Alaska PSY Requirements & Hours Tracker

Licensure as a psychologist (PSY) in Alaska is regulated by the Alaska Board of Psychologist and Psychological Associate Examiners under AS 08.86 and 12 AAC 60. This overview focuses on licensure as a psychologist by examination (not by credentials) and emphasizes the exact hour‑based experience requirements and how the Board defines them.

---

1. Basic statutory requirements for a psychologist license

Under AS 08.86.130(a), the Board issues a psychologist license to an applicant who: (touchngo.com)

1. Holds an earned doctoral degree in:

   • Clinical psychology,
   • Counseling psychology, or
   • An education field of specialization that the Board considers equivalent.

2. Has one year of post‑doctoral supervised experience approved by the Board.

3. Takes and passes an examination developed or approved by the Board (the EPPP plus the Alaska State Law and Ethics Exam). (commerce.alaska.gov)

The detailed structure of that “one year of post‑doctoral supervised experience” is fleshed out in the Board’s regulations and forms, discussed below.

---

2. Required education and pre‑doctoral internship

2.1 Doctoral program content

The Board uses regulation and a detailed Doctoral Course Work Check Sheet (#08‑4113d) to ensure your doctoral program covers specific content areas (history and systems, research methods, statistics, foundations of behavior, ethics, and practicum/lab work). (commerce.alaska.gov)

If the program is not APA‑accredited, you must submit this check sheet with your application so the Board can verify that your coursework meets its regulatory criteria.

2.2 Pre‑doctoral internship hours

For psychologists licensed under AS 08.86.130, the Board requires a pre‑doctoral internship of at least 1,500 hours completed within 24 months. This is stated directly in the Board’s application materials, which are based on 12 AAC 60.083. (commerce.alaska.gov)

In the Board’s own words (from its internship verification form), applicants “shall have completed a pre‑doctoral internship of at least 1,500 hours within 24 months.” (commerce.alaska.gov)

Implication in practice

• Total pre‑doctoral internship:
  • Minimum: 1,500 internship hours
  • Maximum time frame: 24 months

These 1,500 hours are generally treated as supervised training in line with the Board’s internship standards and may be APA‑accredited or Board‑approved equivalent. (onlinepsychologyprograms.org)

---

3. Post‑doctoral supervised experience: required hours and structure

The key rules are in 12 AAC 60.070 and 12 AAC 60.080, which the Board reprints in its Supervised Practice Plan (#08‑4113e) and Statement of Supervised Psychological Experience (#08‑4113f). (commerce.alaska.gov)

3.1 “One year of experience” and supervision level

Regulation 12 AAC 60.070(b) states that the one year of required experience for a psychologist is satisfied by one year of post‑doctoral experience in a field of psychology similar to the applicant’s academic training, under the supervision of a licensed psychologist or an ABPP diplomate. (regulations.justia.com)

3.2 Total hours and time frame

12 AAC 60.080 (as reproduced in the Board’s packet) specifies the quantitative structure for that supervised year: (commerce.alaska.gov)

• A “year of experience” must consist of at least 1,500 clock hours.
• Those 1,500 hours must be completed in no fewer than 10 months and no more than 24 consecutive calendar months.
• In weeks when you are working under supervision, you must log at least 20 hours but not more than 40 hours of supervised experience per week.

So for the post‑doctoral requirement:

• Total supervised experience:
  • 1,500 clock hours minimum.
• Time frame:
  • Between 10 and 24 consecutive months,
  • 20–40 supervised hours per week during active weeks.

The Board can grant up to 12 additional months to complete the supervised experience “for good cause,” per 12 AAC 60.080(e). (commerce.alaska.gov)

3.3 How much must be “direct service” vs. other activities?

The regulations require a specific distribution inside those 1,500 hours:

• At least 50% of the supervised experience must be “direct service.”
• At least 50% of that direct service must be face‑to‑face contact with patients. (commerce.alaska.gov)

Because the regulation phrases this in percentages, you can calculate minimums:

• Direct service:
  • 50% of 1,500 hours = at least 750 hours of direct service.
• Face‑to‑face patient contact:
  • 50% of those 750 direct‑service hours = at least 375 hours of face‑to‑face work.

The Board’s Statement of Supervised Experience form explicitly reminds supervisors that “at least 50 percent of the supervised experience must be direct services; at least 50 percent of the direct service must be face‑to‑face contact with patients,” citing 12 AAC 60.080(a)(9). (commerce.alaska.gov)

3.4 Required supervision and learning activities

The same regulation also defines weekly supervision:

• For the year of post‑doctoral supervised experience:

  • The supervisor and applicant must meet for a minimum of one hour per week of individual face‑to‑face supervision focused on the applicant’s direct services.(commerce.alaska.gov)

• In addition, learning activities (as defined in 12 AAC 60.990(a)(10)) must occur, such as:

  • Case conferences
  • Ethics discussions
  • Co‑therapy
  • Other content assigned by the supervisor. (commerce.alaska.gov)

The regulation requires two hours per week of such learning activities during the first post‑master’s year; for psychologists you are concerned primarily with the post‑doctoral year, which must at least include the one hour per week of individual face‑to‑face supervision, plus whatever additional supervisory/learning structure your plan specifies and the Board approves. (commerce.alaska.gov)

3.5 Who can provide supervision?

The Board is very specific about supervisor qualifications:

• At least 80% of the supervised experience hours must be with:

  • A licensed psychologist,
  • A diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), or
  • A person holding a doctorate in psychology whom the Board deems qualified to supervise.

• The remaining up to 20% can be supervised by:

  • A psychiatrist licensed under AS 08.64 (or equivalent in another state),
  • A licensed psychological associate,
  • A licensed clinical social worker,
  • A licensed marriage and family therapist, or
  • A licensed professional counselor,
    as long as the supervisor is qualified and competent in your specialty area. (commerce.alaska.gov)

The Supervised Practice Plan form requires both you and your supervisor to certify that you have read 12 AAC 60.070 and 12 AAC 60.080 and will follow those requirements. (commerce.alaska.gov)

3.6 What does not count?

The regulation explicitly excludes certain activities from counting toward the supervised‑experience requirement:

• Unsupervised independent private practice does not count.
• Unsupervised practicums, clerkships, and externships also do not count as acceptable supervised professional experience. (commerce.alaska.gov)

---

4. How the Board documents and verifies your supervised hours

The Board’s application package (#08‑4113) spells out the documentation flow. (commerce.alaska.gov)

1. Supervised Practice Plan (#08‑4113e)

   • Submitted with your initial application for licensure by examination.
   • Must be approved by the Board before you begin post‑doctoral supervision.
   • For supervision occurring in Alaska, the Board issues a temporary license after approval; supervision can begin only after that temporary license is issued.

2. Statement of Supervised Psychological Experience (#08‑4113f)

   • Completed by your supervisor at the end of your supervised year.
   • Asks the supervisor to attest to:
     • Total number of psychological experience hours,
     • Whether you consistently obtained 20–40 hours/week,
     • How many hours per week of face‑to‑face supervision were provided,
     • Whether you were adequately instructed in ethical issues and applied ethical principles. (commerce.alaska.gov)

3. Board review of supervised hours

   • The Board uses these forms, plus its regulations (12 AAC 60.070 and 60.080), to determine whether you have:
     • At least 1,500 clock hours in 10–24 months,
     • The correct direct‑service and face‑to‑face proportions,
     • Appropriate type and amount of supervision from qualified supervisors.

---

5. Examinations

5.1 National exam – EPPP

Applicants for licensure by examination must pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). (commerce.alaska.gov)

• The EPPP is administered by computer (e.g., at Prometric sites).
• Alaska application materials direct you to contact the Board to schedule the EPPP after your application is approved. (commerce.alaska.gov)

Widely used guidance (and Board‑linked resources) report that Alaska uses a scaled passing score of 500 on the computerized EPPP, or 70% on the older non‑computerized form; because cut scores can change, this should always be confirmed against current Board instructions. (ecpc-personnel-standards.dev.i3.uconn.edu)

5.2 State Law and Ethics Examination

In addition to the EPPP, you must pass the Alaska State Law and Ethics Examination:

• It is a written (non‑computerized) exam administered separately from the EPPP.
• The Board offers it four times per year, and your completed application must be received in Juneau at least 45 days before the exam date to be scheduled. (commerce.alaska.gov)

You are scheduled for the Law & Ethics exam after the Board has accepted your supervised experience and determined you otherwise meet requirements.

---

6. Application process and fees (by examination)

From the Board’s current Psychologist License by Examination instructions (#08‑4113, revised 02/13/2025): (commerce.alaska.gov)

6.1 Core application components

To have your application reviewed you must submit:

1. Application form (#08‑4113, pages 1–4), signed.
2. Fees, payable to “State of Alaska”:
   • Application fee: $200 (non‑refundable)
   • Temporary license fee: $150
   • Psychologist license fee: $500 (can be paid with application or after you complete all requirements)
   • State examination (law & ethics) fee: $50
   • Total due if paid up‑front: $900. (commerce.alaska.gov)
3. Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions.
4. Verification of other licenses (if you are or have been licensed elsewhere).
5. Five reference letters, including:
   • Three from licensed psychologists / APA members / ABPP diplomates, and
   • Two from other non‑related persons. (commerce.alaska.gov)
6. Doctoral Course Work Check Sheet (#08‑4113d).
7. Supervised Practice Plan (#08‑4113e).
8. Curriculum vitae, from high school graduation forward.
9. Proof of internship (#08‑4113g) confirming the 1,500‑hour internship within 24 months. (commerce.alaska.gov)

6.2 Temporary license and supervision

• When your application is complete and your Supervised Practice Plan is approved, the Board:
  • Issues a temporary psychologist license, and
  • Notifies you that post‑doctoral supervision may begin. (commerce.alaska.gov)

That temporary license covers only supervised practice under your approved plan; it does not authorize independent practice.

---

7. Summary of hour‑based experience requirements

Pulling the pieces together, Alaska’s Board effectively requires two major blocks of experience for a psychologist (PSY) license by examination:

1. Pre‑doctoral internship

   • At least 1,500 hours of internship experience,
   • Completed within 24 months,
   • Meeting the Board’s internship standards (APA‑accredited or equivalent). (commerce.alaska.gov)

2. Post‑doctoral supervised experience (the “one year” required by AS 08.86.130)

   • Total hours: At least 1,500 clock hours of supervised experience.
   • Time frame: Between 10 and 24 consecutive months.
   • Weekly schedule: At least 20 and no more than 40 supervised hours per week when working.
   • Direct service minimum:
     • ≥ 50% of supervised hours must be direct service (≈ ≥ 750 hours of a 1,500‑hour year).
     • ≥ 50% of those direct‑service hours must be face‑to‑face patient contact (≈ ≥ 375 hours).
   • Supervision:
     • At least 1 hour per week of individual face‑to‑face supervision focused on direct services during the post‑doctoral year.
     • Learning activities (case conferences, ethics, co‑therapy, etc.) as part of a Board‑approved plan.
     • At least 80% of hours supervised by a licensed psychologist, ABPP diplomate, or Board‑approved psychologist‑doctorate; up to 20% by other qualified mental health professionals specified in regulation.
   • Exclusions: Unsupervised independent practice, and unsupervised practicums, clerkships, or externships do not count toward these 1,500 hours. (regulations.justia.com)

Taken together, you should think of Alaska’s psychologist licensure path as requiring approximately 3,000 supervised professional hours in psychology that are tightly regulated:

• 1,500 internship hours (pre‑doc) and
• 1,500 post‑doctoral supervised practice hours,
  each with specific distribution, supervision, and timing rules monitored by the Board.