How to Become a Psychologist in Louisiana: Step-by-Step Guide for 2026
A career as a psychologist in Louisiana offers promising opportunities with competitive salaries. The average psychologist’s salary reached $94,310 as of May 2024. Clinical and counseling psychologists earn even more at $101,420. The state’s overall employment growth stands at 8.3% until 2026, while healthcare sector jobs will expand by almost 12%.
Louisiana’s psychological workforce currently includes about 1,100 professionals. These specialists serve a population where all but one of these adults report symptoms of anxiety or depression at 39.1%. The Louisiana State Board sets clear requirements for aspiring psychologists. Candidates must be 21 years old and demonstrate good moral character. The board mandates completion of an accredited doctorate program in psychology. Louisiana stands out as one of only two states that allows specially trained psychologists to prescribe psychiatric medication. Successful candidates must achieve a scaled score of 500 or higher on the EPPP examination.
Educational Pathways
The path to psychology licensure in Louisiana starts with strong academic foundations. A doctoral degree from an accredited program is the foundation of licensure requirements set by the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists.
You need a bachelor’s degree that takes about four years with 120 credits as a full-time student. Louisiana has 23 schools that offer bachelor’s degrees in psychology. While majoring in psychology isn’t mandatory, choosing another major means you might need extra prerequisites before graduate studies.
Most doctoral programs need foundational courses like introduction to psychology, statistics, and research methods. You must maintain competitive grades – Louisiana State University requires at least a 3.0 undergraduate GPA.
The next step is to get a doctoral degree in psychology. The Louisiana Board accepts two main paths:
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Psychology
- Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)
These doctoral programs usually take four to seven years. Your doctoral program must meet one of these criteria:
- Accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA)
- Listed by the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology
- Listed by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB)
- Evaluated and approved by the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists
The curriculum must include scientific coursework in:
- Scientific and professional standards and ethics
- Statistics and psychometrics
- Research methodology and design
The program should also cover key content areas such as:
- Biological basis of behavior
- Cognitive-affective basis of behavior
- Social basis of behavior
- Individual differences
Louisiana features several notable psychology doctoral programs. Louisiana State University offers PhD programs in Clinical Psychology, Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, and School Psychology. Tulane University’s PhD programs include Psychological Science and School Psychology. Louisiana Tech University has an APA-accredited PhD in Counseling Psychology.
Louisiana stands out uniquely – it’s one of two states where psychologists can prescribe medications with specialized training. This option needs an accredited post-doctoral master’s degree in clinical psychopharmacology and a national psychopharmacology exam.
Doctoral programs in Louisiana follow the scientist-practitioner model that combines research and clinical practice. Students must attend full-time since part-time study rarely works with intensive training.
Your doctoral education includes practicum experiences and supervised internships. Clinical psychology programs need at least 300 practicum hours, with 100 hours of direct client contact and 50 hours of individual supervision. Many programs include a pre-doctoral internship of 1,500-2,000 supervised hours. These hours count toward post-doctoral supervised experience needed for licensure.
Your choice of doctoral program shapes your future professional capabilities as a licensed psychologist in Louisiana. This decision remains crucial on your path to licensure.
Supervised Experience Requirements
Supervised experience is a vital milestone in your path to psychology licensure in Louisiana after completing your doctoral degree. The Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists requires substantial supervised practice. This practice helps you develop clinical skills and professional judgment.
You must complete two years of full-time supervised experience, which equals 4,000 hours. The developmental approach means you’ll need more guidance early in your fellowship. As you gain experience, you’ll work more independently.
The Board requires a Supervised Practice Plan to document your post-doctoral supervision if you seek provisional licensure. Part-time work assignments must last at least 500 hours. These assignments should represent half-time work in that setting to count toward your requirements.
The supervision structure typically provides:
- 2-4 hours of supervision weekly, with at least 1 hour face-to-face with your primary supervisor
- Weekly supervision sessions to achieve licensure requirements
- Individual and group supervision opportunities based on your clinical rotations
A licensed psychologist must provide your supervision. So, verify your supervisor’s state qualifications before starting your supervised practice.
Your predoctoral experiences might count toward supervised experience requirements substantially. The Board may credit a predoctoral internship toward the required two years if it was part of your doctoral program and meets their requirements. But practicum experiences with graduate credits usually don’t count toward this requirement.
Documentation needs include start and end dates, practice hours, general/professional supervisory contact time, and case discussion/skill training hours. The Board strictly enforces ethical standards. Your experience hours might not count if you misrepresent yourself or if supervision doesn’t follow regulations.
Academic medical centers or clinical settings host many supervised experiences. To cite an instance, see Tulane’s postdoctoral fellows who receive advanced training. This training has teaching and consultation opportunities among clinical service delivery. Fellows often help faculty members teach and supervise graduate students and psychology interns.
Note that you cannot accumulate supervised experience hours before your degree conferral date. This rule will give a solid foundation based on your completed doctoral education.
This supervised period ended up bridging academic training and independent practice. It shapes your professional identity and clinical competence through guided mentorship.
Licensing Examinations
Your path to psychology licensure in Louisiana runs through several important exams. You need to prove your professional competence through these tests after completing your education and during or after your supervised experience.
The Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists will make you eligible to register for the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) once they issue your provisional license. The EPPP is a national exam with 225 multiple-choice questions that covers psychology domains of all types. You must score 500 or higher on the scaled score to pass.
You can take the EPPP any time after getting Board authorization, even while you complete your supervised experience hours. The exam costs about $600. You’ll get an Authorization to Test (ATT) after registration that gives you 60 days to schedule your exam at testing centers across the country.
The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) website has great study materials. The Louisiana Board’s website also offers a practice test.
After passing the EPPP and meeting all requirements including supervised hours, you’ll move on to state-specific exams. These include:
- Oral Examination: This $250 exam tests your competence and professional knowledge. You’ll receive one of three grades: pass, fail, or continue. A “continue” grade means more review based on the Board’s timeline. Failed candidates must wait two years to try again.
- Jurisprudence Examination: This take-home exam costs $75 and covers ethical and legal standards for psychology practice in Louisiana. You have 30 days to complete and return it.
The best part? You’ll get your license the same day you pass both oral and jurisprudence exams. This lets you start practicing right away without delays.
The exam sequence makes sense – first EPPP, then state tests after meeting other requirements. This approach ensures you understand both general psychology and Louisiana’s specific practice standards before getting full licensure.
Stay in touch with the Board throughout this process. They will guide you through each step and provide needed authorizations. Your thorough preparation for these exams will be a great investment in your future as a Louisiana psychologist.
Application & Licensure Process
Your licensure trip begins when you submit your application to the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (LSBEP). The LSBEP Online Licensing Portal now handles the whole application process digitally, which simplifies document submissions.
The LSBEP Licensing Portal requires you to create a permanent account. This account serves you throughout your professional career for license renewals and continuing education submissions. You must be at least 21 years old, demonstrate good moral character, and hold U.S. citizenship or declare your intention to become a citizen.
A provisional license application costs $200, with an extra $50 for the mandatory criminal background check. Your application submission must include:
- All graduate transcripts sent directly to the Board
- An Internship Supervision Documentation form
- A Supervised Practice Plan
- Fingerprints for background verification
The Board reviews your dissertation abstract and reaches out to your professional references during document verification. Your application needs notarization before submission.
A customized dashboard becomes available after the Board receives your application. This dashboard lets you track supporting documents and preliminary review progress. The Board reviews applications submitted by the 10th of each month by the 20th of that same month to think over provisional licensure.
Your final licensure application must meet specific timelines. The Board schedules oral examinations quarterly. Your application and supervision documentation must be complete by specific dates (January 10th, April 10th, July 10th, or October 10th) to qualify for the next exam.
The Board requires regular communication since applications become void after six months of inactivity, which means starting over. Military personnel and their spouses receive accelerated application processing.
LSBEP provides various license types besides standard psychologist licensure. These include Provisional Licensed Psychologist, Licensed Specialist in School Psychology, and Temporary Registration for out-of-state practitioners. Out-of-state psychologists who plan to practice less than 30 days yearly can apply for a temporary practice permit.
The Board issues your license the same day you pass the oral examination and meet all requirements. Full licensure requires annual renewal by July 31st, which costs $350.
Continuing Education
You need ongoing professional development to retain your psychology license in Louisiana after your original licensure. The Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists requires 40 hours of continuing education (CE) every two years. Psychologists with even-numbered licenses report in even years, while those with odd-numbered licenses report in odd years.
Your 40 required hours must include specific mandatory components. You need 2 hours focused on ethics or forensics. The board also requires 2 hours addressing multicultural or diversity issues. These requirements help ensure your practice stays ethically sound and culturally responsive.
Louisiana allows all 40 CE hours through distance education formats starting 2025. This gives you the freedom to choose educational opportunities that match your professional interests and schedule.
The state requires all licensees to employ CE Broker as their electronic education tracker. Your license renewal depends on proper documentation in this system.
The Board automatically approves courses that meet these criteria:
- Address objectives under Section 801.A
- Come from an acceptable sponsor under Section 805.C
- Are delivered as a live, virtual, or prerecorded workshop or conference
APA-approved sponsors are recognized by the Louisiana Board for continuing education. These APA Homestudy courses qualify as approved activities and should be listed as “approved sponsored workshops” in your reports.
You can request an extension through the Continuing Education Extension Application if you can’t complete your required hours by June 30. Your license will still need renewal online by July 31 to stay active, whatever your extension status.
Note that while your license expires yearly on July 31, CE reporting happens every two years. Applications for pre-approval of non-standard CE activities must reach the board by June 30 of your reporting year.
Meeting these continuing education requirements helps you stay eligible to practice as a psychologist in Louisiana and keeps your knowledge aligned with current professional standards.
Special State Variations
Louisiana stands out from other states because of its unique psychology licensure system. Yes, it is one of just five states across the U.S. that lets psychologists with special training prescribe medications. Psychologists need to complete an accredited post-doctoral master’s degree in clinical psychopharmacology and pass a board-approved national exam to gain this special ability.
The Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners has overseen the “medical psychologist” designation since 2010, not the Psychology Board. Getting this credential means you need to register with the Drug Enforcement Agency and get a Louisiana Controlled and Dangerous Substance license. You might qualify for advanced practice status after three years of successful work as a medical psychologist, provided two consulting physicians recommend you.
Beyond prescriptive authority, Louisiana’s reciprocity options make it special. The state has a direct reciprocity agreement with Texas. Psychologists who have an ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification or diplomate status from the American Board of Professional Psychology can get optimized licensure. These credentials make the application process easier, though you still need to complete state-specific examinations and background checks.
Louisiana gives a special permit to out-of-state psychologists who want to practice less than 30 days per year.