How to Get Your Psychology License in South Carolina: Complete Guide
Mental health professionals face significant license requirements in South Carolina today. The state has over 700,000 adults with mental health conditions, and 220,000 of them don’t receive the medical care they need. Only 700 clinical and counseling psychologists serve the state’s population, which translates to roughly 12.96 psychologists per 100,000 people.
A psychology career in South Carolina offers excellent opportunities right now. Clinical and counseling psychologists can expect a remarkable 22.8% job growth from 2022-2023. Psychologists earned a median annual wage of $85,330 as of May 2022. The South Carolina Board of Psychology’s license requirements need completion before you start practicing. This piece guides you through the licensing steps – from education and supervised experience to examinations and application procedures. The process includes continuing education requirements and South Carolina’s unique licensing framework elements.
Educational Pathways
A South Carolina psychology license starts with the right education. Your educational experience needs careful planning that spans several years.
Students must complete a bachelor’s degree as their first milestone. This four-year degree requires about 120 credit hours. Psychology is a popular major, but related fields work too. Students with non-psychology degrees might need extra prerequisites before graduate school.
Many candidates choose to get a master’s degree next. They can do this as a standalone program or as part of their doctoral studies. Standalone programs usually take two years with 30-40 credit hours. This degree helps students specialize and understand psychology better. A master’s degree can open doors to various human services careers, even without full licensure.
The South Carolina Board of Psychology requires a doctoral degree to become eligible. Students can choose between a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or Doctor of Psychology (PsyD). This degree serves as the base of your educational requirements and takes four to seven years. Doctoral programs must meet these accreditation standards:
- Regional accreditation from the institution
- National program accreditation
- American Psychological Association (APA) accreditation or Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) designation automatically qualifies programs
Students from non-APA accredited programs must prove their program equals these standards. They need six semester hours of coursework in each area:
- Biological bases of behavior
- Social and affective bases of behavior
- Social bases of behavior
- Individual differences
Programs must cover psychometrics, statistics, research methodology design, professional ethics, and psychology’s history and systems. Students complete three academic years of graduate study, not counting internship.
South Carolina wants four years minimum of combined academic training and practical experience. Students can complete up to 1,500 hours (one year) of supervised professional experience during their doctoral program.
Several universities in South Carolina provide psychology programs. South University in Columbia offers undergraduate psychology and graduate professional counseling programs. Working professionals can choose accredited online programs from schools like Capella University.
Some programs already meet South Carolina’s educational standards. To name just one example, graduates from APA-accredited doctoral programs in clinical psychology at Fielding qualify for licensure.
The final step needs students to submit detailed documentation and official transcripts of all graduate-level coursework to the Board’s office in Columbia.
Supervised Experience Requirements
Getting supervised professional experience is a vital step toward your South Carolina psychology license. You need to complete detailed supervised training that meets state standards along with your academic qualifications.
The South Carolina Board of Psychology needs you to complete two years (3,000 hours) of supervised professional experience. These hours are split into two main phases:
- Pre-doctoral Experience: You can get up to 1,500 hours through a pre-doctoral internship or residency. This usually takes one full-time year or two part-time years. Your supervisors need to submit a Predoctoral Supervision form to the Board after your preliminary application gets approved.
- Post-doctoral Experience: You must complete the remaining 1,500 hours after getting your doctoral degree. The Board will only count these hours once you have an active Supervision Contract filed and approved[94].
Your supervised experience requires at least one hour of face-to-face supervision each week[94]. The Board requires that you complete at least 50% of supervision hours in person. This setup will give a solid foundation as you build your clinical skills.
Your supervisor should be a licensed psychologist with a good record, either in South Carolina or with an equivalent license from another state. They must be experts in their supervision area. The Board requires post-doctoral supervisors to have recognition in the same specialization you want.
The Board needs a detailed supervision contract before you start your post-doctoral supervised experience. Your supervisor must tell the Board in writing about the supervision agreement before starting and after finishing.
Your supervised experience should teach you everything in psychological assessment and treatment. To name just one example, forensic psychology fellowships in South Carolina are a great way to get experience with criminal and civil forensic evaluations under individual and group supervision.
After completing your supervised hours, supervisors must submit a Supervisor’s Report form to document your experience. This paperwork shows you’re ready to practice on your own.
The Board might waive supervised experience requirements if you have special circumstances[104]. They look at each case individually.
This supervision structure helps you become skilled at assessment, treatment, and ethical practice. So this training prepares you to handle complex psychological issues on your own once licensed, making it a key part of the psychologist license requirements in South Carolina.
Licensing Examinations
Getting your South Carolina psychology license starts with a crucial examination process. You must prove your professional competence through standardized testing after completing your education and supervised practice.
The South Carolina Board of Psychology requires two different exams for the psychologist license requirements. These include the national Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) and a state-specific oral exam.
Your EPPP eligibility begins after your preliminary application gets approved. The Board administrator must give permission and notify the Professional Examination Service (PES). You’ll pay the examination fee of $600 and receive an Authorization to Test (ATT) when you register.
You must take the computer-based EPPP at an authorized Prometric testing center within your 60-day window. South Carolina’s testing locations include Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, and Myrtle Beach. You can also choose an out-of-state location if needed. Prometric adds a $79.56 administration fee.
A score of 500 or higher is required to pass the EPPP, as set by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB). Your scores automatically go to the Board if you take the exam in South Carolina. You’ll need to contact ASPPB to send your results to the Board if you test elsewhere.
Failed attempts require a 60-day waiting period before retaking the exam. You can take the exam twice within a one-year period. Missing your registration or exam timeframe means reapplying and paying new fees.
The oral exam marks your final step toward licensing. You can take this exam only after meeting other requirements and submitting your formal application. The Board looks at your knowledge in three areas:
- Scope of practice
- Professional ethics
- Jurisprudence
A single Board member usually conducts this exam instead of the full Board. You’ll need to contact the Board to schedule your exam once you reach this stage.
Failed oral exams require a six-month wait before trying again. Board regulations prevent licensing anyone who failed an exam attempt in the previous six months.
These exams ensure quality control so that only qualified professionals can practice psychology independently in South Carolina.
Application & Licensure Process
Getting your South Carolina psychology license requires a two-step process through the South Carolina board of psychology. You must complete and submit a Preliminary Application for Licensure with the required Affidavit of Eligibility.
Your preliminary application package should include these key documents:
- A complete Curriculum Vitae
- A $500 application fee (you can pay by money order, cashier’s check, or personal check)
- Official transcripts from all graduate-level coursework sent straight from your schools
Students from non-APA accredited programs need to submit extra materials like detailed course descriptions. The Board reviews your credentials to make sure you meet their educational standards for licensure.
The Board will send you forms to complete your formal application after approving your preliminary application. You’ll need to submit these documents:
- The Predoctoral Supervision Form
- Your completed Supervision Contract
- The Supervisor’s Report Form
- Three professional references (two must be from psychologists)
- Proof that you passed the EPPP
- Documentation of your 3,000 hours of supervised experience
You have three years to complete all licensure requirements after your preliminary application gets approved. You can check your application status anytime through the Board’s online portal.
The Board will ask you to schedule your oral examination once you meet all requirements and submit your formal application. Your license to practice psychology in South Carolina will be issued after you pass the oral exam.
South Carolina lets psychologists licensed in other states with similar standards apply through reciprocal licensing. This path requires proof of at least one year of postdoctoral experience and your EPPP scores from the ASPPB.
Out-of-state licensees can get temporary permits that allow up to 60 days of practice each year without full licensure. These permits cost $250.
Licensed psychologists can manage their credentials through South Carolina Labor, Licensing and Regulation’s E-Services portal. The portal lets you:
- Update your contact information
- Renew your license
- Print your license card
- Request license verification
This application process ensures that only qualified professionals can practice psychology independently in South Carolina.
Continuing Education
You need ongoing professional development through continuing education (CE) to keep your South Carolina psychology license active. The South Carolina Board of Psychology requires licensed psychologists to complete 24 hours of approved continuing education during each two-year renewal period.
Licensed psychologists must earn at least 12 credits from Category A offerings. The other 12 credits can come from Category B offerings. Psychologists have the option to get all 24 credits from Category A if they prefer. This gives professionals the freedom to customize their continuing education based on their practice needs.
Category A experiences are formal educational activities that convert direct contact hours to CE credits on a one-to-one basis. These include:
- Graduate courses in psychology at regionally accredited institutions
- Programs offered by American Psychological Association (APA) approved internship training programs
- Courses provided by the APA, APA-approved sponsors, or state/regional psychological associations
- Teaching a graduate psychology course for the first time
- Publishing scholarly work in a refereed publication
Psychologists can earn up to 24 CE credits per two-year renewal period from graduate courses and scholarly publications under Category A.
Category B offers more informal ways to develop professionally through:
- Peer review or supervision by another licensed mental health professional
- Consultation with another licensed psychologist or mental health professional
- Publishing in non-refereed publications
- Attending professional educational meetings or seminars
- Self-study activities including reading professional journals
The Board requires you to confirm your completed CE credits on their provided form at the time of renewal. Random audits happen every two years, and the Board asks for written proof of at least twelve approved Category A credits from your previous licensing period.
The South Carolina Board recognizes continuing education from any APA-approved provider. You should keep records of all your completed continuing education activities since extra credits won’t carry over to the next renewal period.
Many online providers offer Board-approved courses that meet Category A requirements. These courses are a great way to get your professional credentials while managing your practice’s demands.
Special State Variations
South Carolina stands out from other states with its unique psychology licensing framework. The state doesn’t follow standardized protocols that most others use. Anyone looking to get a psychology license should know these key differences.
The South Carolina Board of Psychology has a special makeup that sets it apart. Eight members serve on the board: three clinical psychologists, two counseling psychologists, one school psychologist, one psychologist from experimental/social/industrial/organizational/community psychology, and one lay member. Members can serve again only after waiting four years once their five-year term ends. This mix of specialists will give a complete view of different psychological fields.
South Carolina joined the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (Psypact) recently. This lets qualified psychologists from other member states help South Carolina residents through telehealth without getting a full state license. They can also provide temporary in-person services.
The state handles licensing differently than most. Rather than automatic reciprocity agreements, the Board looks at each out-of-state candidate individually. These candidates just need to show their previous state’s standards match or go beyond South Carolina’s own psychologist license requirements. Everyone must provide detailed documentation of their qualifications.
Temporary permits give psychologists another way to practice in South Carolina. These let professionals work up to 60 days in a 12-month period without full licensure. Anyone who wants to practice longer needs to go through the standard Preliminary Application process.
The state also has different rules for certain psychology specialists. School psychologists work under a separate agency and can practice within their scope without meeting the Board of Examiners in Psychology standards.
Seven specialization areas exist in the state: clinical, community, counseling, experimental, industrial/organizational, school, and social psychology. Licensed psychologists can only work in fields where they’ve showed competence to the Board’s satisfaction.