Tennessee Psychology Licensure Requirements

500

TN rule sets the computer-delivered EPPP passing score at a scaled score of 500 or greater at the Psychologist level, or the score set as passing by ASPPB. (An older 'pencil and paper' provision set 70% correct.)

These hour figures apply to Health Service Provider (HSP) designation, which is required to provide health services in Tennessee. The predoctoral internship must be at least one calendar year and no less than 1900 hours; the postdoctoral year must be a minimum of 1900 hours of supervised experience under an HSP-designated psychologist. The rules do not impose these internship/postdoctoral hour requirements on licensure as a Psychologist without HSP designation. Postdoctoral hours obtained in Tennessee must be earned under a provisional license unless the applicant is in an APA- or APPIC-listed postdoctoral fellowship.

Required

Board ethics and jurisprudence examination, taken in person at the Board's administrative office, open-book, completed in two hours or less; passing is 90% correct. Content covers T.C.A. Titles 33, 37 and 63 and Board rules 1180-01 through 1180-04 plus the APA Ethical Standards.

Fee: $100 (re-examination $50)

Rule 1180-02-.03(14): 'Under no circumstances shall the ethics and jurisprudence examination be waived.' Applicants must keep retaking it until passed before the application is deemed complete. Per the Board's application instructions, the ethics and jurisprudence exam is scheduled by the Board administrator after the applicant has passed the EPPP.

1. Earn a doctoral degree from a program listed in ASPPB/CNRHSPP 'Designated Doctoral Programs in Psychology' or, for HSP designation, an APA-accredited professional psychology program.
2. Complete a qualifying predoctoral internship of at least one calendar year and no less than 1900 hours (APA-accredited, APPIC-member, or Board-approved) if you intend to provide health services.
3. Apply to the Board with the $175 application fee, transcripts, passport photo, three letters of recommendation, and a criminal background check.
4. Obtain a provisional license (or enter an APA/APPIC postdoctoral fellowship) and complete a minimum of 1900 hours of postdoctoral supervised experience under an HSP-designated psychologist, with at least one hour per week of individual supervision.
5. Pass the EPPP with a scaled score of at least 500 after receiving written Board approval to test.
6. Pass the Board's open-book ethics and jurisprudence examination (scheduled by the Board administrator after you pass the EPPP) with a score of at least 90%.
7. Pay the $200 license fee and state regulatory fee; the Board considers completed applications at a meeting within 90 days of exam completion, then renew biennially.

PSYPACT member

The Board may expedite review for an applicant licensed in good standing in another jurisdiction who meets T.C.A. 63-11-211, submits the application and fee, proof of a qualifying doctoral program (plus qualifying internship and postdoctoral experience if seeking HSP designation), a passing written exam score, license verification, and a background check. Applicants continuously licensed in good standing for five or more years may instead submit proof of ABPP certification, National Register listing, or an ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ). Licensure by endorsement is available to applicants who have practiced in another state for at least 10 of the last 15 years under T.C.A. 63-11-208(f)(1). The internship and postdoctoral requirements can never be waived for HSP designation, and the ethics and jurisprudence exam is never waived. A temporary license is available to out-of-state psychologists while completing Tennessee requirements. Tennessee participates in PSYPACT: the Board's site lists PSYPACT under 'Multistate Regulations' and names it as a state-statute basis for authorized interjurisdictional telepsychology, with verification through the PSYPACT Commission.

Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology

(615) 741-5735

Official board page →