Arkansas LPE-I Requirements: Hours, Exams & Step-by-Step Guide

Licensure as a Licensed Psychological Examiner, Independent (LPE-I / LPE-1) in Arkansas was controlled by both Arkansas statute (Title 17, Chapter 97) and the Arkansas Psychology Board's older rules, particularly §5.3 on Licensed Psychological Examiners and §5.3.G / §5.3.5 on independent practice privileges. (law.justia.com)

Important change: Act 433 of 2025 removed independent practice privileges from psychological examiners and created a new license, the Licensed Psychological Practitioner (LPP), which is now the route to independent master's-level practice. The current Board rules (17 CAR Part 95) no longer contain an LPE-I section, and no new psychological examiner license will be issued after December 31, 2026. (Act 433 of 2025; 17 CAR §§ 95-403(g), 95-408)

The Board also provided a practical summary for licensees on its website under "LICENSED PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINER – INDEPENDENT STATUS." (psychologyboard.arkansas.gov)

The sections below explain how the LPE-I worked, who keeps independent practice, and what the LPP requires now, with attention to the exact types and amounts of supervised hours.

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1. Who could become an LPE-I in Arkansas?

The LPE-I was not a separate degree; it was an independent-practice privilege granted to a Licensed Psychological Examiner (LPE).

Under the law before Act 433 of 2025, eligibility split into three time-based groups: (law.justia.com)

1. LPEs licensed before December 31, 1997

   • Could be granted independent practice without new supervision hours, subject to some content restrictions.

2. LPEs licensed after December 31, 1997 and on or before December 31, 2024

   • Could obtain independent practice only by completing an approved supervision plan that included 3,000 hours of supervised clinical training.

3. LPEs licensed after December 31, 2024

   • Cannot be granted independent practice status:

   "A psychological examiner licensed after December 31, 2024, shall not be granted independent practice status…" (law.justia.com)

In all cases, a person had to either already hold an LPE license or "meet all requirements for the LPE license with a master's degree in Psychology" to be considered for LPE-I. (law.cornell.edu)

Today: an LPE who was granted independent practice on or before December 31, 2024 is not required to meet the LPP's education and supervision requirements to hold the LPP license. An LPE who was not granted independent status can seek independence as a provisionally licensed psychological practitioner (the rule says this applies to LPEs licensed after December 31, 2023). (17 CAR § 95-408(b)(3)-(4); Psychology Board Applicants page)

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2. Prerequisite: Becoming (or qualifying as) an LPE

Because LPE-I status was an add-on to LPE licensure, it helps to know the baseline LPE requirements. The current Board rules provide, in substance: (17 CAR § 95-403)

• Degree requirement

  • A master's degree in psychology or a closely related field from a regionally accredited institution, with the program meeting specific Board criteria.

• Program & coursework criteria

  • At least 45 graduate semester hours with a "B" average, and graduate coursework in at least seven designated core areas that supports the applicant's intended scope of practice (Statement of Intent).
  • At least 15 graduate semester hours must directly support the Statement of Intent, and the Board's licensee page stresses that applicants must meet course requirements, with no substitution of "work or experience in lieu of course work or internship hours." (psychologyboard.arkansas.gov)

• Supervised internship for initial LPE licensure

  • A minimum of 600 clock hours of supervised experience obtained via a formal internship, directly related to the intended use of the license and consistent with the Statement of Intent, with at least 25% (125 hours) of direct contact. (17 CAR § 95-403(c))

• Deadline

  • After December 31, 2026, no new psychological examiner license will be issued. (17 CAR § 95-403(g))

This 600-hour internship is required for the LPE, not for LPE-I per se. For LPE-I, there was an additional, much larger supervised-experience requirement described next.

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3. Pathway 1: LPEs licensed before December 31, 1997

For psychological examiners originally licensed before 12/31/1997, the law and rules made the path to independent status relatively simple. (law.justia.com)

3.1. Application steps

The Board and statute indicated that such an LPE had to:

1. Write a letter to the Board requesting independent practice privileges.
2. Submit a revised Statement of Intent for Independent Practice.

The Board's licensee page provided a specific "Statement of Intent, Psychological Examiner Independent Practice, Pre-1997" form and instructed that the form must match the most recent Board-approved Statement of Intent on file; any changes to the underlying Statement of Intent had to be approved first. (psychologyboard.arkansas.gov)

Because Act 433 of 2025 removed independent practice privileges from psychological examiners, new requests on this basis should be confirmed with the Board before filing.

3.2. Supervision hours required

For this pre-1997 group, the Arkansas Code (before Act 433) stated:

• Once the Board had the letter and revised Statement of Intent, such an examiner "shall be granted independent practice… [and] No additional hours of clinical supervision shall be required" for this change in status. (law.justia.com)

In other words, there was no 3,000-hour requirement for LPEs licensed before 12/31/1997.

3.3. Practice limitations

Even with independent status, LPE-Is could not independently practice in certain areas. Independent practice had to exclude:

• Neuropsychological assessment
• Forensic psychological assessment
• Projective personality assessment (law.justia.com)

The same three exclusions now apply to the LPP license. (17 CAR § 95-408(c)(1))

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4. Pathway 2: LPEs licensed after December 31, 1997 (and on or before December 31, 2024)

For psychological examiners licensed in this period, the Board and statute imposed both an administrative and a substantial supervised-experience requirement to obtain independent status.

4.1. Administrative steps before any hours could be counted

The Board's licensee guidance and older rules set out this sequence: (psychologyboard.arkansas.gov)

1. Confirm you are an LPE licensed after 12/31/1997.

2. Submit a written request / cover letter to the Board applying for independent practice privileges.

3. File a revised Statement of Intent for Independent Practice (Post-1997) that:

   • Matches your current Board-approved Statement of Intent (or first revise your basic LPE Statement of Intent and have that revision approved), and
   • Excludes the independent practice of:
     • Neuropsychological assessment
     • Forensic psychological assessment
     • Projective personality assessment (law.cornell.edu)
   • Includes documentation of appropriate training and experience in the areas you want to practice independently.

4. Submit a formal supervision plan for the independent-practice hours.
   Older Board Rule 5.3.G(3)(b) required: (law.cornell.edu)

   • A "plan of supervision of 3000 hours of clinical training, defined as direct and indirect client service, by a Board approved supervisor with a minimum of 25% of the intern's time in direct service."
   • The plan of supervision had to be approved by the Board prior to implementation.

5. Do not begin counting hours until the Board's approval.
   The Board's LPE-I page was explicit: "You shall NOT begin accruing the 3000 hours of supervised experience towards Independent status until your request is approved by the Arkansas Psychology Board Members." (psychologyboard.arkansas.gov)

If you had an approved plan in progress when Act 433 took effect, ask the Board how your hours will be treated; the current rules let an LPE change status to LPP by meeting the LPP post-degree supervision requirements (Section 5 below). (17 CAR § 95-408(g))

4.2. The 3,000-hour supervised experience requirement (core of LPE-I)

This was the centerpiece of the LPE-I requirement for post-1997 LPEs.

4.2.1. Total hours and type of activity

The older rule required: (law.cornell.edu)

• A total of 3,000 hours of clinical training,
• Defined as "direct and indirect client service,"
• Conducted under a Board-approved supervisor.

So, unlike a breakdown that might say "1,500 hours direct" and "1,500 hours supervised," Arkansas specified:

• 3,000 total hours of supervised clinical training, composed of:
  • Direct client service, and
  • Indirect client service (activities that support clinical work but are not direct service).

All of these 3,000 hours were supervised hours; supervision was not a separate hour-bank in the rule, but a required framework for the 3,000 clinical-training hours.

4.2.2. Minimum direct-service requirement

The same rule added that there must be "a minimum of 25% of the intern's time in direct service." (law.cornell.edu)

From that percentage, you can infer a minimum number of direct-service hours:

• Total required hours: 3,000
• Minimum percentage direct service: 25%

Therefore, at least:

• 750 hours had to be direct client service (25% of 3,000), and
• The remaining up to 2,250 hours could be indirect client service.

The Board stated the requirement in percentage form; the hour figures above are a straightforward calculation of what 25% of 3,000 implies.

The exact classification of activities (direct vs indirect) had to be consistent with Board expectations and your supervising psychologist's documentation.

4.2.3. Supervision structure and documentation

In practice, the 3,000 hours were accrued according to a Board-approved supervision plan and documented with:

• Supervision logs and Board forms (e.g., Supervision Log, Licensee Supervision Completion, PE Independent Practice), and
• Signatures of each Arkansas Psychology Board-approved supervising psychologist who oversaw portions of the 3,000 hours. (psychologyboard.arkansas.gov)

When the 3,000 hours were complete, the LPE submitted:

1. The Licensee Supervision Completion, PE Independent Practice form (one from each supervising psychologist, if more than one),
2. Any required Supervision Agreement and Plan for services that would still require supervision, and
3. A cover letter requesting that the Board grant Independent Status. (psychologyboard.arkansas.gov)

Independent status was not effective until the Board reviewed and approved this completion packet.

4.3. Practice limitations after LPE-I was granted

An LPE licensed after 12/31/1997 who completed these requirements was "privileged to practice independently," but not in neuropsychological, forensic psychological or projective personality assessment. (law.justia.com)

LPEs who held independent status on or before December 31, 2024 can now hold the LPP license without meeting its education and supervision requirements, with the same three exclusions. (17 CAR § 95-408(b)(3), (c)(1))

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5. Pathway 3: LPEs licensed after December 31, 2024, and the new LPP

The statute created a hard cutoff:

• "A psychological examiner licensed after December 31, 2024, shall not be granted independent practice status if he or she submits an application to the board for independent practice." (law.justia.com)

For LPEs first licensed on or after January 1, 2025, and for anyone else seeking independent master's-level practice now, the route is the Licensed Psychological Practitioner (LPP). The LPP requires: (A.C.A. § 17-97-313; 17 CAR § 95-408)

• A 60-hour master's degree in health services psychology approved by the Board, including 800 hours of practicum or internship with 400 hours of direct client service and at least one year in residence;
• 3,000 hours of post-degree clinical supervision approved by the Board, including 2,200 hours of direct client service, 1 hour of supervision per 10 hours of direct service for the first 1,000 hours and 1 per 20 after that, and 100 hours of didactic learning per year;
• Passing the examinations the Board requires (the Board's page says the EPPP), a criminal background check, and no failed Board exam in the past 6 months.

An LPE changing status to LPP pays a $150 fee, applies, and meets the LPP post-degree supervision requirements. (17 CAR § 95-408(g))

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6. Summary of hour requirements specifically related to LPE-I

Putting the pieces together:

1. Hours for initial LPE licensure (prerequisite to LPE-I)

   • At least 600 clock hours of supervised experience via a formal internship related to your intended area of practice. (17 CAR § 95-403(c))

2. Additional hours that were required to move from LPE to LPE-I (post-1997 LPEs licensed through 12/31/2024) (law.cornell.edu)

   • 3,000 hours of supervised clinical training, after the Board approved the supervision plan and independent-practice Statement of Intent.
   • These 3,000 hours had to:
     • Consist of direct and indirect client service, and
     • Include at least 25% of your time in direct service, implying:
       • At least 750 hours direct client service, and
       • No more than 2,250 hours indirect client service, all under supervision.

3. Hours for pre-1997 LPEs seeking LPE-I

   • No new supervised hours were required; the statute waived additional clinical supervision hours for this group. (law.justia.com)

4. Hours for independent practice now (LPP)

   • 3,000 post-degree supervised hours, with 2,200 direct, supervision at 1:10 for the first 1,000 hours then 1:20, plus 100 didactic hours a year. (17 CAR § 95-408)

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7. Practical checklists by category

7.1. If you were licensed as an LPE before 12/31/1997

• Verify your original LPE license date is before 12/31/1997.
• If you already hold independent status, you can hold the LPP license without new education or supervision requirements; contact the Board about changing your license. (17 CAR § 95-408(b)(3))
• If you never requested independent status, ask the Board whether a pre-1997 request can still be granted after Act 433 of 2025 before filing a letter and the Pre-1997 Statement of Intent form.
• Independent practice excludes neuropsychological, forensic psychological, and projective personality assessment.

7.2. If you were first licensed as an LPE between 1/1/1998 and 12/31/2024

• If you were granted LPE-I on or before 12/31/2024: you can hold the LPP without meeting its education and supervision requirements. (17 CAR § 95-408(b)(3))
• If you were not granted independent status: LPE-I can no longer be granted. To practice independently, change status to LPP:
  • Pay the $150 change-of-status fee and submit the application and supporting documents,
  • Complete the LPP post-degree supervision (3,000 hours, 2,200 direct, 1:10 then 1:20 supervision, 100 didactic hours per year) under a Board-approved plan, and
  • Practice under supervision until the Board approves the change. (17 CAR § 95-408(g))
• If you had a Board-approved 3,000-hour LPE-I plan in progress, ask the Board how those hours will count toward the LPP.

7.3. If you are (or will be) licensed as an LPE after 12/31/2024

• You may pursue LPE licensure following current Board rules (degree, coursework, internship, etc.), but only until December 31, 2026, after which no new LPE licenses will be issued. (17 CAR § 95-403(g))
• You cannot be granted LPE-I status, even if you complete a 3,000-hour supervision plan. The route to independent practice is the LPP (Section 5). (17 CAR § 95-408)

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This is how the LPE-I worked, who keeps independent practice after Act 433 of 2025, and what the LPP now requires, with particular emphasis on the supervised-experience hours.