Utah Psychology Licensure Requirements

500

Utah does not publish its own number. R156-61-302c(1)(a) adopts the EPPP 'with a passing score as recommended by the ASPPB' - i.e. the ASPPB-recommended scaled score, currently 500. Utah rule references only 'the EPPP' and does not mention an EPPP Part 1 / Part 2 split.

Utah sets one combined 4,000-hour requirement rather than separate pre-doc and post-doc figures. The hours may be accrued in any combination of practicum/training while enrolled in an approved doctoral program, a doctoral internship, postdoctoral training, or time licensed as a certified psychology resident (R156-61-302b(1)(c)), so no pre/post split can be stated. Within the 4,000, an applicant who wants to practice mental health therapy must document at least 1,000 hours of supervised mental health therapy training obtained after completing a master's level of education, with at least 1 hour of supervision per 40 hours of training (58-61-304(1)(e)). Supervision ratios: at least 1 hour of supervision per 20 hours of doctoral training experience, or (postdoctoral) 1 hour weekly if full time / 2 hours monthly. Separately, an approved doctoral program must itself include a practicum of at least 400 hours and an internship of at least 1,500 hours (R156-61-302a(3)(g)-(h)) - those are program-accreditation criteria, not a second licensure hour count. Anyone in a postdoctoral residency must first be certified by DOPL as a psychology resident.

Required

Utah Psychologist Law and Ethics Examination - 50 multiple-choice questions, 2.5 hours, open-reference (approved statutes and rules may be brought in), delivered by the Division's exam vendor Prov at Utah test centers. Passing score is at least 75%.

Fee: $75

Required for licensure by examination and also for licensure by endorsement (58-61-304(2)(d)). Content areas: confidentiality (12 items), DOPL Act Title 58-1 and R156-1 (7), hospitalization/commitment (5), licensing law, rules and ethics (12), malpractice (6), mandated reporting (8). The $75 is paid directly to Prov, not to DOPL. Certified prescribing psychologists applying by endorsement must also pass it.

1. Earn a doctoral degree in psychology from an APA-CoA or CPA-accredited program, or from a program that meets Utah's equivalency criteria in R156-61-302a.
2. Complete at least 4,000 hours of Division-approved supervised psychology training under an approved psychologist supervisor; these hours may be pre-doctoral, internship, postdoctoral, or accrued as a certified psychology resident.
3. If you intend to practice mental health therapy, make sure at least 1,000 of those hours are supervised mental health therapy training obtained after your master's level of education, with one hour of supervision per 40 hours of training.
4. Get certified by DOPL as a Certified Psychology Resident ($115) before beginning any postdoctoral residency training in Utah.
5. Pass the EPPP at the ASPPB-recommended passing score, after submitting a Request for Authorization to Test to DOPL.
6. Register with Prov and pass the Utah Psychologist Law and Ethics Examination with a score of at least 75% ($75).
7. Submit the DOPL Psychologist Application with the $232 fee, official transcripts, Verification of Supervised Experience forms totalling at least 4,000 hours, and fingerprint cards for the BCI/FBI criminal background check; then renew every two years by September 30 of even-numbered years with a $138 fee and 48 hours of CE, at least 6 of which are in ethics and law.

PSYPACT member

Utah offers licensure by endorsement under Utah Code 58-61-304(2). An endorsement applicant must be currently licensed as a psychologist in another U.S. state, district or territory (or other Division-approved jurisdiction), have no disciplinary action pending or in effect in any jurisdiction, pass the Utah Psychologist Law and Ethics Examination, and show active practice in that jurisdiction of not less than 2,000 hours or one year, whichever is greater. The applicant must also show either that the other jurisdiction's requirements were substantially equivalent to Utah's at the time of licensure, or that the applicant currently holds ABPP Board Certified Specialist status, National Register health service psychologist credentialing, or an ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ). Utah is a PSYPACT state: the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact is enacted at Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 61b (effective 5/9/2017) and DOPL maintains a PSYPACT page for the psychology profession. A separate endorsement pathway exists for certified prescribing psychologists (58-61-304(5)), requiring 4,000 hours or two years of active prescribing practice, whichever is greater.

Utah Psychologist Licensing Board (DOPL)

(801) 530-6628

Official board page →