2023 Tennessee Code › Title 63 - PROFESSIONS OF THE HEALING ARTS (§§ 63-1-NEW — 63-32-119) › Chapter 11 - PSYCHOLOGISTS (§§ 63-11-101 — 63-11-613) › Part 2 - GENERAL PROVISIONS (§§ 63-11-201 — 63-11-226) › Section 63-11-208 - Qualifications and application to practice as psychologist - Specialty certification

(a)
Any person wishing to obtain the right to practice as a psychologist in this state, who has not heretofore been licensed to do so, shall, before it is lawful for such person to practice psychology in this state, make application to the board through the chair upon such form and in such manner as shall be adopted and prescribed by the board.
(b)
Unless such a person has obtained a license as prescribed in subsection (a), it is unlawful for such person to practice; and if such person practices psychology without first having obtained such a license, such person has violated this chapter.
(c)
A candidate for such license shall furnish the board with satisfactory evidence that such candidate:
(1)
Is of good moral character;
(2)
Is a citizen or legal resident of the United States;
(3)
Has received a doctorate in psychology from an accredited educational institution recognized by the board as maintaining satisfactory standards. After December 31, 1995, all such doctoral programs must be approved by the American Psychological Association, listed by the American Association of State Psychology Boards, or such equivalent standards as are determined by the board;
(4)
Is competent in psychology, as shown by passing such examinations, written or oral, or both, as the board deems necessary;
(5)
Is not considered by the board to be engaged in unethical practice;
(6)
Has not within the preceding six (6) months failed an examination given by the board; and
(7)
The board may, at its discretion, consider equivalent training and experience when presented by qualified applicants with a doctoral degree in psychology whose credentials differ slightly than those prescribed in subdivisions (c)(3) and (d)(1)(A). In such cases, the applicant must petition the board for a waiver and specifically request the board utilize its discretionary authority.
(d)
Any licensed psychologist who provides or offers health services to the public must be designated by the board as a health service provider. In addition to the requirements for licensure as a psychologist prescribed in subsection (c), an applicant for designation as a health service provider must demonstrate to the board that such applicant:
(1)
(A)
Has had at least a one-year internship at a site where health services are normally provided and that is part of an organized integrated training program. After December 30, 1995, all such internships must be approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) or listed by the Association of Psychological Post-Doctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC), or such equivalent standards as are determined by the board;
(B)
Until December 31, 1999, internships listed in the Directory of Internships for Doctoral Students in School Psychology, published by the Joint Committee on Internships for the Council of Directors of School Psychology Programs, Division 16 of the American Psychological Association and the National Association of School Psychologists, shall be considered to satisfy the internship approval requirement of this subsection (d); and
(2)
(A)
Has successfully completed at least one (1) year postdoctoral experience delivering health services, supervised by a licensed psychologist designated by the board as a health service provider. If the year of postdoctoral training was not in the state of Tennessee, equivalent supervision must be documented to the satisfaction of the board;
(B)
For purposes of this chapter, "health service," in any variation, means the delivery of direct, preventive, assessment and therapeutic intervention services to individuals whose growth, adjustment or functioning is actually impaired or may be at risk of impairment.
(e)
Notwithstanding subsection (d), the board may designate as a health service provider, with practice restriction to recipients in an intellectual disabilities facility under the department of disability and aging, a person who meets all of the following criteria:
(1)
The person holds a doctorate in psychology from a regionally accredited institution;
(2)
The person is currently licensed as a psychologist in at least one (1) state;
(3)
The person has academic training in intellectual disability and postdoctoral clinical experience in the field of intellectual disability of at least five (5) years' duration;
(4)
The department submits to the board a description of the applicant's proposed functioning at the intellectual disability facility;
(5)
The department certifies that the applicant has training and experience adequate to perform the applicant's proposed functioning within the department, that the department is unable to recruit otherwise qualified psychologists to provide psychological services and that this inability threatens the integrity of the department's services and the ability of the department to meet the needs of its clients; and
(6)
Any psychologist granted designation as a health service provider by the board under this subsection (e) shall surrender this designation upon termination of such person's employment with the department, which designation shall, thereafter, be null and void.
(f)
(1)
Notwithstanding subsection (d), the board may designate as a health service provider, a person who has held a valid license or certificate in another state to practice psychology for at least ten (10) years within the last fifteen (15) years preceding the date of application and whose previous license or certification:
(A)
Required training that is generally equivalent to the following licensing standards in this chapter:
(i)
A doctoral degree in psychology;
(ii)
One (1) year of internship in an organized integrated training program at a site delivering health services; and
(iii)
One (1) year of postdoctoral training delivering health services;
(B)
Has never been the subject of disciplinary action; and
(C)
Allowed the licensee to engage in practice as a health service provider in psychology in the other state.
(2)
In order to effectuate the purposes of subdivision (f)(1), the board is authorized to promulgate emergency rules pursuant to §
4-5-208(a)(5)
. The rules must be promulgated in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5.
Amended by 2024 Tenn. Acts, ch. 688,s 148, eff. 7/1/2024.
Amended by 2023 Tenn. Acts, ch. 173, s 2, eff. 1/1/2024.
Amended by 2023 Tenn. Acts, ch. 173, s 1, eff. 1/1/2024.
Acts 1953, ch. 169, § 8 (Williams, § 7082.8); T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 63-1112; Acts 1984, ch. 937, § 45; 1990, ch. 928, §§ 1, 2; 1991, ch. 18, §§ 1, 2; 1992, ch. 991, § 2; 1996, ch. 973, §§ 1, 2; 2000, ch. 947, § 6; 2010 , ch. 1100, § 101; 2011 , ch. 158, § 33.