice and affect your career path the most.

You’ll need a doctoral degree to get your psychologist license in California. The California Board of Psychology now requires beginning January 1, 2020 that all applicants have an earned doctorate from a college accredited by a regional agency recognized by the United States Department of Education. Your doctorate must be in one of these areas:

• Psychology with specialization in clinical, counseling, school, consulting, forensic, industrial, or organizational psychology
• Education with specialization in counseling psychology, educational psychology, or school psychology
• A field specifically designed to prepare graduates for professional psychology practice

APA accreditation is a vital quality marker. This stamp of approval tells licensing boards and employers that you’ve built a solid educational and scientific foundation for your psychology career. A degree from an APA-accredited program also helps smooth out the licensing process across states.

Doctoral programs take four to seven years to finish. Your timeline depends on whether you choose a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) path. PsyD programs focus on clinical training, while PhD programs dive deeper into research methods.

California regulations require several pre-licensure courses beyond your simple program requirements. You must complete these courses separately:

1. Human sexuality (10 hours)
2. Alcohol/chemical dependency detection and treatment (15 hours)
3. Child abuse assessment (7 hours)
4. Spousal or partner abuse assessment (15 hours if graduate training began after January 1, 2004)
5. Aging and long-term care (6 hours)
6. Suicide risk assessment and intervention (6 hours)

New applicants should know that California’s educational requirements have changed over time. Some exceptions apply to students who started their doctoral programs earlier. To name just one example, students enrolled in qualifying doctoral programs by December 31, 2016, can apply for licensure under previous rules.

Education takes up the largest chunk of your licensing journey. Your program might include up to 1,500 hours of the 3,000 supervised experience hours needed for licensure. The remaining hours come after graduation.

Your educational credentials are the foundations of your professional practice. Pick an accredited program that meets all California requirements to avoid licensing hurdles later. The quality of your education will determine how smoothly you move through the next steps – supervised experience and examinations.

Supervised Experience Requirements

Getting your psychologist license in California requires completing Supervised Professional Experience (SPE). The California Board of Psychology requires 3,000 total hours of qualifying SPE. You’ll need at least 1,500 hours after completing your doctorate.

You can start your pre-doctoral SPE after finishing 48 semester/trimester or 72 quarter units of graduate coursework in psychology. This doesn’t include thesis, internship, or dissertation work. You must complete all pre-doctoral hours within 30 consecutive months before getting your doctoral degree.

The post-doctoral phase starts after your school’s Registrar, Dean, or Director of Training confirms you’ve met all doctoral degree requirements. You’ll need to complete these 1,500 post-doctoral hours within 30 consecutive months. If you choose to do all 3,000 SPE hours after your doctorate, you’ll have 60 consecutive months to finish them.

Several paths can help you get supervised experience:

• As a graduate student or psychology intern in a qualifying doctoral program
• Through an APA, APPIC, or CAPIC approved formal internship
• Working in exempt settings (like government agencies)
• With a Department of Health Care Services waiver
• Working as a registered Psychological Associate

Your weekly SPE needs supervision for 10% of your total work time. This includes at least one hour of face-to-face, direct, individual supervision with your primary supervisor. You can count up to 44 hours per week toward your SPE requirements, including supervision time.

Proper documentation plays a key role in supervision. You and your supervisor must fill out a Supervision Agreement form before starting. This form outlines your program’s structure, goals, and objectives. The board won’t accept any hours you complete before signing this agreement.

Your primary supervisor must be a licensed psychologist who works in your setting and stays available whenever you’re logging SPE hours. They can’t have any family, intimate, or business ties that might affect their ability to supervise effectively.

After finishing your supervised experience, your supervisor will give you two documents: the original signed Supervision Agreement and a Verification of Experience form. These should come in a sealed envelope with their signature across the seal. You’ll include these papers when you apply for your license.

Keep a weekly log of all your supervised hours. The board only recognizes foreign experience from countries that have licensing requirements similar to California’s.

Good supervision helps you grow professionally. The California Board of Psychology suggests talking with your supervisor about expectations, client assignments, evaluation criteria, and backup plans before starting your SPE.

Licensing Examinations

Getting your psychologist license in California requires passing two significant examinations after completing your education and supervised experience. These tests give a full picture of your psychological knowledge and your grasp of California’s laws and ethics.

The Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) represents the national licensing exam that all 66 jurisdictional psychology boards across the United States and Canada require. This knowledge-based test measures your understanding of psychology principles, intervention techniques, and assessment methods. The recommended passing score for the EPPP is 500. The Board will send your eligibility to the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) once you’re approved. ASPPB will email you scheduling details. Pearson VUE testing centers provide unofficial scores right after you complete the test.

You’ll need to pass the California Psychology Law and Ethics Examination (CPLEE) after clearing the EPPP. The CPLEE covers eight specific content areas:

• Informed consent, confidentiality, and privilege (20% of exam content)
• Psychotherapeutic relationships (13%)
• Professional competence (16%)
• Assessment, evaluation, and intervention (20%)
• Records (11%)
• Administrative aspects (6%)
• Professional issues (6%)
• Testing, training, supervision, and research (9%)

The CPLEE costs $127.00 and Psychological Services Inc. (PSI) administers it. PSI will reach out within 48 hours with scheduling details once the California board of psychologists approves you. You’ll get your results on-site after finishing. A new application and fee submission becomes necessary if you don’t pass. New CPLEE versions come out quarterly—on January 1st, April 1st, July 1st, and October 1st—and you can take each version only once.

Your application will expire if you don’t take the EPPP within one year of approval. Your eligibility stays valid for a year if you don’t pass the EPPP on your first try, giving you time to retake it.

ASPPB has recently halted its plans to require the EPPP Part 2 skills assessment. They’re now working on a single exam that combines knowledge and skills testing, instead of the original January 2026 implementation. The standard EPPP and CPLEE remain the required examinations for California psychologist license requirements.

Statistics show candidates who practice beforehand pass more often. Using practice resources from ASPPB and PSI could boost your chances of success on these vital licensure examinations.

Application & Licensure Process

California’s Board of Psychology uses a three-step approach to grant psychologist licenses. This guide will help you understand the process and direct you through your application smoothly.

Step 1: EPPP Application Your licensure journey starts with submitting an Application for Licensure as a Psychologist and paying a non-refundable fee of $236.00. New applicants can apply online through BreEZe. Previous applicants need to complete a hard copy application. Your application package should include proof of at least 1,500 hours of supervised professional experience and official transcripts showing your doctoral degree. The Board will review your application and determine your eligibility to take the EPPP examination.

Step 2: CPLEE Application Success in EPPP leads to the next step – submitting a CPLEE request form with a $127.00 fee. You must now verify your remaining supervised hours. The total requirement stands at 3,000 hours, including at least 1,500 post-doctoral hours. PSI will reach out within 48 hours with your exam scheduling details once approved.

Step 3: Initial Licensure Request The examination site provides a Request for Initial Licensure form after you pass the CPLEE. Submit this form along with a $231.00 fee. Your license requires completion of all pre-licensure coursework and fingerprinting requirements.

Fingerprinting and Background Check Visit a Live Scan site to complete the Request for Live Scan Services form. This covers Department of Justice and FBI background checks. Remember to send a copy of your completed form to the Board.

Processing Timelines Applications typically take about 2 months (6-8 weeks) to process. The Board currently processes EPPP eligibility applications received September 1, 2025, CPLEE requests from August 29, 2025, and initial licensure requests from August 29, 2025 (as of September 25, 2025).

Out-of-State ApplicantsLicensed professionals from other states, territories, or Canadian provinces can practice in California up to 180 calendar days after submitting their application. While California doesn’t offer direct reciprocity, psychologists licensed elsewhere for over two years might qualify for an EPPP waiver under specific conditions.

Tracking Your Application The Board sends email confirmations when they receive applications. A thorough review follows, and you’ll receive updates about your status or any items needing attention.

Continuing Education

California psychologists need ongoing professional development to keep their license active after getting their original license. The California Board of Psychology requires 36 hours of continuing education every two years when renewing.

The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) model will become mandatory for all license holders starting January 1, 2024. This new framework takes a more complete approach to professional growth than traditional continuing education. You’ll need to get your hours from at least two of these four CPD categories:

• Professional Activities – including peer consultation, practice outcome monitoring, and professional services
• Academic – such as coursework, teaching, supervision, and publications
• Sponsored Continuing Education – structured learning activities (maximum 27 hours)
• Board Certification – ABPP certification can satisfy all or partial requirements

You must complete at least 4 hours studying laws and ethics related to psychological practice. You’ll also need 4 hours focused on cultural diversity and/or social justice. Cultural diversity includes differences in age, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and physical ability. Social justice addresses historical inequities in treatment of non-dominant groups.

New licensees have a one-time requirement to complete 6 hours in suicide risk assessment and intervention. The Board randomly audits continuing education compliance, so keep your records for at least four years.

Once renewed, you can work in various settings while growing professionally through peer consultation (maximum 18 hours), academic instruction (maximum 18 hours), or professional services like serving on psychological association boards (maximum 12 hours). Self-directed learning such as reading peer-reviewed articles or watching professional webcasts counts for up to 6 hours.

The CPD model lets you choose how to maintain your professional competence. Understanding these requirements helps keep your California psychologist license active throughout your career.

Special State Variations

California stands out from other states with its unique licensing rules for psychologists. The state does not offer or accept license reciprocity, which means psychologists must apply for a new license even if they’re already licensed elsewhere. This rule applies to both new graduates and seasoned professionals from other states.

California makes some allowances for out-of-state psychologists despite its strict rules. Psychologists with ABPP certification and at least five years of licensed practice can skip the EPPP exam requirement. Notwithstanding that, everyone must pass the California Psychology Law and Ethics Examination (CPLEE).

California has a special provision that sets it apart. Licensed doctoral-level psychologists from other U.S. states or Canadian provinces can work in California up to 30 days yearly without getting a California license. This rule creates chances for consultation, academic teamwork, forensic work, and clinical services. Both clients looking for specialized care and practitioners wanting to grow their practice benefit from this arrangement.

The same 30-day rule applies to telehealth services, letting out-of-state psychologists treat California residents remotely. California’s law treats in-person and telehealth services the same way.

Licensed Educational Psychologists (LEPs) have a different path through the Board of Behavioral Sciences instead of the California Board of Psychology. LEPs need a master’s degree in psychology or related field, three years of school psychologist experience (including one supervised year), and must pass the BBS LEP written exam.

These differences show California’s dedication to high standards while offering reasonable options for qualified professionals. Out-of-state psychologists should get a full picture of the specific rules that apply to them and plan their next steps carefully.