District of Columbia Psychology Licensure Requirements

Not yet independently verified for this state. Confirm with the board →

DC requires 4,000 total hours of "psychological practice experience" (PPE). Neither a pre-doctoral nor a post-doctoral figure is a fixed minimum, so both are left null. All 4,000 hours may be earned after the doctorate; alternatively up to 2,000 hours (a cap, not a requirement) may come from a pre-doctoral internship, with the remainder earned within two years of degree conferral. If all hours are taken post-doctorally they must be accrued over not less than two and not more than three years after conferral. At least 10% of total hours must be under immediate supervision of the primary supervisor. A non-student accruing hours in DC must first register as a psychology associate.

Required

Required by rule (17 DCMR § 6905), but no sit-down test is currently administered. The Board's own application checklists state: "No DC exam at this time. Applicant must read the Study Material and sign the Attestation Statement Form." Applicants read the Board-posted Jurisprudence Exam Study Material (DC psychology regulations, the Health Occupations Revision Act, DC statutes on mental health information, child neglect reporting, adult protective services, hospitalization of the mentally ill, competency of witnesses, and the APA Ethical Principles) and submit a signed Attestation Statement Form with the online application.

No separate jurisprudence fee is published; the attestation is submitted with the application, which carries the $322 application and license fee. The underlying rule still contemplates a real exam: § 6905.4 leaves the passing score to the Board, § 6905.2 bars taking it until all other licensure requirements are met, and § 6905.6 imposes a six-month wait after two consecutive failures. Verify current practice with the Board (dcbopsych@dc.gov) before relying on the attestation-only process.

1. Earn a doctoral degree in psychology from an accredited institution whose program is APA-accredited or listed in the ASPPB/National Register "Doctoral Psychology Program Meeting Designation Criteria" for the year the degree was conferred.
2. Register with the Board as a psychology associate before accruing any psychological practice experience in the District (students in a qualifying program are exempt).
3. Complete 4,000 hours of supervised psychological practice experience — all post-doctoral, or up to 2,000 pre-doctoral internship hours plus the balance within two years of degree conferral — with at least 10% under immediate supervision of the primary supervisor.
4. Submit the online application with transcripts, signed pre- and post-doctoral Verification of Supervision forms, three character references, criminal background check, and the $322 application and license fee.
5. Obtain Board authorization and pass the EPPP; applicants applying on or after January 1, 2022 must pass both EPPP Part 1 and Part 2 (authorization is valid 120 days).
6. Satisfy the District jurisprudence requirement by reading the Board's Jurisprudence Exam Study Material and submitting the signed Attestation Statement Form.
7. Once licensed, renew on your birth-month cycle with 30 hours of continuing education per two-year period, including 3 hours of ethics, 2 hours of LGBTQ cultural competency, at least 15 live hours, and 10% in DC public health priorities.

PSYPACT member

DC offers licensure by endorsement/reciprocity. Under the general health-occupations rule (17 DCMR § 4014) an applicant may qualify by showing either current licensure in good standing in a jurisdiction the Board has approved, or current good-standing licensure in a US jurisdiction with substantially equivalent requirements that reciprocally admits DC licensees; boards may issue a provisional license for up to 90 days pending documentation. Psychology-specific relief exists in § 6902.7: an applicant licensed elsewhere who falls short on qualifying supervised experience may instead rely on at least two years of licensed, unsupervised practice. Applicants who passed the EPPP more than five years earlier need not retake it if continuously licensed and practicing (§ 6904.2). Endorsement applicants who earned their doctorate on or after January 1, 2022 and are endorsing from a state that does not require EPPP Part 2 must still take and pass EPPP Part 2. DC has enacted PSYPACT (D.C. Law 23-190, effective March 16, 2021, codified at D.C. Code § 7-1121), so DC licensees may seek an ASPPB E.Passport/APIT for telepsychology or an IPC/TAP for temporary in-person practice across participating states.

District of Columbia Board of Psychology

(202) 442-5955

Official board page →