Psychologist Licensure in Tennessee: Degree, Supervised Hours and the EPPP

Section 63-11-201(a) defines five levels: psychological examiner, senior psychological examiner, psychologist, certified psychological assistant and certified psychological testing technician; examiners and psychologists hold licences, assistants and technicians certificates.

A temporary licence has two versions.

Unlicensed applicant (coursework done, exams not; HSP seekers also need internship and postdoc year done): valid up to one year, lost on failing the written exam, not sitting within 120 days, a second ethics-and-jurisprudence failure, or twelve months.

Licensed elsewhere: continuous good-standing practice, no current investigation (if discloseable) or litigation over criminal, professional or ethical matters, Tennessee's education requirements met, the EPPP already passed at the required score, HSP seekers showing internship and postdoc year or National Register listing, and supervision by a Tennessee psychologist (HSP if sought); runs until the board decides, invalidated only by a second ethics-and-jurisprudence failure or twelve months.

A provisional licence serves the HSP-track applicant with degree and internship but no postdoc year.

The practical gate: providing or offering health services to the public requires board HSP designation, extended by rule to senior psychological examiners serving the public.

The statute requires a doctorate in psychology from an accredited institution the board recognises, and draws an accreditation line at the end of 1995: programs after that date must be APA-approved, listed by the American Association of State Psychology Boards, or meet equivalent standards the board sets.

The rule operationalises the alternatives: a degree from a program on the ASPPB/CNRHSPP "Designated Doctoral Programs in Psychology" list, or from a program designated by the APA's Committee on Accreditation.

For HSP designation, only designated programs in clinical, counseling or school psychology, or professional programs combining those three areas, qualify.

Applicants who received their degree before January 1, 1982 and have been licensed and practising continuously in another jurisdiction may petition the board for an equivalency waiver.

For HSP designation the supervised experience comes in two blocks.

The internship runs at least one calendar year and no less than 1,900 hours at a site where health services are normally provided, inside an organised, integrated training program; it follows every degree requirement except the dissertation, full-time for one year or half-time for two, under at least two licensed HSP psychologists.

It is met through an APA CoA-approved program, an APPIC-member center, or a board-approved equivalent; the statute requires APA or APPIC standing for internships after December 30, 1995.

The postdoctoral year is a separate minimum of 1,900 hours under the direct supervision of an HSP psychologist, with at least one hour per week of individual, face-to-face supervision for direct services.

Classwork, practicum and course-related experience are excluded, personal therapy does not count, and nothing in the rules read lets internship or practicum hours stand in for the postdoc.

Hours done in Tennessee outside an APPIC-listed or APA-accredited fellowship must be under a provisional licence; an out-of-state year needs equivalent supervision documented to the board.

Two exams stand between an applicant and the licence.

The EPPP is passed at a scaled score of 500 or higher on the computer-delivered version; a failed attempt can be retaken no sooner than 60 days later, no more than four times in twelve months.

The ethics and jurisprudence examination is required of all applicants: open-book, two hours or less, taken at the board's administrative office, covering the practice act, related statutory titles, board rules chapters 1180-01 through 1180-04 and the APA's Ethical Standards, with 90% required to pass.

The procedures rule adds that under no circumstances shall that exam be waived.

No EPPP Part 2 requirement was found in the rules read in September 2026; ASPPB's single integrated EPPP becomes the required version for first-time takers in fall 2027 and the only version on April 1, 2028.

Supervision is standardised across tiers.

The supervising psychologist of examiners, certified psychological assistants and psychologists delivering health services must themselves hold the HSP designation; every supervisor of record is listed with the board at renewal; no more than 75% of supervision may come through video conferencing; and a supervisor may not stand in a dual relationship with the supervisee.

The hour standards differ by who is supervised: one hour per week for newly licensed provisional HSP psychologists and for newly supervised psychological examiners; no less than monthly for examiners with at least five supervised years; direct and frequent supervision at the site of service for certified psychological assistants; and for technicians, ongoing indirect supervision with direct supervision available during clinical activities.

Health services may be provided only by psychologists with HSP designation.

Section 63-11-201(d) then adds a specific permission for charitable clinics — nothing in the section prohibits a charitable clinic from employing or contracting with a psychologist.

The permission carries a proviso: the relationship must be evidenced by a written contract, job description, or documentation whose language does not restrict the psychologist from exercising independent professional judgment in diagnosing and treating patients.

The statute enumerates what makes a charitable clinic qualify: 501(c)(3) status or a distinct part of such an entity; clinical facilities located in this state; a primary mission of health care or dental care to low-income, uninsured, or underserved individuals; free or discounted medical care, dental care, mental health care, or prescription medications; volunteer healthcare professionals and nonclinical volunteers; and no licensing requirement under § 68-11-202(a)(1).

Tennessee psychologists have no prescriptive authority.

Tennessee is a PSYPACT member in effect: TN S 161 was enacted and took effect May 11, 2021, per the PSYPACT Commission map as read in September 2026.

PSYPACT is doctoral-only, so the examiner, assistant and technician credentials cannot use it.

But the state's own telepsychology rule, 1180-02-.27, requires a current, valid Tennessee-issued psychology licence to practise telepsychology in the state, and bars licensees from providing telepsychology to patients domiciled or physically located in any other jurisdiction — neither clause carries a PSYPACT carve-out in the rule text.

Read one way, the compact authorises a Tennessee psychologist to serve patients in other member states and an out-of-state compact psychologist to serve Tennessee patients; read together with the rule, both directions rest on text the board has not reconciled in the sources read — confirm with the board before relying on compact telepsychology in either direction.

Serving a person located in Tennessee subjects a Tennessee licensee to the board's jurisdiction.

Two doors exist for psychologists already licensed elsewhere.

Reciprocity (rule 1180-02-.03(12)) requires a valid license in good standing in another jurisdiction, a written-exam score meeting Tennessee's standard, licence verifications, a background check, and proof of a qualifying doctoral program, internship and supervised postdoctoral experience if HSP designation is sought.

Applicants continuously licensed in good standing for five or more years may submit ABPP certification, National Register listing or a CPQ from ASPPB instead of the documentation and exam-score proof — but the same rule adds that no reciprocity applicant for HSP designation is approved without the qualifying internship and the postdoctoral supervised experience.

Endorsement (rule 1180-02-.03(13)), built on § 63-11-208(f)(1), serves applicants licensed elsewhere at least ten of the last fifteen years whose prior licence required equivalent training, was never disciplined, and allowed health-service practice.

There, too, the five-year applicant may submit ABPP, National Register or CPQ credentials in place of the attestation form.

The ethics and jurisprudence examination is never waived on either path.

Licences and certificates renew on a biennial cycle — the fee schedule prices licence renewal as biennial — through the Department of Health's online portal or on paper.

Psychologists, senior psychological examiners and psychological examiners complete 40 hours of continuing education every two years, acquired in the two calendar years before the renewal year: at least 20 hours must involve real-time interaction, at least 9 must come from an APA-approved sponsor, 3 must address cultural diversity, and 3 must cover Tennessee law, rules and ethics.

A licensee whose initial term was under two years owes 30 hours on the same minimums.

Certified psychological assistants owe 15 hours per two years; technicians pursue CE as their supervisor directs.

The board may waive CE for illness, disability or undue hardship, and a licence expired more than five years is reinstated only with the ethics and jurisprudence exam plus six months of supervision.

Three statutory changes and one rules revision mark the period.

2023 chapter 442 created the certified psychological testing technician.

2023 chapter 173 added § 63-11-208(f), the HSP endorsement route for psychologists licensed elsewhere for ten of the last fifteen years.

2024 chapter 688 renamed the responsible agency.

On the rules side, emergency rules filed in October 2025 lapsed on April 2, 2026, the rules reverted, and amendments filed April 28, 2026 took effect July 27, 2026 — the July 2026 revision is what the saved chapter PDFs carry.

Ahead: ASPPB's integrated EPPP becomes the required exam for first-time takers in fall 2027.

Psychological examiner: two academic years of graduate training including a master's degree; independent in testing and research, but personality appraisal, diagnosis and psychotherapy only under qualified supervision of a psychologist or senior psychological examiner — and closed, since no new licences issue for applications received after December 31, 2004 (existing licensees keep practising and renewing).

Senior psychological examiner: upgrade-only — Rule 1180-03-.02 starts from an existing Psychological Examiner licence that is rendering health-related clinical activities or services, either licensed before July 1, 1991 (qualify by written request) or after June 30, 1991 plus five years of applied experience and 200 hours of post-licensure continuing education; treated as a health service provider practising without supervision, including diagnosis of nervous and mental disorders and psychotherapy.

Certified psychological assistant: a master's-level certificate with assessment training, under a registered supervisor of record.

Certified psychological testing technician: a bachelor's- or graduate-level certificate added in 2023 — 72 hours of test-administration training — to administer and score tests, never to select them, interpret results, write reports or give feedback.