How to Get Your Psychology License in Colorado: Official Requirements

Colorado stands among the top 10 states where residents face mental illness, creating a pressing need for qualified psychology professionals. The state’s mental health statistics paint a concerning picture – one-third of Colorado’s adults struggle with anxiety and depression, while depression affects about 40% of high school students. This crisis has opened up excellent career opportunities in the field. Clinical and counseling psychologists can expect a remarkable 20.1% job growth from 2023-2033.

Psychologists in Colorado earn attractive salaries, with median annual earnings ranging between $83,100-$112,740. The path to licensure through Colorado’s Board of Psychology comes with specific requirements. A doctoral degree serves as the foundation. Candidates must complete at least 1,500 hours of postdoctoral supervised experience spread over a minimum of one year. They also need to pass both state and national examinations. While these detailed requirements might seem daunting at first, the process becomes clearer when broken down into steps.

Let us walk you through each step to get your psychology license in Colorado. We’ll cover everything from educational requirements and supervised experience to examination processes and application procedures.

Educational pathways

Your path to a Colorado psychology license starts with the right education. The Colorado Board of Psychology needs you to have a doctoral degree from programs that are either APA-accredited or meet similar standards.

The first step is a bachelor’s degree, which takes about four years to complete (120 credit hours). A psychology major gives you an edge, though it’s not required. Students from other majors often need extra courses before they can start graduate school.

Next comes your doctoral degree – either a PhD in Psychology or a PsyD. These programs usually take four to seven years and must meet Colorado’s licensing standards.

Programs without APA accreditation need to prove they’re equivalent. Your program should be at a regionally accredited school with full-time faculty, clear student enrollment, and proper grading systems. Graduate studies should last at least three academic years.

Your psychology education must cover these key areas:

• Individual differences (personality, development, abnormal behavior)
• Biological bases of behavior
• Cognitive-affective bases of behavior
• Social bases of behavior
• Diversity issues
• Diagnosis and assessment
• Effective treatment methodologies
• Professional standards and ethics
• Research methodology and design

The program includes hands-on training too: a practicum of at least 400 hours and an internship lasting 1,500 hours. You can do the internship full-time for one year or part-time over two years. Clinical psychology internships run on a calendar year. School and counseling psychology programs can use either calendar or academic year schedules.

Students with non-APA-accredited degrees need to fill out a course worksheet showing how their education meets these requirements. You might need extra documentation if your course titles don’t clearly show the required content areas. This review process often takes several months.

Since 2025, the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE) handles educational equivalency reviews for Colorado’s Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA).

After finishing your doctoral studies, you’ll need a temporary Psychologist Candidate (PSYC) permit. It costs $40 and lets you get supervised experience and take required exams. This marks your transition from education to practical experience.

Students from APA-accredited programs have an easier time with licensing. Their education automatically meets Colorado’s requirements without extra review.

Supervised Experience Requirements

Your path to a psychology license in Colorado requires supervised experience after completing your doctoral education. The Colorado Board of Psychology’s guidelines are vital for this professional development phase.

You need 1,500 hours of supervised post-doctoral experience spread across at least 12 months. The requirements include 75 hours of supervision, and 50 of these must be individual, face-to-face sessions. This hands-on training builds on your academic foundation.

The Colorado Board of Psychology offers flexibility in hour accumulation. You can count up to 500 hours teaching psychology courses and up to 500 hours of research toward your total. In addition to that, these activities need proper supervision.

Licensed psychologists should provide most supervision, but some exceptions exist. The board allows up to 375 hours of post-doctoral experience and 17.75 supervision hours under a licensed, board-certified psychiatrist. This flexibility helps you find suitable supervision arrangements without compromising professional standards.

Cultural competence plays a key role in your training. The board requires 50 hours of work and three supervision hours focused on race and ethnicity in psychology. Your diversity-related graduate coursework might qualify as an alternative.

Your supervisor’s most important responsibilities include:

• Monitoring activities that meet accepted practice standards
• Verifying client receipt of mandatory disclosure forms
• Maintaining supervision records
• Guiding you through legal, ethical, and professional duties

Supervision methods vary from individual sessions to group supervision, telephone calls, electronic communication, audio-visual review, direct observation, and teleconferencing. Your training, education, experience, and treatment setting determine the best supervision approach.

The process starts with getting your Psychologist Candidate (PSYC) permit, which remains valid for four years while you complete licensing requirements[81]. Each supervisor must fill out a Post-Degree Experience and Supervision Form to document your hours. These forms become part of your full licensure application.

Quality supervision relationships help you develop advanced skills and expertise. Your supervisors must understand legal, ethical, and professional standards. They need sufficient clinical experience to guide the services you provide.

Licensing Examinations

Your path to a Colorado psychology license requires passing two mandatory exams. These tests become available after you complete your doctoral degree and submit your documents to the Colorado Board.

The Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) represents the national board examination for psychologists. The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) administers this detailed assessment that tests your knowledge in psychology domains. The EPPP features 225 multiple-choice questions that cover:

• General knowledge of psychology, intervention, and assessment
• Theories in areas such as cognition, affect, and development
• Key research topics that affect psychological functioning

The Colorado Board of Psychology will authorize you to take the exam. You’ll then receive scheduling instructions from Professional Examination Service for this computerized test. The exam fees cost approximately $600. A scaled score of 500 or higher is needed to pass. Your exam results should be ready in four to six weeks.

The Colorado Mental Health Jurisprudence Examination is the second required test. This state-specific assessment checks your knowledge of:

• Colorado mental health statutes
• Board rules and regulations
• Confidentiality and privilege laws
• Prohibited activities
• Emergency procedures
• Disciplinary provisions

This online test has 45 multiple-choice questions and costs $18-20. The good news is that you can use reference materials during this open-book test. You’ll still need to score at least 500 to pass. If you don’t pass, you’ll get feedback about areas you need to improve.

Both exams allow retakes after a 10-day waiting period. The jurisprudence exam requires a new $20 fee for each attempt. You can take these exams as many times as needed while following the required terms and conditions.

You can work on your supervised experience hours with your Psychologist Candidate permit while taking these exams. Some jurisdictions require both EPPP components – you must pass Part 1-Knowledge before taking Part 2-Skills.

Passing both exams marks a significant milestone toward your Colorado psychology license. These achievements, combined with your education and supervised experience, set you up for the final application process.

Application & Licensure Process

The final step toward your psychology license in Colorado involves navigating the application process after you complete educational, experience, and examination requirements. The Colorado Board of Psychology manages all licensing through the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) Division of Professions and Occupations Online Services system.

You’ll need to create an account or sign in to an existing account on the DPO Online Services portal to apply for your psychology license. This platform lets you complete several critical tasks:

• Apply for an original license
• Reinstate an expired license
• Renew your existing license
• Update your contact information
• Monitor your application progress

Your application must include transcripts in sealed envelopes. Educational equivalency documents should be in PDF format. The system requires you to complete an online Healthcare Professions Profile after entering your initial information.

Your application package needs license verification from each state where you’ve previously held mental health licensing in sealed envelopes. The system takes about ten business days to process your mailed materials.

The Board requires first-time applicants to submit all verification of experience forms and printed verification of jurisprudence exam results. The DORA website lets you track your application status online.

Colorado psychology licenses expire on August 31 of odd-numbered years. Prescribing Psychologist Authority licenses follow this same renewal schedule. Provisional licenses share this expiration date, while Psychologist Candidate licenses expire on December 31 every three years.

Governor Polis signed HB24-1004 on June 4, 2024, which changed the application process for those with criminal histories. The new law limits criminal conviction reviews to a three-year period from the conviction date or end of incarceration, assuming no other criminal offenses occurred during that time.

Your professional journey continues after receiving your license. You must keep your status active through required continuing professional development to practice psychology legally in Colorado.

Continuing Education

Colorado psychologists need ongoing professional development after getting their original license. The Colorado Board of Psychology requires licensed psychologists to complete 40 hours of approved continuing professional development (CPD) every two years. This requirement helps practitioners keep up with new practices and standards.

Psychology licenses expire on August 31 of odd-numbered years. You must complete your continuing education hours before this deadline to keep your practice active.

Each licensing period must include professional ethics training. This training ensures you stay informed about current ethical standards and challenges in psychological practice.

The Colorado Board accepts several professional development activities that count toward your requirements:

• Attending workshops, symposia, seminars, colloquia, and professional programs offered at professional organizations’ meetings
• Developing and teaching academic courses
• Completing graduate coursework
• Presenting at professional events
• Publishing in professional journals
• Conducting editorial reviews

All but one of these professional development hours (PDH) must qualify as continuing education units approved by the American Psychological Association (APA), state medical association Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, or by a regionally accredited institution of higher education.

Your career requires proper documentation of all completed CPD hours, including attendance certificates and transcripts. The Colorado Board might audit your continuing education records, so keeping accurate records is vital.

Licensed psychologists can complete all 40 required hours through approved online courses – there are no restrictions on online learning.

The continuing education process needs a documented learning plan. The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies’ website offers a self-assessment tool that helps set learning goals and provides a learning plan form to record professional development hours for potential audits.

This ongoing education shows your steadfast dedication to professional competence. Staying current with developments in psychological science and practice will help you deliver effective services throughout your career as a Colorado licensed psychologist.

Special State Variations

Colorado’s psychology licensing framework stands out from other states. The Colorado Board of Psychology, 25 years old, has created regulations that set it apart from national standards in several important ways.

The state gives qualified practitioners a chance to gain Prescribing Psychologist Authority. This special credential needs extra supervised experience and peer review, which expands their practice beyond regular psychology services. So, these professionals must complete ongoing education focused on prescribing duties.

The state doesn’t follow a traditional reciprocity policy for psychologists licensed elsewhere. However, it allows licensure by endorsement under certain conditions. Candidates need a doctoral degree in psychology and must prove they’re in good standing without any pending disciplinary actions. Psychologists who have credentials from the National Register of Health Service Providers, American Board of Professional Psychology Diplomate status, or Certificate of Professional Qualifications from ASPPB might qualify for faster endorsement.

Colorado takes part in the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT), which makes shared practice across state lines possible. Out-of-state psychologists can provide temporary in-person services in Colorado up to 30 days each calendar year under these rules. Non-licensed practitioners can only offer services up to 20 days yearly without Colorado licensure.

The state has changed its educational equivalency review process. The Department of Regulatory Agencies handed over these evaluations to the Center for Credentialing & Education starting 2025. This change affects applicants from non-APA-accredited programs who need equivalency determinations.

New legislation has changed how regulators think about applicants with criminal histories. HB24-1004, signed June 2024, lets regulators look at convictions only within three years from the conviction date or end of incarceration, if no other offenses happened.

New licensees face a special rule called the “bump period.” Any license issued within 120 days of the next renewal date automatically gets pushed to the following expiration date. This gives these professionals extra time on their original license.