Arizona PSY Requirements & Hours Tracker

Licensure as a psychologist (“PSY”) in Arizona is governed by the Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners under A.R.S. § 32‑2071 and related rules. The Board organizes supervised experience into specific categories with precise hour, supervision, and content requirements. What follows focuses on those hours and how Arizona defines them, then briefly notes the other core requirements.

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1. Big picture: supervised‑experience structure

Arizona law requires:

• Total supervised professional experience (SPE): 3,000 hours of “supervised professional work experiences.” (azleg.gov)
• Minimum 1,500 hours must be predoctoral internship SPE that meets all requirements of A.R.S. § 32‑2071(F). (azleg.gov)
• The remaining 1,500 hours may be any combination of:
  • supervised preinternship professional experiences (practicum) under § 32‑2071(E),
  • additional internship hours under § 32‑2071(F),
  • supervised postdoctoral experience under § 32‑2071(G). (azleg.gov)

The Board summarizes this as:

• “3,000 hours of supervised experience is required”
• “A minimum of 1,500 hours of predoctoral internship is required”
• “A maximum of 1,500 hours of preinternship and/or postdoctoral experience hours may be applied towards licensure.” (psychboard.az.gov)

So Arizona’s basic hour pattern is:

• 3,000 hours total SPE, of which
  • ≥ 1,500 hours = qualifying internship, and
  • ≤ 1,500 hours = mix of preinternship and/or postdoc (plus extra internship, if you have it).

There is no separate requirement like “1,500 direct + 1,500 supervised”—all 3,000 hours must be supervised. Within each category, Arizona instead sets minimum proportions of direct client/patient contact and specific supervision ratios.

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2. Educational foundation (briefly)

To even use these hours toward licensure, you must meet the doctoral‑program requirements in A.R.S. § 32‑2071:

• Doctoral degree in applied/health‑service psychology (clinical, counseling, school, educational, or another applied area acceptable to the Board) from a regionally accredited institution. (azleg.gov)
• Specific core areas (ethics, research, biological bases, cognitive‑affective, social, individual differences, assessment, treatment modalities) and a documented program that is a coherent psychology program. (azleg.gov)
• A residency requirement at the doctoral institution (e.g., at least 18 semester hours in a 12‑month period or at least 300 hours of documented student–faculty contact). (azleg.gov)

The Board emphasizes that a doctorate in a health‑service‑delivery psychology program with at least 1,500 hours of predoctoral internship is mandatory for psychologist licensure under A.R.S. § 32‑2071. (psychboard.az.gov)

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3. Detailed breakdown of the 3,000 supervised hours

3.1. Predoctoral internship: at least 1,500 hours (required)

Statutory term: “supervised professional experience” that is an internship. (azleg.gov)

Required amount

• You must have at least 1,500 hours of internship SPE that meets § 32‑2071(F). (azleg.gov)
• These 1,500 hours must be part of an internship that is:
  • APA CoA‑approved, or
  • a member of APPIC, or
  • another “organized training program” meeting the detailed statutory criteria (designated training director, at least two psychologists on staff, structured sequence of training, etc.). (azleg.gov)

Content and direct‑service requirements

For internship SPE, Arizona requires: (azleg.gov)

• Training must include “a range of assessment, consultation and treatment activities conducted directly with clients or patients.”
• At least 25% of your internship hours must be direct client or patient contact (face‑to‑face service).

So, if you complete exactly 1,500 internship hours:

• Minimum direct contact during internship:
  • 25% of 1,500 = 375 hours of direct client/patient contact.

Supervision and structure

Internship supervision and structure must include: (azleg.gov)

• A designated staff psychologist (independent‑level license) responsible for integrity and quality of training.
• At least two psychologists on staff as supervisors, one directly available in emergencies.
• At least half of the training supervision provided by one or more psychologists.
• Regular in‑person, individual supervision, contemporaneous with services:
  • Minimum 1 hour of individual supervision for each 20 hours of experience, focusing on psychological services you rendered.
  • At least 2 additional hours per week in “other learning activities” (seminars, case conferences, etc.), which may be in person or via secure telecommunication as permitted.
• The 1,500 internship hours must be completed within 24 consecutive months.

Key idea: The 1,500‑hour internship is entirely supervised, and within that block at least 25% must be direct client/patient contact, with strict supervision ratios.

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3.2. Supervised preinternship (practicum): up to 1,500 hours (optional)

Statutory term: “supervised preinternship professional experience.” (azleg.gov)

How many hours can count

• You may apply up to 1,500 hours of supervised preinternship experience toward the 3,000‑hour requirement. (azleg.gov)
• These hours are optional but often used to fill some or all of the “extra” 1,500 hours (beyond the core internship). (psychboard.az.gov)

Program structure

Preinternship experiences must: (azleg.gov)

• Be a faculty‑directed, organized, sequential series of supervised experiences of increasing complexity that follow appropriate academic coursework and prepare you for internship.
• Be governed by a written training plan between student and graduate program, specifying:
  • time allotment for each activity,
  • goals and objectives,
  • methods of evaluation,
  • and supervision arrangements (including approval of any external site supervisors).

Multiple part‑time placements can be combined to reach up to 1,500 preinternship hours, as long as they are of appropriate scope and complexity. (azleg.gov)

Content & direct‑service minimums (per 20 hours)

For every 20 hours of supervised preinternship professional experience, Arizona requires: (azleg.gov)

• ≥ 50% of hours in psychological service‑related activities (e.g., treatment, assessment, interviews, report writing, case presentations, seminars on applied issues, cotherapy, group supervision, consultations).
• ≥ 25% devoted to face‑to‑face patient‑client contact.

If you applied the full 1,500 hours of preinternship:

• Minimum direct client contact within those 1,500 hours:
  • 25% of 1,500 = 375 hours face‑to‑face client contact.

Supervision requirements (per 20 hours)

Every 20 hours of preinternship must also include: (azleg.gov)

• At least 1 hour per week of contemporaneous in‑person individual supervision for each 20 hours of experience, focused on the direct psychological services provided.
• At least 2 hours total supervision per 20 hours (individual + group), with:
  • ≥ 50% of total supervision across the preinternship provided via in‑person individual supervision.
  • ≤ 50% via in‑person group supervision.
• At least 75% of total supervision provided by a psychologist licensed or certified to practice psychology at the independent level (U.S. or Canada) and designated by the academic program.
• No more than 25% of supervision may be by:
  • a licensed mental‑health professional,
  • a psychology intern under supervision of a licensed psychologist, or
  • a postdoc under supervision of a licensed psychologist.

Timeframe and documentation

• All preinternship hours you count must be completed within 72 months. (azleg.gov)
• You must provide the Board:
  • the written training plan, and
  • documentation of total hours, face‑to‑face client hours, supervision hours, and supervisors’ qualifications, with acknowledgment that ethics training occurred throughout. (azleg.gov)

The Board’s own tutorial reiterates that if your supervision ratio (2 hours per 20 worked, at least one hour individual) is not met, “the experience may not qualify to be applied towards licensure.” (psychboard.az.gov)

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3.3. Supervised postdoctoral experience: up to 1,500 hours counted (optional)

Statutory term: “supervised postdoctoral experiences” within § 32‑2071(G). (azleg.gov)

How many hours can count

• No more than 1,500 hours of supervised professional experience shall be postdoctoral for purposes of meeting the supervised‑experience requirement. You may complete more hours, but only 1,500 can be counted toward licensure. (azleg.gov)

These postdoctoral hours are optional because you can potentially fulfill the extra 1,500 hours with preinternship and/or additional internship hours alone. (psychboard.az.gov)

Supervision and responsibilities

Postdoctoral supervision must: (azleg.gov)

• Be provided by a psychologist licensed to practice independently (U.S. or Canada) who has been licensed for at least two years and is competent in the relevant practice area.
• Place full legal responsibility for client welfare, diagnosis, interventions, and outcomes on the supervisor, who must:
  • take reasonable steps to ensure clients are informed of the supervisee’s training and status,
  • ensure clients can meet with the supervisor on request,
  • ensure records of client contacts are maintained and that the client knows the future point of contact for those records,
  • be fully available for consultation in emergencies and provide emergency coverage.

Direct‑contact and supervision minimums

For postdoctoral experience, the statute specifies: (azleg.gov)

• Regular in‑person, individual supervision on a contemporaneous basis, with minimum 1 hour of individual supervision for each 20 hours of supervised professional experience.
• At least 40% of the supervisee’s time must be in direct contact with clients or patients.

So, if you count a full 1,500 hours of postdoc toward licensure:

• Minimum direct contact during postdoc:
  • 40% of 1,500 = 600 hours direct client/patient contact.

Timeframe and documentation

• The postdoctoral supervised professional experience must be completed within 36 consecutive months. (azleg.gov)
• You must provide a written training plan from the organization describing goals, content, and expected breadth/depth/quantity of work. (azleg.gov)

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3.4. Overall constraints on all supervised hours

Across preinternship, internship, and postdoc SPE:

• You cannot receive credit for more than 40 hours of experience per week toward the 3,000‑hour requirement. (azleg.gov)
• Supervised experience may occur in other states or provinces, but it must meet all of Arizona’s statutory and rule requirements to be counted. (psychboard.az.gov)

For applicants with long independent practice elsewhere, Arizona allows certain experience waivers:

• If you do not meet internship requirements in § 32‑2071(F), you may qualify by demonstrating 20 years of licensed or certified practice as a psychologist in a U.S. or Canadian jurisdiction. (azleg.gov)
• If you do not meet preinternship and/or postdoc SPE requirements in § 32‑2071(E) or (G), you may qualify by demonstrating 10 years of licensed practice. (azleg.gov)

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4. Examinations

4.1. National exam – EPPP

Arizona requires passing the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP):

• A passing score is either 70% on the written form or a scaled score of 500 on the computer‑based exam. (azleg.gov)
• The Board currently requires only EPPP Part 1 – Knowledge for licensure; its earlier plan to require Part 2 is suspended. (psychboard.az.gov)

Applicants may be exempt from retaking the EPPP if they hold ABPP diplomate status or a CPQ and meet other conditions. (azleg.gov)

4.2. Possible additional exam (ethics / Arizona law)

Arizona statute authorizes the Board to implement an additional exam “to cover areas of professional ethics and practice” and “state law relating to the practice of psychology.” (azleg.gov)

Whether this jurisprudence/ethics exam is in effect or how it is administered can change, so applicants need to check the current Psychologist Application for Exam and/or Licensure instructions on the Board’s site at the time they apply. (psychboard.az.gov)

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5. Application process and non‑hour requirements (high level)

Beyond education and supervised hours, the Board’s current materials emphasize these additional requirements:

• Application type. Most new Arizona‑trained or out‑of‑state applicants who don’t qualify for “Universal Recognition” or “Credential” use the Psychologist Application for Exam and/or Licensure via the online Applicant Portal. (psychboard.az.gov)
• Fingerprint clearance card. All applicants must have an Arizona Department of Public Safety fingerprint clearance card, or proof of having applied for one, at the time of application. (psychboard.az.gov)
• Verification of SPE.
  • Internship and postdoc hours must be verified by the supervisor on Arizona’s forms and submitted directly by the supervisor to the Board.
  • Preinternship hours are verified by your doctoral program’s Director of Clinical Training (or equivalent) using Arizona forms. (psychboard.az.gov)
• Citizenship/ID and declarations. Applicants must submit a Statement of Citizenship or Alien Status, acceptable government ID, and detailed documentation if they answer “yes” to any professional conduct or legal declarations. (psychboard.az.gov)

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6. Putting it together: Arizona’s hour requirements in plain numbers

To meet Arizona’s training hour requirements for a PSY‑level psychologist license, under current statutes and Board guidance, you need:

1. 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience total, all of which is supervised. (azleg.gov)
2. Within those 3,000 hours:
   • At least 1,500 hours of qualifying internship SPE, with:
     • ≥ 25% of those hours in direct client/patient contact, and
     • supervision of at least 1 individual hour per 20 hours experience, plus ≥ 2 additional hours per week of learning activities. (azleg.gov)
   • Up to 1,500 hours of preinternship SPE can count, provided:
     • ≥ 50% of each 20‑hour block in psychological service‑related activities,
     • ≥ 25% in face‑to‑face client contact,
     • ≥ 2 hours supervision per 20 hours (at least 1 hour individual), and
     • all within 72 months and under a formal training plan. (azleg.gov)
   • Up to 1,500 hours of postdoctoral supervised experience can count, provided:
     • ≥ 40% of the time in direct client/patient contact,
     • 1 hour individual supervision per 20 hours,
     • completed within 36 consecutive months, and
     • supervised by an appropriately licensed, experienced psychologist who assumes full legal responsibility. (azleg.gov)
3. No more than 40 hours per week may be credited toward any of the above. (azleg.gov)

All of this is layered on top of the doctoral‑program requirements and examination (EPPP, plus any additional Board‑mandated exam). The Board reviews each application to determine whether your particular combination of preinternship, internship, and postdoctoral experience satisfies these statutory definitions and ratios.