201 Ky. Admin. Regs. 26:190

Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 6, December 1, 2024

Section 201 KAR 26:190 - Requirements for supervised professional experience

RELATES TO: KRS 319.050, 319.053, 319.056, 319.064

NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY: KRS 319.032(1)(a) and (1)(l) require the Board of Examiners of Psychology to promulgate administrative regulations to establish requirements for licensure and supervision. This administrative regulation establishes requirements for supervised professional experience.

Section 1. Supervisory Requirements for an Applicant for Licensure as a Psychologist.

(1) The applicant for licensure as a psychologist with the authorization to provide psychological health care services shall have completed a minimum of 3,600 hours of supervised professional experience in accordance with this administrative regulation.

(2) A minimum of 1,800 hours of the supervised professional experience shall be a predoctoral internship of 1,800 hours with at least 100 hours of supervisory sessions.

(3) The remaining 1,800 hours of supervised professional experience shall be predoctoral, postdoctoral, or a combination of pre- and post-doctoral supervised professional experience acceptable to the board based upon the requirements of Sections 2 and 3 of this administrative regulation.

(4) Supervised professional experience at the pre-internship level shall consist of practica, field placement, or other professional experiences, all of which shall take place in an identifiable clinical setting with mental health clients.

(5) At least fifty (50) percent of the supervised professional experience shall be in service-related activities, such as treatment, assessment, interviews, report-writing, case presentations, and consultations.

Section 2. For a person applying for licensure as a psychologist, the predoctoral internship shall meet the following criteria:

(1) The experience shall occur within an organized training program, in contrast to supervised professional experience or on-the-job training and have a planned, programmed sequence of training experiences;

(2) For clinical and counseling psychology doctoral internships, the training program shall have a clearly designated staff psychologist who shall be:

(a) Responsible for the integrity and quality of the training program;

(b) Actively licensed by the Board of Examiners in Psychology; or

(c) Licensed at the doctoral level by the State Board of Examiners in the state in which the training program exists or otherwise meets the standards of applicable state law.

(3) For school psychology doctoral internships, the responsible psychologist director may be from an affiliate agency or from the university training program and shall retain responsibility for the integrity and quality of the training program;

(4) Internship supervision shall be provided by a staff member of the internship agency or by an affiliate of that agency who has clinical responsibility for the cases being supervised. At least half of the internship supervision shall be provided by one (1) or more psychologists with an appropriate doctorate degree;

(5) The internship shall provide training in a range of assessment and treatment activities conducted directly with clients seeking psychological services;

(6) At least twenty-five (25) percent of the trainee's time shall be in direct client contact;

(7) The internship shall include a minimum of two (2) hours per week of regularly scheduled, formal, face-to-face individual supervision. There shall also be at least two (2) additional hours per week in learning activities such as case conferences, seminars dealing with clinical issues, and group supervision;

(8) Training shall be post-clerkship, post-practicum, and post-externship level;

(9) The internship shall have a written statement or brochure that:

(a)

1. Describes the goals and content of the internship; and

2. States clear expectations for quality and quantity of the trainee's work; and

(b) Shall be made available to prospective interns.

(10) The internship experience shall be completed within twenty-four (24) months unless an extension is approved by the board for extreme extenuating circumstances such as illness, disability, or pregnancy;

(11) The trainee shall have a title such as intern, resident, fellow, or other designation of trainee status; and

(12) The internship agency, preparing institution, and intern shall have a written agreement that describes the goals and content of the internship including clearly stated expectations for the nature of experiences offered in the agency and for the quantity and quality of the work.

Section 3. Additional Required Supervisory Experience.

(1) For a person applying for licensure as a psychologist to provide psychological health care services, the 1,800 hours of supervised professional experience, in addition to the internship required by KRS 319.050(2)(d), shall be a training-oriented professional experience that:

(a) May include course-related field experience and practica; and

(b) Shall take place in an identifiable clinical setting with mental health clients.

(2) In addition to training in a range of diagnostic and treatment activities conducted directly with clients seeking psychological services, the supervised professional experience shall consist of a planned and organized sequence of activities that includes explicit training and supervision in the following areas:

(a) Clinical skill development;

(b) Legal and regulatory issues;

(c) Ethical dilemmas and issues; and

(d) Supervisory skill development.

(3) During the 1,800 hours of supervised professional experience in addition to the predoctoral internship, the candidate shall:

(a) Be under supervision as required by 201 KAR 26:171; and

(b) Be providing psychological health care services under the supervision of a licensed psychologist or other licensed mental health professional approved by the doctoral training program who is affiliated with the training program or with the practice setting in a:

1. Health care facility or agency;

2. Regional mental health or mental retardation board;

3. School, college, or university;

4. Government agency;

5. Independent practice; or

6. Formalized postdoctoral program.

(4) The applicant and the supervisor of record shall design and describe the proposed experience, including the areas listed in subsection (2) of this section.

(5) If the supervised professional experience in addition to the predoctoral internship is in an independent practice, a special application letter shall affirm:

(a) The identity of the applicant, supervisor, and employer;

(b) That the supervising licensed psychologist is not hired, employed, or engaged under contract by the applicant and shall not be terminated by the applicant;

(c) That the applicant is not an owner of the independent practice or organization, but rather serves as an employee; and

(d) That the applicant has both administrative and clinical supervision that shall be provided by the independent practice or employer.

(6) If the supervised professional experience is in a university setting, the application shall also:

(a) Be proffered by a full-time faculty member;

(b) Include a plan that contains each of the areas established in subsection (2) of this section; and

(c) Include a minimum of 400 hours of direct and indirect client involvement that:

1. Is supervised by a licensed psychologist; and

2. Includes:

a. Supervising student clinical work;

b. Diagnostic and interviewing activity that occurs within clinical research projects; or

c. Clinical work in the context of teaching psychotherapy, interviewing, or psychological testing.

(7) The board shall not grant a request for temporary licensure if the request does not contain an explicit and acceptable plan for the supervised professional experience as required by this section.

Section 4. An applicant for licensure as a psychological associate shall complete supervised professional experience consisting of course-related field experience, practica, and formal predoctoral internships adding up to a minimum of 600 supervised hours that shall meet the following criteria:

(1) The experience shall occur within an organized training program and consist of a planned, programmed sequence of training experiences;

(2) The preparing institution's psychology training program shall have a clearly designated placement director who shall be responsible for the integrity and quality of the experiential component of the training program;

(3) Weekly practicum and predoctoral internship supervision shall be provided by a staff member of the placement agency, by an affiliate of that agency, or by a university faculty member. At least half of the supervision shall be provided by one (1) or more psychologists with an appropriate doctorate degree and license;

(4) Field experiences, practica, and predoctoral internships shall provide training in a range of diagnostic and treatment activities conducted directly with clients seeking psychological services;

(5) At least twenty-five (25) percent of the trainee's time shall be in direct client contact;

(6) The preparing institution shall maintain a written statement or brochure describing the goals and content of the required field experiences, practica, and predoctoral internships; and

(7) Students participating in university-sanctioned supervised professional experience shall be clearly identified to clients and payers as trainees.

Section 5. An applicant for licensure as a psychological practitioner shall complete the equivalent of five (5) full-time years of psychological practice under the direct supervision of a licensed psychologist approved by the board, consistent with the requirements of 201 KAR 26:171.

(1) For purposes of this requirement, a candidate shall complete the equivalent of five (5) full-time years of supervised professional experience from the date of initial credentialing as a psychological associate, excluding any period of temporarily licensed psychological associate. A full-time year comprises at least 1,800 hours of supervised professional experience.

(2) A school psychologist who is employed in a Kentucky school system, credentialed by the Professional Standards Board, and also credentialed as a psychological associate by this board, may contract for on-going clinical supervision in the school setting with a board-approved licensed psychologist who is neither an employee nor a contractor of the school system.

(a) The supervised professional experience shall meet the conditions of this administrative regulation and may be used by the licensed psychological associate employed by the school system to meet the requirements for application to become a licensed psychological practitioner.

(b) To fulfill the requirements of 201 KAR 26:171, there shall be an explicit written plan approved by the board between the school system, the school psychologist, and the board-approved supervisor that delineates roles and responsibilities, without restricting the ability of the school district to direct or control the activities of its employee.

(c) A person trained in school psychology, if employed by an agency other than a public school or engaged in practice outside of the school setting, shall obtain clinical supervision in the manner specified by 201 KAR 26:171.

Section 6. Incomplete Application. An incomplete application shall be denied one (1) year from the date of filing and may be destroyed.

201 KAR 26:190

13 Ky.R. 2166; eff. 7-2-1987; 15 Ky.R. 1681; eff. 3-10-1989; 20 Ky.R. 588; 942; eff. 10-21-1993; 28 Ky.R. 1476; 1814; eff. 2-7-2002; 31 Ky.R. 1010; 1512; eff. 3-8-2005; 37 Ky.R. 1529; 1983; eff. 3-4-2011; 43 Ky.R. 1829; 44 Ky.R. 32; eff. 7-17-2017; 47 Ky.R. 2056; 48 Ky.R. 321; eff. 8-26-2021; 48 Ky.R. 1875, 2573; eff. 6/2/2022.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: KRS 319.032, 319.050(2)(d)