Section 20-188-2 - Doctoral educational standards for Connecticut psychology licensure(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.(d) A program located outside the United States or its territories which does not hold accreditation by the American Psychological Association shall be an approved doctoral educational program in psychology for Connecticut 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 by an institution of higher education approved to grant degrees at the doctoral level by the appropriate governmental or government-recognized body of the jurisdiction in which it is located. The applicant shall be required to demonstrate that the degree granted is equivalent in level and content to a doctoral degree in psychology as granted by an approved United States program, as defined by these regulations. The applicant shall be responsible for providing official documentation of educational program, translations of any non-English language documentation, and professional evaluations of educational credentials by a credentials evaluation service designated by the Department.(2) The program and applicant shall be required to meet the criteria of subsections (c)(2) through (c)(11) of this section.Conn. Agencies Regs. § 20-188-2
Effective April 2, 1991; Amended August 17, 2009