Texas Register

TITLE 22 EXAMINING BOARDS
PART 21TEXAS STATE BOARD OF EXAMINERS OF PSYCHOLOGISTS
CHAPTER 463APPLICATIONS AND EXAMINATIONS
RULE §463.11Licensed Psychologist
ISSUE 09/29/2017
ACTION Proposed
Preamble Texas Admin Code Rule

    (A)The successful completion of an internship program accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) or Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), or which is a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC); or

    (B)The successful completion of an organized internship meeting all of the following criteria:

      (i)It must constitute an organized training program which is designed to provide the intern with a planned, programmed sequence of training experiences. The primary focus and purpose of the program must be to assure breadth and quality of training.

      (ii)The internship agency must have a clearly designated staff psychologist who is responsible for the integrity and quality of the training program and who is actively licensed/certified by the licensing board of the jurisdiction in which the internship takes place and who is present at the training facility for a minimum of 20 hours a week.

      (iii)The internship agency must have two or more full-time licensed psychologists on the staff as primary supervisors.

      (iv)Internship supervision must be provided by a staff member of the internship agency or by an affiliate of that agency who carries clinical responsibility for the cases being supervised.

      (v)The internship must provide training in a range of assessment and intervention activities conducted directly with patients/clients.

      (vi)At least 25% of trainee's time must be in direct patient/client contact.

      (vii)The internship must include a minimum of two hours per week of regularly scheduled formal, face-to-face individual supervision. There must also be at least four additional hours per week in learning activities such as: case conferences involving a case in which the intern was actively involved; seminars dealing with psychology issues; co-therapy with a staff person including discussion; group supervision; additional individual supervision.

      (viii)Training must be post-clerkship, post-practicum and post-externship level.

      (ix)The internship agency must have a minimum of two full-time equivalent interns at the internship level of training during applicant's training period.

      (x)The internship agency must inform prospective interns about the goals and content of the internship, as well as the expectations for quantity and quality of trainee's work, including expected competencies; or

    (C)The successful completion of an organized internship program in a school district meeting the following criteria:

      (i)The internship experience must be provided at or near the end of the formal training period.

      (ii)The internship experience must require a minimum of 35 hours per week over a period of one academic year, or a minimum of 20 hours per week over a period of two consecutive academic years.

      (iii)The internship experience must be consistent with a written plan and must meet the specific training objectives of the program.

      (iv)The internship experience must occur in a setting appropriate to the specific training objectives of the program.

      (v)At least 600 clock hours of the internship experience must occur in a school setting and must provide a balanced exposure to regular and special educational programs.

      (vi)The internship experience must occur under conditions of appropriate supervision. Field-based internship supervisors, for the purpose of the internship that takes place in a school setting, must be licensed as a psychologist and, if a separate credential is required to practice school psychology, must have a valid credential to provide psychology in the public schools. The portion of the internship which appropriately may take place in a non-school setting must be supervised by a psychologist.

      (vii)Field-based internship supervisors must be responsible for no more than two interns at any given time. University internship supervisors shall be responsible for no more than twelve interns at any given time.

      (viii)Field-based internship supervisors must provide at least two hours per week of direct supervision for each intern. University internship supervisors must maintain an ongoing relationship with field-based internship supervisors and shall provide at least one field-based contact per semester with each intern.

      (ix)The internship site shall inform interns concerning the period of the internship and the training objectives of the program.

      (x)The internship experience must be systematically evaluated in a manner consistent with the specific training objectives of the program.

      (xi)The internship experience must be conducted in a manner consistent with the current legal-ethical standards of the profession.

      (xii)The internship agency must have a minimum of two full-time equivalent interns at the internship level during the applicant's training period.

      (xiii)The internship agency must have the availability of at least two full-time equivalent psychologists as primary supervisors, at least one of whom is employed full time at the agency and is a school psychologist.

  (3)Industrial/Organizational Requirements. Individuals enrolled in an Industrial/Organizational doctoral degree program are exempt from the formal internship requirement but must complete 3,500 hours of supervised experience meeting the requirements of paragraph (1) of this subsection, at least 1,750 of which must have been received as a provisional trainee or provisionally licensed psychologist. Individuals who do not undergo a formal internship pursuant to this paragraph should note that Board rules prohibit a psychologist from practicing in an area in which they do not have sufficient training and experience, of which a formal internship is considered to be an integral requirement.

  (4)Licensure Following Retraining.

    (A)In order to qualify for licensure after undergoing retraining, an applicant must demonstrate the following:

      (i)conferral of a doctoral degree in psychology from a regionally accredited institution of higher education prior to undergoing retraining;

      (ii)completion of a formal, accredited post-doctoral retraining program in psychology which included at least 1,750 hours in a formal internship;

      (iii)retraining within the two year period preceding the date of application for licensure under this rule, or continuous employment in the delivery of psychological services in an exempt setting as described in §501.004 of the Psychologists' Licensing Act since receiving their doctoral degree; and

      (iv)upon completion of the retraining program, at least 1,750 hours of supervised experience after obtaining either provisional trainee status or provisional licensure.

    (B)An applicant meeting the requirements of this subsection is considered to have met the requirements for supervised experience under this rule.

(e)Effective Date of Change Regarding Supervised Experience. Subsection (d), along with all of its subparts, shall take effect, supersede, and take the place of subsection (c) on September 1, 2017.

The agency certifies that legal counsel has reviewed the proposal and found it to be within the state agency's legal authority to adopt.

Filed with the Office of the Secretary of State on September 15, 2017

TRD-201703649

Darrel D. Spinks

Executive Director

Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists

Earliest possible date of adoption: October 29, 2017

For further information, please call: (512) 305-7706



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