Licensure
A current South Carolina license is required to practice psychology in this state.
South Carolina Board of Examiners in Psychology offers a temporary permit which authorizes practice in this state 60 days in a calendar year.
Preliminary Application Requirements include:
1. All required application sections including the Affidavit of Eligibility.
2. Responses if additional information is needed for any questions.
3. A Curriculum Vita should be mailed with the non-refundable application fee of $500.00 in the form of a money order, a cashier’s check or personal check.
4. Request that official terminal transcript(s) of all graduate coursework be sent by the institution(s) of higher learning which you have attended.
Application Process:
A. Preliminary Application for Licensure
The Preliminary Application for Licensure (the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Board's Credentialing Requirements Data Form) must be completed, submitted to and approved by the Board prior to completion of other application materials. The application fee must accompany the Preliminary Application for Licensure.
If the applicant has not graduated from an APA-accredited doctoral program, the applicant should attach supporting materials to the Preliminary Application for Licensure from the graduate bulletin used at the time of graduation from the institution of higher learning from which the degree was obtained (including a complete description of the doctoral program and individual course descriptions) to assist Board members in evaluating the program.
When the Preliminary Application for Licensure is submitted, the applicant should also request that official, terminal transcripts of all graduate work be sent to the Board Administrator. These transcripts must be received from the graduate institution; they cannot be delivered by the applicant.
B. Formal Application
Following Board approval of the Preliminary Application for Licensure, the applicant will be mailed additional materials necessary to make formal application for licensure. These include:
- Blue Application for License form
- Predoctoral Supervision Form
- Supervision Contract
- Supervisor's Report Form and three professional reference forms. Two of the three professional reference forms must be completed by psychologists. The applicant should complete and submit the Application for License form and should arrange to have his/her references complete the three reference forms and mail them directly to the Administrator of the Board.
To complete the formal application, the applicant must also:
1. Present evidence of a passing score on the Examination for the Professional Practice of Psychology (EPPP).
(a) A passing score is any score which falls at or above one-half standard deviation below the mean score obtained on that test administration by doctoral level psychologists taking the test for the first time or;
(b) The South Carolina Board's passing scaled score for the computerized examination is 500. This scaled score of 500 is equivalent to the criterion-referenced passing score of 140 (70%) which was applied to the anchor form of the examination and was adopted by the ASPPB as a recommended passing score for independent practice as a psychologist.
If the EPPP was taken in South Carolina, scores will automatically be reported to the Board. If the EPPP was taken in another state, scores must be officially reported through the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) at the following address/telephone number:
ASPPB
PO Box 3079
Peachtree City, GA 30269
(678) 216-1175
E-mail: asppb@asppb.org
Present evidence of two (2) years of supervised experience, one year of which must have been completed post-doctorally, for 3,000 hours total minimum. Each year (or equivalent) shall be comprised of at least 1,500 hours of actual work, to include direct service, training, and supervisory time.
A pre-doctoral internship/residency may be counted as one of the two years of experience. The Predoctoral Supervision Form must be submitted by the internship director or pre-doctoral supervisor to verify one year of pre-doctoral supervision.
Postdoctoral supervision is defined as a minimum of one-hour-per-week face-to-face supervision from a psychologist who is licensed in South Carolina in the specialty area(s) in which the candidate is seeking licensure. Supervision shall be within the supervisor's competency and in the specialty area(s) in which the candidate is applying for licensure. The candidate and postdoctoral supervisor must submit a postdoctoral supervision contract to be approved by the Board before the initiation of the supervision. Following Board approval of the
Supervision Contract and upon completion of the postdoctoral supervision, a Supervisor's Report Form must be submitted to the board by the supervisor.
Applicants who are licensed in another state must also substantiate a period of supervised postdoctoral experience which meets the criteria outlined above by having the postdoctral supervisor submit a completed Supervisor's Report Form to the Board.
C. Oral Examination
Upon completion and submission to the Board of all required application materials, the applicant must successfully pass a structured oral examination administered by Board members.
Candidates are notified in writing when their credentials have met the requirements for the oral examination and are asked to contact the board member assigned to conduct the oral examination to schedule a specific appointment time for this appearance.
II. Additional Information
A. The EPPP is administered daily by the Professional Examination Service on computer in Columbia, Charleston, Greenville and Myrtle Beach. Making application for licensure does not automatically reserve you a place for the EPPP. This must be done separately in writing to the Administrator. All applicants must be approved by the Board before they can sit for the EPPP.
Candidates may take the examination two times in any 12 month period. There is a 60 day waiting period required between administrations.
B. All application, examination and licensure fees are non-refundable.
C. All application forms can be obtained from and should be returned to the Board Administrator at the following mailing address:
South Carolina Board of Examiners in Psychology
PO Box 11329
Columbia, SC 29211-1329
Temporary Permit Requirements include:
1. All required sections of the application including the Affidavit of Eligibility.
2. Responses if additional information is needed for any questions.
3. The Curriculum Vita should be mailed with the non-refundable application/temporary permit fee of $250.00 in the form of a money order, a cashier’s check or personal check.
4. An official terminal transcript of your doctoral degree in psychology.
5. Request license verification to be sent directly to SC Board of Examiners in Psychology from the state you are currently licensed.
Paper applications may be mailed to the address on the application.
If you submit your application by paper via mail, use the email address you entered on your paper application to check the status of your application.
If it does not show up or you did not notate an email address, contact the Psychology Board and give them this information so you may be able to check your application status online. Ensure you have allowed 5-7 business days from the date the Board received your application for it to be uploaded in to the system.