Code of Virginia — Title 54.1 (Professions and Occupations), Chapter 36 (PSYCHOLOGY)
§ 54.1-3601. Exemption from requirements of licensure.
The requirements for licensure provided for in this chapter shall not be applicable to:

1. Persons who render services that are like or similar to those falling within the scope of the classifications or categories in this chapter, so long as the recipients or beneficiaries of such services are not subject to any charge or fee, or any financial requirement, actual or implied, and the person rendering such service is not held out, by himself or otherwise, as a licensed practitioner or a provider of clinical or school psychology services.

2. The activities or services of a student pursuing a course of study in psychology in an institution accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the Board or under the supervision of a practitioner licensed or certified under this chapter, if such activities or services constitute a part of his course of study and are adequately supervised.

3. The activities of rabbis, priests, ministers or clergymen of any religious denomination or sect when such activities are within the scope of the performance of their regular or specialized ministerial duties, and no separate charge is made or when such activities are performed, whether with or without charge, for or under the auspices or sponsorship, individually or in conjunction with others, of an established and legally cognizable church, denomination or sect, and the person rendering service remains accountable to its established authority.

4. Persons employed as salaried employees or volunteers of the federal government, the Commonwealth, a locality, or any agency established or funded, in whole or part, by any such governmental entity or of a private, nonprofit organization or agency sponsored or funded, in whole or part, by a community-based citizen group or organization, except that any such person who renders psychological services, as defined in this chapter, shall be (i) supervised by a licensed psychologist or clinical psychologist; (ii) licensed by the Department of Education as a school psychologist; or (iii) employed by a school for students with disabilities which is certified by the Board of Education. Any person who, in addition to the above-enumerated employment, engages in an independent private practice shall not be exempt from the licensure requirements.

5. Persons regularly employed by private business firms as personnel managers, deputies or assistants so long as their counseling activities relate only to employees of their employer and in respect to their employment.

6. Any psychologist holding a license or certificate in another state, the District of Columbia, or a United States territory or foreign jurisdiction consulting with licensed psychologists in this Commonwealth.

7. Any psychologist holding a license or certificate in another state, the District of Columbia, or a United States territory or foreign jurisdiction when in Virginia temporarily and such psychologist has been issued a temporary license by the Board to participate in continuing education programs or rendering psychological services without compensation to any patient of any clinic which is organized in whole or in part for the delivery of health care services without charge as provided in § 54.1-106.

8. The performance of the duties of any commissioned or contract clinical psychologist in active service in the army, navy, coast guard, marine corps, air force, space force, or public health service of the United States while such individual is so commissioned or serving.

9. Any person performing services in the lawful conduct of his particular profession or business under state law.

10. Any person duly licensed as a psychologist in another state or the District of Columbia who testifies as a treating psychologist or who is employed as an expert for the purpose of possibly testifying as an expert witness.

11. Any psychologist who is licensed in another state, the District of Columbia, or a United States territory or possession and who is in good standing with the applicable regulatory agency in that state, the District of Columbia, or that United States territory or possession who provides behavioral health services, as defined in § 37.2-100, to a patient located in the Commonwealth when (i) such practice is for the purpose of providing continuity of care through the use of telemedicine services as defined in § 38.2-3418.16 and (ii) the psychologist has previously established a practitioner-patient relationship with the patient. A psychologist who provides behavioral health services to a patient located in the Commonwealth through use of telemedicine services pursuant to this subdivision may provide such services for a period of no more than one year from the date on which the psychologist began providing such services to such patient.

1976, c. 608, § 54-944; 1986, c. 581; 1988, c. 765; 1996, cc. 937, 980; 2000, c. 462; 2022, c. 275; 2024, c. 817.