Connecticut Administrative Code › Title 20 - Professional and Occupational Licensing, Certification › 188 - Psychology Licensing Requirements › Section 20-188-2 - Doctoral educational standards for Connecticut psychology licensure

Current through July 10, 2024
(a) A program holding accreditation by the
			 American Psychological Association shall constitute an approved doctoral
			 educational program in psychology for Connecticut psychology licensure,
			 pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes, Sections
			 20-188
			 and
			 20-189.
(b) A program, in which the applicant
			 completed the doctoral degree prior to July 1, 1989, and which does not hold
			 accreditation by the American Psychological Association shall be an approved
			 doctoral educational program in psychology for Connecticut psychology
			 licensure, pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes, Section
			 20-188
			 and
			 20-189,
			 when the Department has determined, with the advice and assistance of the
			 Board, that the program was in compliance with recognized written national
			 standards for the preparation of psychologists which were in effect at the time
			 of the applicant's matriculation in such program. These standards shall
			 include, but not necessarily be limited to, those contained within the
			 following publications: The American Psychological Association's "accreditation
			 procedures and criteria" in effect at the time of the applicant's matriculation
			 in the program; and for an applicant matriculating in such program in and after
			 1977, the national register of health service providers in psychology's
			 "guidelines for defining doctoral degrees in psychology."
(c) A program located within the United
			 States or its territories, in which the applicant completed the doctoral degree
			 on or after July 1, 1989, which does not hold accreditation by the American
			 Psychological Association shall be an approved doctoral educational program in
			 psychology for Connecticut psychology licensure, pursuant to Connecticut
			 General Statutes Sections
			 20-188
			 and
			 20-189,
			 when all of the criteria specified below are satisfied:
(1) The program shall be offered in an
			 institution of higher education holding accreditation by a recognized regional
			 accrediting body. The institution which granted the applicant's doctoral degree
			 shall hold accreditation by a recognized regional accrediting body to grant
			 degrees at the doctoral level. Any other institution at which the applicant
			 completed graduate-level coursework in psychology shall have held accreditation
			 by a recognized regional accrediting body to grant degrees at the graduate
			 level.
(2) The program, wherever it
			 may be administratively housed, shall be clearly identified and labeled as a
			 psychology program. Acceptable documentation shall clearly identify the program
			 as a psychology program with the intent to educate and train professional
			 psychologists.
(3) The program
			 shall stand as a recognizable, coherent organizational entity within the
			 institution. Acceptable documentation shall clearly demonstrate that the
			 institution has recognized and established an organizational structure,
			 curriculum, administration, and faculty for the psychology program.
(4) Psychologists shall have clear authority
			 and primary responsibility for the core and specialty areas within the program.
			 Acceptable documentation shall clearly identify a psychologist or psychologists
			 responsible for core and specialty areas within the program. When the
			 professional identification of the responsible individual(s) is in question,
			 acceptable evidence of professional identification shall be required.
(5) The program shall be an organized,
			 integrated sequence of required study designed and predominately taught by the
			 psychology faculty responsible for the doctoral program. Acceptable
			 documentation shall clearly identify specific educational objectives and an
			 organized, sequenced plan for meeting these objectives through required
			 coursework, elective study, and related training experiences. Said objectives
			 and plan must be designed and predominately taught by faculty of the program.
			 The requirements of this subsection shall not be satisfied when a program
			 permits educational objectives to be met solely by the completion of a
			 specified number of course credits, examinations, independent study
			 experiences, and/or hours of work experience.
(6) The program shall have an identifiable
			 core of full-time psychology faculty. Acceptable documentation shall clearly
			 identify a core of psychologists serving as full-time faculty for the program.
			 When the professional identification of the responsible individual(s) is in
			 question, acceptable evidence of professional identification shall be
			 required.
(7) The program shall
			 have an identifiable body of students who are matriculated in that program for
			 a doctoral degree. Acceptable documentation shall clearly demonstrate that the
			 program has an identifiable body of doctoral students matriculated in that
			 program.
(8) The applicant shall
			 complete a course of studies which encompasses a minimum of three academic
			 years, or its equivalent, of full-time graduate study, of which a minimum of
			 one academic year, or its equivalent, of full-time academic graduate study in
			 psychology must be completed in residence at the institution granting the
			 doctoral degree. Acceptable evidence of applicant coursework shall document
			 completion of the specified minimum lengths of full-time graduate study and
			 study in residence. The requirement for study in residence shall be satisfied
			 by full-time registration, attendance at, and participation in didactic
			 coursework at the physical site of the institution granting the doctoral
			 degree. Such requirement shall not be satisfied solely by the accumulation of
			 contact hours with faculty or supervisors remote from the physical site of the
			 institution granting the doctoral degree, nor solely by the completion of a
			 specified number of course credits, independent study experiences,
			 examinations, and/or hours of work experience.
(9) The applicant shall complete a course of
			 studies which encompasses instruction in scientific methods in psychology and
			 which shall include instruction in research design and methodology, statistics,
			 and psychometrics. Acceptable evidence of applicant coursework shall document
			 satisfactory completion of a minimum of six graduate semester hours, or ten
			 graduate trimester hours, of study in scientific methods of psychology,
			 including the study of research design and methodology, statistics, and
			 psychometrics. Not less than three graduate semester hours, or five graduate
			 trimester hours, of the applicant's study in scientific methods of psychology
			 shall be in research design, methodology, and statistics.
(10) The applicant shall demonstrate that the
			 content of his doctoral program was primarily psychological by completion of
			 classroom instruction in the following four substantive basic science areas:
(A) BIOLOGICAL BASES OF BEHAVIOR, for
			 example, physiological psychology, comparative psychology, neuro-psychology,
			 sensation-and perception, psycho-pharmacology.
(B) COGNITIVE-AFFECTIVE BASES OF BEHAVIOR,
			 for example, learning, thinking, motivation, emotion.
(C) SOCIAL BASES OF BEHAVIOR, for example,
			 social psychology, group processes, organizational and systems
			 theory.
(D) INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES,
			 for example, personality theory, human development, abnormal psychology.
			 Acceptable evidence of applicant coursework shall document satisfactory
			 completion of a total of at least twenty-one graduate semester hours, or
			 thirty-five graduate trimester hours, of classroom instruction encompassing the
			 four substantive content areas specified in this subsection. The requirements
			 of this subsection shall not be satisfied by any course which had a
			 predominately applied or clinical focus.
(11) The applicant shall complete a course of
			 studies which includes a formal practicum, internship, or field training, which
			 is supervised by program faculty, which is appropriate to the practice of
			 psychology, and which is a minimum of one academic year in duration. Acceptable
			 evidence of applicant coursework shall document satisfactory completion of a
			 formal supervised practicum, internship, or field training in psychology. The
			 requirements of this section shall not be satisfied by dissertation work
			 alone.
(12) An applicant who has
			 received a doctoral degree in psychology that does not meet the requirements of
			 this subsection or subsections (a) or (b) of this section may remediate the
			 required course work post-doctorally. Such supplemental course work shall
			 consist of formal doctoral level course work meeting the requirements of
			 subdivisions (9), (10) and (11) of this subsection and shall be completed in a
			 program that meets the requirements of subsection (a) of this
			 section.
(13) An applicant who has
			 received a doctoral degree in a non applied or non clinical area of psychology
			 shall meet the requirements of this subsection provided the applicant has
			 completed a respecialization program in an applied psychology program
			 accredited by the American Psychological Association.