Psychologist Licensing Information

Apply for a License

Effective July 1, 2024 there are emergency rules affecting licensing requirements. If you are applying after July 1, 2024, please review the emergency rules (PDF) to see how you may be affected.

Please note, our online application does not reflect the emergency rule changes. Though you may still apply online, you will need to complete an updated paper application for the portions that have changed. Our credentialing staff will reach out to you after completing intake of your online application and indicate which parts of the updated paper application you need to complete for the new changes.

Apply online - Psychologist

The Washington State Department of Health requires that only the applicant or licensee may complete an attestation for an application, or for continuing education. This is a legal attestation. Completion of the attestation by anyone other than the applicant may constitute a reportable felony offense. The Department of Health can take action against people for perjury or for making a false statement they know to be false.

For further information please see:

Washington State law authorizes the Department of Health to obtain fingerprint-based background checks for licensing purposes. This check may be through the Washington State Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This would be at your own expense.

You must pay the application fee at the time you apply. You may use a credit or debit card with a VISA or MasterCard logo, or pay by ACH/E-Check. Please make sure your address on the payment information screen matches the address your financial institution has on file for you. This fee is non-refundable. There is a convenience fee to apply online.

If we need additional documentation, we will notify you by email. The additional information may include completion of the following documents.

If you have questions, contact our Customer Service staff members at 360-236-4700.

Getting started

Online Application Instructions

Online application instructions are on our website.

Online applications are accessed through SecureAccess Washington (SAW) security portal. You'll need to add the Department of Health Online Application Portal - Healthcare Enforcement and Licensing Management System (HELMS) Portal service to access the online applications. The first time you add the service, you'll be prompted to answer several questions to verify your identity. The questions will match the name and address you provide with the existing public record information. Because the questions come from public record, you need to provide a complete address and your full legal name as it appears on your driver's license or birth certificate. You may find you have to enter a former address, especially if your address has changed recently (within the past one or two years) to get the right questions that pertain to your identity. If you don't have sufficient information in the public record to verify your identity and aren't currently credentialed by the Department of Health, then you'll need to submit a paper application, as you won't be able to access the Online Application Portal.

Once you have completed the process, and submitted your application, you will receive an email with your pending credential number, or you may look on Provider Credential Search. Refer to this credential number any time you contact Department of Health or submit paperwork.

Apply online - Psychologist Temporary Permit

The Washington State Department of Health requires that only the applicant or licensee may complete an attestation for an application, or for continuing education. This is a legal attestation. Completion of the attestation by anyone other than the applicant may constitute a reportable felony offense. The Department of Health can take action against people for perjury or for making a false statement they know to be false.

For further information please see:

If we need additional documentation, we'll notify you by email.

If you have questions, contact our Customer Service staff members at 360-236-4700.

Getting started

Online Application Instructions

Online application instructions are on our website.

Online applications are accessed through SecureAccess Washington (SAW) security portal. You'll need to add the Department of Health Online Application Portal - Healthcare Enforcement and Licensing Management System (HELMS) Portal service to access the online applications. The first time you add the service, you'll be prompted to answer several questions to verify your identity. The questions will match the name and address you provide with the existing public record information. Because the questions come from public record, you need to provide a complete address and your full legal name as it appears on your driver's license or birth certificate. You may find you have to enter a former address, especially if your address has changed recently (within the past one or two years) to get the right questions that pertain to your identity. If you don't have sufficient information in the public record to verify your identity and aren't currently credentialed by the Department of Health, then you'll need to submit a paper application, as you won't be able to access the Online Application Portal.

Once you have completed the process, and submitted your application, you will receive an email with your pending credential number, or you may look on Provider Credential Search. Refer to this credential number any time you contact Department of Health or submit paperwork.

Please note, if you are not seeing the Temporary Practice Permit application from the dropdown list, that means the online application is not available to you. We are not able to bypass this so you will need to  complete a Temporary Practice Permit paper application.

Apply on paper - applications and other forms

The following PDF forms are required for completing the application process. Please download and print forms.

If you have a disability that requires special accommodation to take the exams, download and complete these forms and return with your application.

Fee Schedule

See fee information below

WAC 246-924-990 Fees

Non-Refundable Fee Type Fee Amount
Application $206.00*
Active renewal $226.00*
Active renewal late penalty $105.00
Renewal retired active $121.00*
Retired active renewal late penalty $55.00
Expired license reissuance $155.00
Duplicate license $10.00
Verification of license $25.00
Amendment of certificate of qualification $35.00

* Includes the fee to access the University of Washington (UW) HEAL-WA website.

Licensing Requirements

See licensing requirements below

Credentialing requirements

Warning: This section is impacted by emergency rules filed July 1, 2024. Please see new rules.

Applicants must hold a doctoral degree from a regionally accredited institution, obtained from an integrated program of graduate study in psychology. If the doctoral degree was not accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), or the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS), it must include:

  • At least 51 semester hours, or 85 quarter hours, of graduate courses in curriculum areas described in WAC 246-924-046 in the emergency rules. Courses must be clearly identified by title and course content as being part of an integrated psychology program. (Please see emergency rules that impacts this requirement (PDF)).
  • One year in residency as detailed in WAC 246-924-046(1)(b) in the emergency rules. (Please see emergency rules that impact this requirement (PDF)).
  • Submission of an original dissertation that is psychological in nature and endorsed by the program;
  • An organized, sequential and coordinated practicum and internship experience as described in WAC 246-924-049 and WAC 246-924-056.Official transcript with degree and date posted must be received directly from applicant's program. Transcripts not in English must have an official translation.
  • All supervisors for supervised experience hours must complete the Professional Reference Request form and submit directly to the department.
  • Program staff members verify that the internship has been accredited by either regional accreditation or the American Psychological Association (APA).
  • Experience: applicants are required to verify a total of 3,300 hours of supervision. An applicant may not sign off as supervising their own postdoctoral hours.

Practicum

Applicants must complete at least 300 practicum hours, of which 100 hours must be in supervision that meets the requirements in WAC 246-924-049.

Pre-internship

The pre-internship occurs between the practicum required by WAC 246-924-049 and internship required by WAC 246-924-056. A pre-internship is not required but up to 1,500 hours of supervised experience may be claimed under this category if they meet all requirements in WAC 246-924-053.

The 1,500 hours that can be completed in pre-internship and/or postdoc are reduced from 1,500 to 1,020 for applicants who can demonstrate proof of being credentialed as a substance use disorder professional for three years in the previous 10 years.

Internship

Applicants must complete an internship as part of the doctoral degree program. The internship must include at least 1,500 hours of supervised experience and be completed within 24 months. The internship program must be accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA); or be a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). If the program is not accredited by the APA or APPIC member, it must meet the requirements listed in WAC 246-924-056.

Post-doctoral supervise experience

If 3,300 hours of supervised experience have not been completed at the end of the doctoral degree program, then up to 1,500 hours of supervised post-doctoral experience that meets all requirements in WAC 246-924-059 may be used to satisfy the 3,300 hours requirement. Post-doctoral supervised experience must be completed only if an applicant does not already have 3,300 hours of supervised experience.

The 1,500 hours that can be completed in pre-internship and/or postdoc are reduced from 1,500 to 1,020 for applicants who can demonstrate proof of being credentialed as a substance use disorder professional for three years in the previous 10 years.

Verification of out-of-state credentials

Applicants must list all states where they do or did hold credentials. This list must also include when the applicant has applied for a credential, even if a credential was not granted. The credentialing team will attempt to verify the credentials online. If your jurisdiction does not offer online verification you must complete and submit the verification form (PDF). The jurisdiction must send the completed form directly to the department.

Personal data questions

Each applicant must answer the personal data questions. If there is a positive answer to the professional liability claims history question, the applicant must send an explanation of the nature of the case, data and summary of care given, copies of the original complaint, and the settlement or final disposition. If the case is pending, applicant must indicate status.

National exams

If a candidate has already passed the Examination of Professional Practice of Psychology (EPPP) in another state or jurisdiction, they must contact ASPPB to have their certified examination score sent directly to the department.

Candidates who have not yet completed the EPPP will receive authorization after the credentialing team has verified all licensing requirements have been met. Authorization will be received from the credentialing team via email and Certemy, the testing company, will send a separate email with instructions about how to schedule the examination.

Please note, if you need to request an accommodation, please refer to the instructions provided in the EPPP authorization email sent from the credentialing team. 

Failure of Exam

Applicants who fail to pass the exam may retake it one time without the board's permission.

Applicants who fail an exam two or more times must wait a minimum of one month before they can retake the exam.

Applicants who fail the exam three or more times must get special permission from the board to retake the exam. To request approval to retake the exam the applicant must:

  • Send a written request via email requesting to take the exam again and provide an action plan explaining how the applicant plans to prepare for the future retake. 

Once the request is received it will be forwarded to the board for review and approval. 

Washington state jurisprudence examination

All applicants are required to take the Washington State Jurisprudence (JP) Examination. The exam is an open-book, multiple choice exam only available online. More information is on the psychology exam webpage.

Process for applying by endorsement

You may qualify to apply by endorsement. To determine if this is an option for you, please review the Substantially Equivalent States/Countries webpage to see if your jurisdiction qualifies for endorsement. 

Licensure Reciprocity Program/Probationary Licensure

The reciprocity program, for behavioral health professions, established by Washington state as of July 1, 2020, (Senate Bill 5054) uses substantial equivalency to other states' psychologist licenses based on their scope of practice. If the state where you currently have a license, or have held a license in the past 12 months, is considered by the department to be substantially equivalent on a scope basis, you may apply for a temporary probationary license to work as a Washington state psychologist through this reciprocity program. The applicant must not have a disciplinary history or disqualifying criminal history to apply for a probationary license. The department maintains a list of approved states, where applicants from are eligible to apply for a probationary license under the reciprocity program. For psychologists, the list can be found below:

The probationary license is a temporary license that can be issued to an individual who is licensed in another state and applies for Washington's reciprocity program. The probationary license is issued for one year and can be renewed one time for another year. The purpose of the probationary license is to see if there are differences in education, experience, or examination between the other state's license requirements and Washington's requirements, and allows applicants to practice while working to make up those differences. Applicants will need to meet the full licensure requirements for a psychologist in Washington.

Please note that the reciprocity program is a new option which does not eliminate other options for out of state applicants, including those options where an applicant can easily qualify for full licensure based on substantial equivalency of licensure standards (if the state is substantially equivalent on that basis, known as licensure by endorsement.

Process for approving/denying applications

The board reviews applications for approval after a credentialing specialist verifies that the application is fully complete, and complies with requirements in chapter 18.83 RCW and chapter 246-924 WAC. We complete background checks and make sure applicants have submitted required fees. We will formally notify applicants of a denial. Those applicants may request a hearing to appeal the decision.

Renewal and continuing education requirements

Psychologists must renew their license every year on or before their birthday. They're required to submit the appropriate fee and renewal card. Psychologists are required to complete 60 hours of continuing education (CE) every three years:

  • four hours must be in ethics,
  • two hours must be in health equity that meets the requirements in WAC 246-12-830, and
  • six hours must be in suicide intervention that meets the requirements in WAC 246-924-255 every six years.

Jurisprudence Examination

See jurisprudence exam information below

Access to the Jurisprudence (JP) exam is sent through email to applicants and is available online only. The Department of Health sends authorization in the initial phase of reviewing your application. Please note, the department will still need to verify all licensing requirements have been met.

The JP exam has 25 multiple choice questions. The exam is open book and has no time limit. 

Once you have selected your answer and moved to the next question you will not have the ability to go back to check or change your answer(s); your answers are final.

Applicants must get a score of 90 percent in order to pass. The results are not immediate so applicant should expect a waiting period for results to be graded and added to their application file.

Jurisprudence examination topics

You should know and understand each of the following statutes and rules, and how they relate to the practice of psychology in Washington State.

Next steps

Credentialing staff will need to:

  • Verify all licensing requirements have been met.
  • Verify completion and passing of EPPP and JP exam.
  • Verify FBI background documentation has been received from the applicant.
  • Complete all other background checks, and
  • Forward completed application for final review and approval before license can be issued.

Please note, the Department of Health does not have an email notification system to inform you when your license has been issued. To verify license status, you may verify your status using Provider Credential Search. If it says “active” that means your license has been issued and you should be receiving the hard copy credential through the mail in about 7-10 business days. However, you can begin to practice as soon as the online system says your license is active. 

Americans with Disabilities Act

The Examining Board of Psychology complies with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

If you have a disability that requires an accommodation to take the exams, please indicate this information on your application.

You may access the forms needed to request an accommodation request by using the links below:

Continuing Education (CE)

See CE information below

Psychology credentials must be renewed yearly. Every three years when a psychologist renews his or her license, they must be able to verify they have completed 60 hours of continuing education (CE):

  • four hours must be in ethics,
  • two hours must be in health equity that meets the requirements in WAC 246-12-830, and
  • six hours must be in suicide intervention that meets the requirements in WAC 246-924-255 every six years.

All CE activities are linked to maintaining or increasing professional or scientific competence in psychology. Courses or workshops primarily designed to increase practice income or office efficiency, while valuable to the licensee, are specifically non-eligible for CE credit.

Program sponsors or institutes should not apply for, nor expect to receive, prior or current board approval for CE status or category. Recognized activities include:

  1. Courses, seminars, workshops and post-doctoral institutes offered by educational institutions chartered by a state and recognized (accredited) by a regional association of schools, colleges and universities as providing graduate level course offerings. Such educational activities must be recorded on an official transcript or certificate of completion.
  2. Courses (including correspondence courses), seminars, workshops and post-doctoral institutes sponsored by the American Psychological Association, regional or state psychological associations or their subchapters, psychology internship training centers, other professionally or scientifically recognized behavioral science organizations, and the board.
  3. Credit toward the CE requirement may be earned through teaching an approved CE program. Credit earned through teaching shall not exceed 30 hours every three years. Credit for teaching an approved CE program may be earned on the following basis:
    1. One credit hour for each 60 minutes actually spent teaching the program for the first event. Credit may be conferred for teaching similar subject matter only if the psychologist has actually spent an equal or greater amount of preparation time updating the subject matter to be taught later.
    2. One credit hour for each 60 minutes actually spent participating in a panel presentation.
  4. The board reserves the right to require any licensee to submit evidence, e.g., course or program certificate of training, transcript, course or workshop brochure description, evidence of attendance, etc., in addition to the affidavit form in order to demonstrate compliance with the 60 hours CE requirement.

In the event a licensee fails to meet requirements, because of illness, or other extenuating circumstances, each case will be considered by the board on an individual basis.

When circumstances justify it, the board may grant a time extension. The board may, in its discretion, limit in part or in whole the provision of psychological services to the consumers until the CE requirements are met.

In the case of illness, the board may grant indefinite waiver of CE as a requirement for re-licensure, provided the waiver request form that is received indicates the psychologist is not providing psychological services to consumers.

If such illness status is changed or consumer psychological services are resumed, it is incumbent upon the licensee to immediately notify the board and to resume meeting CE requirements for re-licensure. CE credit hours will be prorated for the portion of that three-year period involving resumption of such services.

More information about continuing education is on the Frequently Asked Questions webpage.

More Licensing Information