School Options & Licensing Requirements for Psychologists in Delaware

Other Psych Licensing Criteria in Delaware

• The candidate must hold a degree from a program accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) or a program offered by a regionally accredited institution that meets Delaware’s academic standards.

• The program of study must endow students with an understanding of the breadth of scientific psychology and the history of its thought and development. This is achieved through courses in: biological aspects of behavior, cognitive and affective aspects of behavior, social aspects of behavior, history and systems of psychology, psychological measurement, research methodology, and techniques of data analysis. The program must also cover foundations of practice of psychology through courses in: individual differences in behavior, human development, dysfunctional behavior or psychopathology; and professional standards and ethics. The diagnosis and definition of problems and the implementation of intervention strategies must be studied through courses on: theories and methods of assessment and diagnosis, effective intervention, consultation and supervision, and the evaluation of the efficacy of interventions. An understanding of cultural and individual diversity must be imbued into all of the above areas of study.

• Of the 1,500 hours of pre-doctoral supervised experience, at least 50% must be in client services (treatment, assessment, consultation, and report writing) and 25% of that time must be in direct patient/client contact. No more than 25% of the hours can be completed in a purely research setting. One out of every 10 hours of clinical work must be completed under direct supervision. The 1,500 hours must be completed in 48-104 weeks.

• The 1,500 hours of post-doctoral work experience must be completed in one to three calendar years. Exceptions are given for those individuals temporarily licensed as psychological assistants, who can hold that title for up to six years. At least 25% of the post-doctoral experience must be completed in direct service in the area of the candidate’s academic training. For every 10 hours of clinical work completed, at least one must be in direct face-to-face supervision. The candidate may chose to have up to 25% of their supervision time completed by a licensed mental health professional who is not a psychologist.