| (a) Licensure Requirements. An applicant for licensure
as a psychological associate must:
(1) hold a graduate degree in psychology from a regionally
accredited institution of higher education;
(2) provide documentation of at least six (6) semester
credit hours of practicum, internship or other structured experience
within the applicant's graduate degree program under the supervision
of a licensed psychologist;
(3) pass all examinations required by the board and
meet each of the criteria listed in §501.255(a)(2)-(9) of the
Occupations Code; and
(4) demonstrate graduate level coursework in each of
the following areas:
(A) Psychological Foundations:
(i) the biological bases of behavior;
(ii) the acquired or learned bases of behavior, including
learning, thinking, memory, motivation and emotion;
(iii) the social, cultural, and systemic bases of behavior;
(iv) the individual or unique bases of behavior, including
personality theory, human development, and abnormal behavior;
(B) Research and Statistics:
(i) the methodology used to investigate questions and
acquire knowledge in the practice of psychology;
(ii) coursework in research design and methodology,
statistics, critical thinking, and scientific inquiry;
(C) Applied Psychology:
(i) the history, theory, and application of psychological
principles;
(ii) the application of psychological theories to individuals,
families, and groups;
(D) Assessment:
(i) intellectual, personality, cognitive, physical,
and emotional abilities, skills, interests, and aptitudes;
(ii) socio-economic, including behavioral, adaptive,
and cultural assessment;
(E) Interventions:
(i) the application of therapeutic techniques;
(ii) behavior management;
(iii) consultation; and
(F) Scientific and Professional, Legal, and Ethical
Issues.
(b) Degree Requirements.
(1) For purposes of this rule:
(A) a graduate degree in psychology means the name
of the candidate's major or program of studies contains the term "psychology;"
(B) a specialist degree shall be treated as a graduate
degree; and
(C) one semester credit hour equals one and one-half
quarter credit hours.
(2) A degree utilized to meet the requirements of this
rule must consist of at least sixty (60) semester credit hours, with
no more than twelve (12) semester credit hours of practicum, internship,
or structured experience being counted toward the total degree hour
requirement.
(3) Applicants must demonstrate proof of the graduate
level coursework required in subsection (a)(4) of this section by
identifying which courses or training listed on their transcripts
satisfy the required areas of study. Applicants may be required to
provide the board with an official course catalogue or description
from their university or training program to verify whether a course
meets the requirements of this rule.
(c) Supervision Requirements.
(1) A licensed psychological associate must practice
under the supervision of a licensed psychologist and may not practice
independently.
(2) Notwithstanding subsection (c)(1) and subject to
the limitations set out in subsection (c)(3) below, a licensed psychological
associate may practice independently if:
(A) the licensee can demonstrate at least 3,000 hours
of post-graduate degree experience in the delivery of psychological
services under the supervision of one or more licensed psychologists;
(B) the supervised experience was obtained in not less
than 24 consecutive months, but not more than 48 consecutive months,
and in not more than three placements; and
(C) the licensee submits an application for independent
practice evidencing proof of the required supervised experience.
(3) A licensed psychological associate meeting the
requirements of subsection (c)(2) shall be approved for independent
practice, but remains subject to all board rules, including Board
rule §465.9 relating to competency.
(4) Applicants may not utilize any supervised experience
obtained from a psychologist with a restricted license or to whom
they are related within the second degree of affinity or consanguinity
to satisfy the requirements of this rule.
(5) Applicants licensed as specialists in school psychology
may utilize experience acquired under that license if the experience
was supervised by a licensed psychologist.
(d) Notwithstanding subsection (c)(3), an application
for independent practice may be denied if a gap of more than two years
exists between the completion of the supervised experience required
for independent practice and the date of application for independent
practice. The rules governing the waiver of gaps related to supervised
experience found in Board rule §463.11 shall govern any request
for a waiver under this rule.
(e) The correct title for a person licensed under this
rule shall be "licensed psychological associate" or "psychological
associate."
(f) A licensed psychological associate authorized to
practice independently under this rule must inform all patients and
clients as part of the informed consent process, whether the licensee
holds a master's, specialist or doctoral degree, and provide the patient
with a current copy of any informational pamphlet or brochure published
by the Board describing the differences between the levels of training
and education received in master's, specialist, and doctoral degree
programs. In lieu of providing each patient or client with a copy
of the required pamphlet or brochure, licensees may publish in a conspicuous
manner, the pamphlet or brochure on their website or provide a link
to the pamphlet or brochure on the Board's website.
(g) Continuation of Prior Law.
(1) Notwithstanding subsection (b)(1)(A), a person
who begins a graduate program leading to a degree required by subsection
(a)(1) before August 31, 2019, will be considered to have met the
requirements of that subsection if the individual's degree is primarily
psychological in nature. This subsection expires on August 31, 2021.
(2) Notwithstanding subsection (b)(2), a person who
begins a graduate program leading to a degree required by subsection
(a)(1) before August 31, 2019, will be considered to have met the
requirements of that subsection if the individual has completed 42
semester credit hours with at least 27 of those hours in psychology.
Applicants with degrees consisting of less than 42 semester credit
hours may utilize a maximum of 12 semester credit hours from another
graduate degree program in psychology to achieve the total of 42 semester
credit hours. This subsection expires on August 31, 2021.
(h) Notwithstanding subsections (c)(1)-(3), a licensed
psychological associate with an active license as of September 1,
2017 who maintained an active license throughout the three years preceding
that date, is considered to have met the requirements of subsection
(c)(2) and may practice independently in accordance with subsection
(c)(3).
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