Wisconsin Psychology License: Step-by-Step Path to Becoming a Licensed Psychologist
A Washington state psychologist license opens up excellent career opportunities. The job market looks promising with a projected 19% growth from 2020-2030 in the state. The path to licensure demands more dedication than many other states. The whole ordeal typically spans 10 to 12 years to complete.
Washington’s Board of Psychology sets specific requirements for licensed psychologists. You’ll need a doctoral degree in psychology and 3,300 hours of supervised experience. The Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology requires a minimum scaled score of 500. Your formal application goes to the Washington State Department of Health. Your psychology license needs yearly renewal before your birthday. You must complete 60 hours of continuing education every three years.
This guide walks you through each licensing step clearly. Washington’s psychologists earn more than the national median of $101,170, making the journey worthwhile. The detailed information here helps you direct your path toward becoming a licensed psychologist in Washington State.
Educational Pathways
A doctoral degree in psychology starts your experience toward getting a Washington state psychologist license. Washington differs from other states. It won’t accept master’s-level practice. You need a doctoral degree from a regionally accredited institution. This educational path takes 8-10 years to finish, starting with a bachelor’s degree and ending with a Ph.D. or Psy.D..
The American Psychological Association (APA), Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), or Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) accreditation isn’t required. Yet it helps a lot. An APA-accredited program shows licensing boards and future employers that you received quality psychology education. Programs without accreditation need extra verification steps when you apply for your license.
The Washington state board of psychology has specific rules for graduates from non-APA/CPA/PCSAS accredited programs:
- You need at least 51 semester hours or 85 quarter hours of graduate courses in areas
- One year in residency
- Your program must endorse an original dissertation focused on psychology
- You must complete a structured practicum and internship
Your education must include supervised clinical work. The doctoral program requires a practicum of at least 300 hours. On top of that, it needs an internship with 1,500 hours of supervised work finished within 12-24 months. This internship should have APA or CPA accreditation, or be part of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).
Doctoral programs in psychology usually take four to seven years. The time varies based on your curriculum, research, and clinical work. Students learn through coursework, research, and supervised clinical training. Many clinical psychology students see their first clients in year two and end with a year-long full-time clinical internship.
The Department of Health needs official transcripts with your degree and completion date sent straight from your school. So staying in good standing with your school matters for a smooth licensing process.
School psychologist hopefuls have another option through the Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) in School Psychology degree. This three-year program includes a 1,200-hour internship in the final year. After graduating, you can apply for Washington State Certification and National Certification as a School Psychologist (NCSP).
Whatever educational path you choose, keep detailed records. Track all coursework, supervised experiences, and program accreditation status. This makes your license application easier later. Document your program’s curriculum and supervised work as you go rather than searching for information years later.
Supervised Experience Requirements
A Washington state psychologist license requires strict supervised experience requirements. The state board of psychology needs 3,300 hours of supervised experience spread across at least two years. These hours follow a specific structure that moves from intensive to less intensive supervision gradually.
The supervised experience has three key parts:
The first requirement is a practicum during your doctoral program. This supervised experience needs at least 300 hours of direct experience, with 100 hours dedicated to supervision. Your practicum must last nine months minimum. Only 300 hours count toward your license requirements.
Next comes a mandatory internship of 1,500 supervised hours. You must complete this internship in 12-24 months, though school psychologists can finish in 9-24 months. Your internship program needs to meet one of these requirements:
- Be accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) or Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)
- Be a member program of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC)
- Meet alternative internship requirements
The final 1,500 hours can come from these options:
- Preinternship experience (between practicum and internship)
- Additional internship hours beyond the required 1,500
- Postdoctoral supervised experience
Licensed substance use disorder professionals need fewer hours. Those with three years of credentials in the past decade only need 1,020 hours beyond internship instead of 1,500.
Specific supervision standards apply to all experiences. Licensed psychologists with two years of post-license experience must provide 65% of supervision. Other qualified professionals can provide up to 35% of supervision. These include psychiatrists with three years post-residency experience or licensed mental health counselors with five years post-license experience.
Postdoctoral supervision requires two hours of individual supervision each week. Every 20 hours of supervised experience needs 25% of time spent in direct client contact. This includes assessment and intervention services.
Your supervision must cover several areas: service discussion, treatment plan reviews, theoretical concepts, practice management, supervision evaluation, service coordination, state laws, ethical principles, and psychological service standards.
Remember to document all hours and supervision activities carefully. You’ll need this verification when you apply for your Washington psychology license.
Licensing Examinations
Your path to a Washington state psychologist license requires passing two exams after completing your education and supervised experience. You must submit your licensure application to the Washington State Department of Health. The department will verify your degree and supervised hours before authorizing you to take the exams.
The Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) comes first. The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards administers this detailed evaluation with 225 multiple-choice questions across eight content areas:
- Biological bases of behavior
- Cognitive-affective bases of behavior
- Social and multicultural bases of behavior
- Growth and life-span development
- Assessment and diagnosis
- Research methods and statistics
- Treatment and intervention
- Ethical, legal, and professional issues
You need a minimum scaled score of 500 out of 800 to pass the EPPP. After passing this exam, you can take the second required test.
The Washington State Jurisprudence Examination evaluates your knowledge of state-specific laws and regulations for psychological practice. This open-book test features 25 multiple-choice questions covering nine key topics:
- Psychology law
- Uniform Disciplinary Act
- Healthcare Information Act
- Abuse of children
- Mental Illness Act
- Abuse of vulnerable adults
- Psychologists rules
- Whistleblower complaints
- Administrative procedures and requirements
A score of at least 90% is required to pass this examination.
For the EPPP, authorized candidates receive scheduling instructions by email from both the credentialing team and Certemy (the testing company). The credentialing team’s authorization email includes instructions for testing accommodations.
The Washington state board of psychology allows one retake without special permission if you fail either exam. All the same, additional attempts require:
- A minimum one-month waiting period
- Submission of a written action plan that explains your preparation strategy
Your request needs board review and approval before more attempts. A full picture of both examinations helps avoid delays in getting your Washington psychology license.
Clear communication with the Department of Health and precise adherence to instructions will smooth your path to completing examination requirements and moving toward final licensure stages.
Application & Licensure Process
Getting your Washington state psychologist license requires several precise steps. The Washington State Department of Health manages this process and expects careful attention during each phase.
The state has announced permanent rule changes that came into effect on August 14, 2025. You can still submit your application online, but the system hasn’t been updated with these changes yet. You’ll need to fill out a new paper application for specific sections that have changed. The credentialing team will reach out after processing your online submission to tell you which parts of the paper application you need to complete.
Your application must include:
- A completed application form (online or paper)
- Application fee (non-refundable)
- Official transcripts sent directly from your educational institution
- Verification of supervised experience hours
- Professional reference request forms from all supervisors
The Department of Health runs background checks on everyone who applies through the Washington State Patrol database. If you’re from another state, you’ll likely need a fingerprint-based background check. You should wait for specific instructions about fingerprinting before taking any action.
After submitting your application, you’ll get a pending credential number through the Provider Credential Search. This number becomes your reference point for all future communications and paperwork. The board looks at applications only after a credentialing specialist confirms everything is complete and meets the requirements.
Washington has a special endorsement path for psychologists licensed in other states. You must share information about all your current and previous credentials from other states. The team will try to verify these online, but you might need to submit a verification form if some jurisdictions don’t offer online verification.
Your application might go through an “exceptions” process if questions come up during the background check or from your submitted information. The best way to avoid delays is to respond quickly to any questions they ask.
You’ll receive official notification after your license gets approved. Licensed psychologists must renew every year before their birthday. The Washington State Jurisprudence Examination isn’t required for initial licensing, but you’ll need to pass it during your first continuing education period.
Continuing Education
Your Washington state psychologist license needs regular professional development through continuing education (CE). The Washington state board of psychology requires you to complete 60 hours of CE every three years. This requirement will give psychologists a way to stay current with evolving practices and standards in the field.
The 60-hour requirement includes several specific components:
- Four hours in ethics related to your primary area(s) of function: practice, consultation, research, teaching, or supervision
- Two hours in health equity that meet the standards in WAC 246-12-830
- Six hours in suicide prevention every six years from the state’s Model List
- One hour for the jurisprudence examination
The jurisprudence examination is mandatory within your first CE cycle after getting your license. Later, you can choose to take it and claim one hour per CE cycle for passing it.
You can earn CE credits through courses, seminars, workshops, and post-doctoral institutes offered by:
- Educational institutions with regional accreditation that provide graduate-level courses
- American Psychological Association, regional or state psychological associations
- Psychology internship training centers
- Other professionally recognized behavioral science organizations
Teaching an approved CE program can also count toward your credits. You can earn up to 30 hours of teaching credit every three years. Each credit hour equals 60 minutes of teaching or panel participation.
The Washington State Psychological Association (WSPA) is an APA-approved sponsor of continuing education. They offer programs in a variety of mental health specialties. Their Continuing Education Committee creates programs that meet psychology professionals’ diverse needs.
The board might ask for proof of your CE completion, including certificates, transcripts, or course descriptions. They may grant time extensions or waivers if you face illness or other extenuating circumstances.
Remember to renew your Washington psychology license yearly before your birthday. You’ll need to verify your CE completion every three years. Starting 2025, the renewal fee is $226.00.
Special State Variations
Washington welcomes out-of-state psychologists with unique paths to practice in the state. The state is 3 years old in implementing a special reciprocity program through Senate Bill 5054. This program reviews practice scope equivalency.
Licensed psychologists from other states can get a temporary probationary license in Washington. You need a current license or one from the past 12 months from a state that Washington’s psychology board sees as equivalent. This temporary license lasts one year with one renewal option. During this time, you can work on meeting Washington’s psychology license requirements while you retain control of your practice.
Your disciplinary record must be clean with no disqualifying criminal history to get this probationary license. The Department of Health keeps a current list of states that qualify for this program.
Besides reciprocity, there’s an endorsement pathway if you’ve held a license in another state for two or more years. The online application costs $206. Some states have matching requirements that speed up your license transfer. You can also apply for a temporary permit while waiting for full approval. The permit is free and valid for 90 days in one calendar year.
New permanent rule changes will affect all license requirements from August 14, 2025. The online application needs updating, so you’ll need extra paper forms for some sections. The credentialing team will reach out about which paper forms you need after you submit your online application.
The Military Resources website has dedicated support for military personnel and their spouses. Remember that all fees for initial credentialing, examinations, renewal, and other regulatory aspects cannot be refunded.