Psychologist Licensure in Connecticut: Degree, Supervised Hours and the EPPP
Connecticut licenses psychologists through the Board of Examiners of Psychologists within the Department of Public Health.
There is one licence, psychologist: it takes a primarily psychological doctorate, one year of supervised work experience that may be completed before or after the degree (the doctoral internship itself never counts), and the EPPP.
A temporary permit lets a new doctoral graduate practise under supervision as a doctoral-level psychology provider while finishing.
There is no master's-level psychology licence, and Connecticut has been an effective PSYPACT member since October 1, 2022.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
Psychologist: the practice definition reaches services rendered under any title or description incorporating the words psychologist, psychological or psychology (CGS 20-187a).
Since February 1, 2024 DPH may also issue a temporary permit to a doctoral-level psychology provider (CGS 20-191d).
A doctoral degree based on a program of studies whose content was primarily psychological, from an institution approved under CGS 20-189; a program APA-accredited during attendance is an approved program (RCSA 20-188-2(a)).
For a program without APA accreditation, the degree must include a formal practicum, internship or field training supervised by program faculty, a minimum of one academic year and appropriate to the practice of psychology (RCSA 20-188-2(c)(11), also applied to foreign programs via RCSA 20-188-2(d)(2)); dissertation work alone does not satisfy it.
An APA-accredited program is approved outright under RCSA 20-188-2(a).
Not required as written: the qualifying year may be at the pre or post-doctoral level, and the rule excludes only the internship completed as a degree requirement (RCSA 20-188-3(a)).
The EPPP, passing score 500 on or after April 2001 (DPH requirements page).
The undated DPH study guide also lists a State Law Examination — 25 multiple-choice items, 18 correct to pass — that the current requirements page does not mention.
No EPPP Part 2 requirement was found.
None found in CGS ch. 383.
Member, in effect: CT S 2, enacted May 24, 2022, effective October 1, 2022, per the PSYPACT Commission map as of September 2026.
None.
CGS 20-194 withholds the right to practise medicine from licensed psychologists.
Renewed annually (CGS 20-191a).
At least ten hours of continuing education per twelve-month registration period — at most five asynchronous, at least five synchronous — plus two hours on veterans' mental health at the first renewal and every six years (CGS 20-191c).
The Connecticut credential ladder
- Doctoral-level psychology provider (temporary permit)Pre-licensure
A temporary permit, not a licence: DPH may issue it to an applicant who holds a doctoral degree in psychology or the equivalent but has not yet completed the supervised postdoctoral work experience or taken the licensure exam; it authorises practice under a licensed psychologist's supervision for up to one year after the doctorate, and it is not renewable (CGS 20-191d).
- PsychologistIndependent
The licence required to practise psychology — or to offer services under any title incorporating the words psychologist, psychological or psychology — on the degree, supervised-experience and examination requirements of CGS 20-188.
One licence, one permit, and a title that has to match
Connecticut issues one psychology licence, psychologist, plus one pre-licensure permit.
The statute reaches both doing the work and holding yourself out: practising psychology means rendering professional services for a fee under any title or description incorporating the words psychologist, psychological or psychology (CGS 20-187a), and unlicensed practice is a class D felony, with each instance of patient contact a separate offence (CGS 20-193).
The temporary permit for a doctoral-level psychology provider — a category the statute says includes a postdoctoral resident or fellow — authorises supervised practice, lasts no more than one year after the doctorate, is not renewable, and becomes void if the holder fails the licensure exam (CGS 20-191d).
The licence application fee is $565, and applications are accepted online only (CGS 20-188; DPH requirements page).
For how master’s-level psychology licences work where they exist, see the master’s-level psychology practitioner.
“Such temporary permit shall (1) authorize the holder to practice as a doctoral-level psychology provider under the supervision of a licensed psychologist, (2) be valid for a period not to exceed one year after the date of attaining such doctoral degree or the equivalent, and (3) not be renewable.”
A primarily psychological doctorate from an approved program
The degree must rest on a program of studies whose content was primarily psychological, from an institution approved under CGS 20-189 — an education program approved by the board with the consent of the Commissioner of Public Health.
A program holding APA accreditation during the applicant's attendance is an approved program (RCSA 20-188-2(a)).
Programs without it, for degrees completed on or after July 1, 1989, get an individual review against rule criteria: three academic years of full-time graduate study with at least one year in residence, no fewer than six graduate semester hours of scientific methods, at least 21 across the four basic-science areas, and the formal practicum, internship or field training.
Coursework gaps can be remediated post-doctorally in an APA-accredited program, and a doctorate in a non-applied or non-clinical area needs an APA-accredited respecialization.
For how the PhD and PsyD routes to this degree differ, see PhD vs. PsyD.
“Has received the doctoral degree based on a program of studies whose content was primarily psychological from an educational institution approved in accordance with section 20-189”
One supervised year, before or after the doctorate
The statute asks for at least one year's experience meeting the requirements established in regulations (CGS 20-188(2)).
The regulation accepts either no less than 35 hours per week for no less than 46 weeks within 12 consecutive months, or no less than 1,800 hours within 24 consecutive months, crediting no more than 40 hours per week (RCSA 20-188-3(a)(1)).
The experience must be complete no later than eight weeks before the licensure exam administration the applicant is seeking admission to (RCSA 20-188-3(a)(2)).
A postdoctoral year is therefore not strictly required: what the rule excludes is the internship completed as part of the doctoral degree, so a predoctoral, non-internship year qualifies for experience initiated on or after April 1, 1988.
An applicant licensed or certified as a psychologist in another US state, territory or commonwealth may instead substitute two years of licensed or certified work experience (CGS 20-188).
For the whole path from degree to licence, see how to become a clinical psychologist.
“The work experience shall consist of at least one year at the pre or post-doctoral level and does not include an internship completed as part of the requirements of completing a doctoral degree.”
The EPPP at 500, and the state law exam question
The EPPP is the required examination, with a passing score of 500 for exams taken on or after April 2001; before then the cut score was 70 percent (DPH requirements page).
Once DPH has reviewed the file it notifies the applicant of EPPP eligibility in writing, and the candidate schedules a test date inside a 60-day window at Prometric.
No requirement for EPPP Part 2 (Skills) was found in the Connecticut statute, regulations or DPH page read; ASPPB is replacing the two-part EPPP with a single integrated exam for first-time takers from fall 2027, the only version from April 1, 2028.
Separately, the undated DPH study guide describes a State Law Examination — 25 multiple-choice items, 18 correct to pass, administered six times a year — but the current requirements page does not mention it, so confirm with DPH before counting on it.
“twenty-five (25) multiple-choice items, of which a minimum score of eighteen (18) correct is deemed passing”
Who can supervise, and which settings count
The supervisor must be a doctoral-level psychologist licensed in the state where the experience is completed and supervised, may not be closely related to the supervisee, and may not supervise more than three people on the work experience at once (RCSA 20-188-3(b)).
The supervising psychologist must hold direct, continuing administrative control of the applicant's activities; the rule is not satisfied by work in the applicant's own independent practice setting or paid through client fees or fee-based variable compensation (RCSA 20-188-3(d)).
Duties must fall within the applicant's doctoral preparation and intended practice area (RCSA 20-188-3(c)).
CGS 20-195(a) exempts from the licence requirement a holder of a primarily psychological doctorate from an approved institution whose activities are necessary to satisfy the 20-188 experience, but the exemption ends two years after completion if the exam is not passed, and it does not cover a predoctoral trainee — that reader's cover is the statute's graduate-student clause for activities part of a supervised course of study.
DPH can pre-approve a work experience plan; an approved applicant may use the description psychology resident (RCSA 20-188-3(f)).
“For each 40 hours of work experience, such supervision or consultation shall consist of at least three hours of which no less than one hour shall be individual, direct, face-to-face supervision or consultation.”
What the licence covers, and the medicine line
Licensed psychological services span assessment, diagnosis, prevention, treatment and amelioration of psychological problems and emotional or mental disorders, plus testing of personality, intelligence, aptitudes and skills (CGS 20-187a).
The chapter grants no right to practise medicine (CGS 20-194).
The exemptions in CGS 20-195 are exhaustive: supervised graduate students, interns and residents, where the activities are part of a supervised course of study; holders of a primarily psychological doctorate from an approved institution, while their activities are necessary to satisfy the 20-188 work experience (exemption ends two years after completion if the exam has not been passed); salaried employees acting within their own organization; State Board of Education-certified school psychologists or school psychological examiners, who may use the title in schools and, with a standard or professional educator certificate, in the private sector; state employees hired into the classified service's psychology series before July 1, 1985; and physicians, optometrists, chiropractors, clergy, attorneys-at-law or social workers doing work of a psychological nature consistent with their own professions.
Hospitals may extend full staff privileges to a licensed psychologist (CGS 20-194a).
For which states let specially trained psychologists prescribe, and on what terms, see prescriptive authority for psychologists.
“The practice of psychology means the rendering of professional services under any title or description of services incorporating the words psychologist, psychological or psychology, to the public or to any public or private organization for a fee or other remuneration.”
PSYPACT: in effect since October 1, 2022
Connecticut enacted the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact through P.A.
22-81 §42, now CGS 20-187b; a technical change, P.A.
23-13, took effect June 7, 2023.
The PSYPACT Commission map, as read in September 2026, lists Connecticut as a member in effect: enacted May 24, 2022, effective October 1, 2022.
A Connecticut psychologist uses PSYPACT to deliver telepsychology into, or work temporarily in person in, another participating state — temporary in-person practice is capped at 30 days per year — with ASPPB's E.Passport or Interjurisdictional Practice Certificate plus the matching PSYPACT authorization.
PSYPACT's authorizations are doctoral-only; Connecticut issues no master's-level psychology licence, so nothing in-state is left out.
For how PSYPACT’s telepsychology and temporary-practice authorizations work, see PSYPACT explained.
“The Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact is hereby enacted into law and entered into by the state of Connecticut with any and all states legally joining therein in accordance with its terms.”
Moving to Connecticut: endorsement and the two-year substitution
Licensure by endorsement (CGS 20-190) is open to an applicant who is a currently practising, competent practitioner licensed by a similar board whose standards DPH finds substantially similar to or higher than Connecticut's, or who holds ASPPB's Certificate of Professional Qualification.
The department may waive the examination for a diploma from a nationally recognized board or agency, with the board of examiners' consent, and may require evidence that the applicant understands Connecticut laws and regulations.
The endorsement fee is $565, and no endorsement issues while professional disciplinary action is pending or an unresolved complaint is open.
Separately, the substitution in CGS 20-188 replaces the one-year experience rule for applicants already licensed or certified as psychologists elsewhere in the United States.
“An applicant may substitute two (2) years of licensed work experience in lieu of this requirement.”
Annual renewal, ten CE hours, and the veterans' training cycle
Every licence renews annually (CGS 20-191a).
For each registration period — the twelve months a renewed licence is current and valid — the licensee must complete at least ten hours of continuing education (CGS 20-191c(a)): no more than five continuing education units by asynchronous online education, distance learning or home study, and at least five through synchronous online education conducted in real time.
The first renewal in which CE is required, and once every six years after, must include two contact hours on mental health conditions common to veterans and family members of veterans, including suicide-prevention training.
A licensee applying for a first renewal is exempt; the commissioner may waive CE for medical disability or for a licensee not in active practice; reinstating a licence void for a year or more takes ten hours from the preceding year; and an ABPP diploma earned in the period may substitute for that period's requirement.
“a minimum of ten hours of continuing education during each registration period”
Rule changes 2023–2026
P.A.
23-195 §18 created the doctoral-level psychology provider temporary permit, effective February 1, 2024 (CGS 20-191d).
P.A.
23-97, effective July 1, 2023, requires every applicant for licensure as a psychologist to submit to a state and national fingerprint-based criminal history records check (CGS 20-187c).
P.A.
23-13 made a technical change to the PSYPACT enactment, effective June 7, 2023.
What This Page Does — and Doesn’t — Cover
This page summarizes the Connecticut statute, rules, board pages and other documents cited above, as read for this state-by-state psychologist licensure series, current as of September 2026.
It does not list application forms, fees beyond those cited above, or processing times, and it is not a substitute for the instructions the Connecticut Board of Examiners of Psychologists / Department of Public Health publishes.
Hour totals, exams and supervision rules change by statute and by board rule; for how the two doctoral routes differ, see PhD vs. PsyD.
Confirm every requirement with the Connecticut Board of Examiners of Psychologists / Department of Public Health before you count hours, register for an exam or apply — and before you take one of the clinical psychologist jobs in Connecticut that asks for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a postdoc to become a psychologist in Connecticut?
Not necessarily.
The rule requires at least one year of qualifying work experience at the pre or post-doctoral level, so a predoctoral year that is not the degree internship qualifies (RCSA 20-188-3(a)).
The hours must fit either format: at least 35 hours per week for at least 46 weeks within 12 consecutive months, or at least 1,800 hours within 24 consecutive months, crediting no more than 40 hours per week.
Finish the experience at least eight weeks before your exam date, and confirm how your hours will be counted with DPH before you rely on them.
Can I count my predoctoral internship toward Connecticut's experience year?
No. The regulation excludes an internship completed as part of the requirements of completing a doctoral degree from the experience year (RCSA 20-188-3(a)).
If your program was not APA-accredited, it had to include a formal practicum, internship or field training of at least one academic year — an education requirement under RCSA 20-188-2(c)(11), also applied to foreign programs via RCSA 20-188-2(d)(2), and separate from the experience year.
The year you count must be supervised work outside that degree requirement.
Ask DPH to confirm how your specific placement will be treated.
Does Connecticut offer a master's-level psychology licence?
No. Connecticut's psychology chapter creates no master's-level psychology licence and no associate tier.
The only credential below the licence is the doctoral-level psychology provider temporary permit, which itself requires a doctoral degree and is not renewable (CGS 20-191d).
PSYPACT, effective for Connecticut since October 1, 2022, is doctoral-only as well.
If you hold a master's degree in psychology, confirm any related roles with DPH.
Can a Connecticut psychologist prescribe medication?
No. CGS 20-194 provides that nothing in the psychology chapter grants licensed psychologists the right to practise medicine, and no prescribing pathway for psychologists appears anywhere in CGS ch. 383.
A psychologist whose patient may need medication coordinates with the patient's physician or other prescriber.
For how prescriptive authority works in the states that do grant it, see the site's guide to prescriptive authority for psychologists.
What does the temporary permit for doctoral-level psychology providers let me do?
It lets you practise as a doctoral-level psychology provider under the supervision of a licensed psychologist before you have completed the supervised postdoctoral work experience or passed the licensure examination (CGS 20-191d).
It covers postdoctoral residents and fellows, is valid for no more than one year after the date you attained your doctorate, is not renewable, and becomes void if you fail the licensure exam.
The permit fee is $100.
More Connecticut & Clinical Psychologist Resources
Sources
- Connecticut General Statutes, ch. 383 — Psychologists (cga.ct.gov, current) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- RCSA §§ 20-188-1 to 20-188-3, Psychologist Educational and Work Experience Requirements (regulations PDF posted by DPH) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- Connecticut DPH, Psychologist Licensure Requirements page (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- Connecticut DPH, Psychology State Law Examination study guide (undated PDF posted by DPH) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- PSYPACT Commission, PSYPACT Map (retrieved 2026-09-24)
Sourced from the statute, rules, board pages and other documents cited above.
Verified September 2026.
This is career information, not legal or clinical advice — confirm current rules with the Connecticut Board of Examiners of Psychologists / Department of Public Health.