1. (a)

   1. (1) The individual must have a master’s degree in psychology or closely related field from an accredited educational institution that the Arkansas Psychology Board recognizes as maintaining satisfactory standards.

   2. (2) The institution must have been accredited by the region in which it provides academic training at the time the degree was granted, and the program of study must meet all of the following criteria:

      1. (A) The program is a recognizable coherent entity within the institution;
      2. (B) The program is an integrated, organized sequence of study;
      3. (C)

2. (i) There must be an identifiable psychology faculty on-site sufficient in size to ensure the ratio of faculty to students is adequate for instruction.

   1. (ii) The faculty must also have sufficient breadth in order to ensure that the scope of knowledge in psychology provides for adequate instruction.

      1. (iii) Sufficiency shall be subject to the judgment of the board;
      2. (D) The program has an identifiable body of students who are matriculated in that program for a degree;
      3. (E) The program must include a supervised practicum or internship, or field laboratory training appropriate to the practice of psychology; and

      4. (F) The curriculum shall encompass a minimum of two (2) academic years of full-time graduate study, including instruction in:

         1. (i) Scientific and professional ethics and standards;
         2. (ii) Research design and methodology;
         3. (iii) Statistics; and
         4. (iv) Psychometrics.

3. (b) The program of study must meet the following minimum requirements:

   1. (1)

      1. (A)

         1. (i) Forty-five (45) graduate semester hours or seventy-five (75) quarter hours with an average grade of “B” or above in the department of psychology.
         2. (ii) If taught in a department other than psychology, the courses must have been taught by a qualified psychologist as defined in 17 CAR § 95-105(b)(2).

      2. (B)

         1. (i) Individuals who have master’s degrees in psychology or its equivalent making application on or prior to August 30, 2002, will be allowed to meet the previous thirty-six (36) or equivalent quarter hour requirement.
         2. (ii) After this date the standard set forth in subdivision (b)(1)(A) of this section will apply to all psychological examiner applicants;

   2. (2) Graduate-level coursework of three (3) semester hours (five (5) quarter hours) with a grade of “B” or above in seven (7) of the following general areas of psychological study:

      1. (A) Learning (theories or processes);
      2. (B) Statistics (descriptive and inferential);
      3. (C) Individual intelligence testing with practicum;
      4. (D) Individual personality appraisal;
      5. (E) Behavior deviation or abnormal psychology;
      6. (F) Personality theories;
      7. (G) Developmental psychology;
      8. (H) Psychotherapy theories and techniques;
      9. (I) Social psychology;
      10. (J) Industrial/organizational psychology;
      11. (K) Research design;
      12. (L) Behavior theory or techniques of behavior;
      13. (M) Physiological psychology or sensation and perception; and
      14. (N) Ethics and/or professional issues;

   3. (3)

      1. (A) A maximum of two (2) of the courses listed in subdivision (b)(1)(A) of this section may be taken as independent study courses.
      2. (B) No coursework required in subdivision (b)(2) of this section may be taken as independent study.

      3. (C) Examples of independent study include but are not limited to the following:

         1. (i) Courses defined by the institution as independent study;
         2. (ii) Classes in which fewer than two (2) students are enrolled;
         3. (iii) Correspondence courses;
         4. (iv) Classes that have less than one (1) class meeting every other week; and
         5. (v) Classes that do not meet on an identifiable campus.
      4. (D) However, a course offered within a program that is accredited by the American Psychological Association may have features of subdivisions (b)(3)(C)(iv) and (v) of this section and not be considered independent study by the board;
   4. (4) Individual courses must specifically support areas of practice listed on the licensee's statement of intent; and

   5. (5) Fifteen (15) graduate semester hours (twenty-two (22) graduate quarter hours) of the program of study must specifically support the statement of intent to practice psychology.

      1. (c)
   6. (1) A minimum of six hundred (600) clock hours of supervised experience directly related to the intended use of the license as defined by the statement of intent obtained by formal internship.

   7. (2) The internship must meet all of the following criteria:

      1. (A)

         1. (i) The training program must be organized, in contrast to supervised experience or on-the-job training, and designed to provide the intern with a preprogrammed sequence of training experiences.
         2. (ii) The primary focus and purpose must be assuring the breadth and quality of training;

      2. (B) The internship must have at least one (1) designated supervising psychologist who is:

         1. (i) Responsible for the integrity and quality of the training program; and
         2. (ii) Actively licensed by the board;
      3. (C) The agency must have at least one (1) psychologist on the staff or an affiliated psychologist as supervisor, and this psychologist must be actively licensed as a psychologist by the board;

      4. (D) Internship supervision must be provided by:

         1. (i) A staff psychologist of the internship agency; or
         2. (ii) An affiliate psychologist of that agency who carries clinical responsibility for the cases being supervised;
      5. (E) The internship must provide training in a range of assessment and treatment activities conducted directly with persons served who are seeking health services, or assessment and treatment planning in school settings;
      6. (F) At least twenty-five percent (25%) of the intern’s time must be in direct contact with persons served by the organization (minimum one hundred twenty-five (125) hours);
      7. (G) The internship must include a minimum of one (1) hour per week (regardless of whether the internship was completed in one (1) year or two (2)) of regularly scheduled, formal, face-to-face individual supervision with the specific intent of dealing with services rendered directly by the intern;
      8. (H) The internship must be post-practicum and/or post-clerkship;
      9. (I) The intern must have a title indicating his or her training status;
      10. (J) The internship must be completed within twenty-four (24) months;
      11. (K) Public announcements of services and fees and contact with the lay or professional community shall be offered only by or in the name of the supervising psychologist or agency;

      12. (L) Users of the intern’s services shall be:

          1. (i) Informed as to the intern’s status; and
          2. (ii) Given specific information as to his or her qualifications and functions;
      13. (M) Persons served shall be informed that they may meet with the supervising psychologist at their request or at the request of the intern or the supervising psychologist;

      14. (N)

          1. (i) The supervising psychologist is responsible for all documentation, including:
4. (a) (a) Clinical records;

5. (b) (b) Reports; and

   1. (c) (c) Written correspondence.

      1. (ii) Countersignatures may be required, at the discretion of the supervising psychologist; and

      2. (O) The supervising psychologist shall:

         1. (i) Establish and maintain a level of supervisor contact consistent with established professional standards; and
         2. (ii) Be fully accountable in the event that professional, ethical, or legal issues are raised.
         3. (d) Compliance with all requirements set forth in Arkansas Code § 17-97-101 et seq., is mandatory.

6. (e)

   1. (1) References attesting to the applicant's ethical and professional behavior and to his or her competence in relevant skill areas must accompany the application.

   2. (2) These professional references must include the following:

      1. (A) A reference documenting successful program completion from the director of the academic training program at the institution where the academic work and/or training were obtained; and

      2. (B)

         1. (i) Three (3) references from qualified professional psychologists who have direct and comprehensive knowledge of the applicant’s competence.
         2. (ii) A qualified psychologist is defined in 17 CAR § 95-105(b)(2).

7. (f) Change in status. Psychological examiners requesting a change to psychologist licensure must:

   1. (1) Submit the appropriate application and documentation materials;
   2. (2) Pay the application fee; and
   3. (3) Meet all requirements for licensure as a psychologist.

8. (g) Requirements for licensure as a psychological examiner with independent practice privileges (LPE-I).

   1. (1) At any point in their career, a person with an LPE license may apply for independent practice privileges.

   2. (2) An individual:

      1. (A) Must have an LPE license issued by the board; or
      2. (B) Meet all requirements for the LPE license with a master’s degree in psychology.

   3. (3)

      1. (A) An individual licensed as an LPE prior to December 31, 1997, shall:

         1. (i) Write a letter to the board requesting independent practice privileges; and
         2. (ii) Submit a revised statement of intent for independent practice.
      2. (B) Independent practice must exclude neuropsychological assessment, forensic assessment, and projective personality assessment.

   4. (4)

      1. (A) An individual licensed as an LPE after December 31, 1997, must write a letter to the board applying for independent practice privileges.

      2. (B) This application must include:

         1. (i) A revised statement of intent that excludes the independent practice of neuropsychological assessment and projective personality assessment and provide documentation of having received appropriate training and experience in those areas requested for independent practice; and
         2. (ii)
9. (a) (a) A plan of supervision of three thousand (3,000) hours of clinical training, defined as direct and indirect client service, by a board-approved supervisor, with a minimum of twenty-five percent (25%) of the intern’s time in direct service.

10. (b) (b) The plan of supervision must be approved by the board prior to implementation of the plan.

    1. (5) A psychological examiner licensed after December 31, 2024, shall not be granted independent practice status if he or she submits an application to the board for independent practice.

Codification Notes: “LPE” means licensed psychological examiner.