Colorado PSY Requirements & Hours Tracker

Colorado’s State Board of Psychologist Examiners (under DORA/DPO) licenses psychologists at the “PSY” level. Licensure is grounded in statute (C.R.S. 12‑245‑304) and detailed in the Board’s rules at 3 CCR 721‑1.14. (colorado.public.law)

Below is a structured walkthrough of what the Board requires, emphasizing hours, supervision types, and official terminology.

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1. Core statutory requirements

Under C.R.S. 12‑245‑304(1), the Board issues a psychologist license (PSY) to an applicant who: (colorado.public.law)

1. Is at least 21 years old.
2. Is not in violation of the Mental Health Practice Act or Board rules.
3. Has completed a doctorate with a major in psychology, or an equivalent major as determined by the Board, from an approved school.
4. Has at least one year of postdoctoral experience practicing psychology under supervision approved by the Board.
5. Has passed:
   • a national written examination in psychology (the EPPP), and
   • a Colorado jurisprudence examination.
6. Has completed a name‑based judicial record (criminal history) check with satisfactory results.

The details of what counts as qualifying doctoral education and postdoctoral supervised experience come from 3 CCR 721‑1.14. (law.cornell.edu)

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2. Doctoral program requirements (education, practicum, and internship)

The Board requires a doctoral degree in psychology from either: (law.cornell.edu)

• an APA‑accredited program, or
• a program the Board deems equivalent to APA accreditation using specific criteria (curriculum, faculty, recognition as a psychology program, etc.).

Within that doctoral program, the Board specifically requires:

2.1. Practicum hours

The rules define a minimum practicum experience of 400 hours that must include: (law.cornell.edu)

• At least 150 hours of “direct service experience” (e.g., direct clinical/psychological services to clients/patients).
• At least 75 hours of formally scheduled supervision.

These hours must be part of supervised practicum appropriate to the practice of psychology and integrated into the doctoral program.

2.2. Internship hours

The doctoral internship must be full‑time for one calendar or academic year (or two years half‑time) and must include at least 1,500 “experience hours”. (law.cornell.edu)

• This 1,500‑hour minimum applies to clinical, counseling, and school psychology internships, with minor wording differences in the rule (calendar year versus academic year).
• The internship must be APA‑accredited or substantially equivalent to APA internship standards. (law.cornell.edu)

In other words, before you even get to your postdoctoral supervised experience, you are expected to have:

• 400+ practicum hours (with a direct‑service and supervision breakdown), and
• 1,500+ internship hours.

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3. Psychologist Candidate registration (PSYC) and when post‑degree hours “count”

Colorado uses a “psychologist candidate” (PSYC) registration to regulate the period when you are accruing postdoctoral supervised experience:

• The statute authorizes the Board to register psychologist candidates once they have met the age, conduct, and doctoral‑education requirements (12‑245‑304(3)). (colorado.public.law)
• A psychologist candidate has up to four years to complete the postdoctoral experience and exam requirements before the registration expires, unless the Board grants an extension. (colorado.public.law)

DORA/DPO policy also states that post‑degree work experience and supervision hours only count toward licensure if the person is appropriately registered, such as: (dpo.colorado.gov)

• registered as a Psychologist Candidate (PSYC),
• registered as an Unlicensed Psychotherapist, or
• working in an exempt facility as allowed by law.

Practically, you must ensure you hold PSYC (or another permitted registration) before you start counting postdoctoral supervised hours toward your psychologist license.

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4. Postdoctoral supervised experience: hours and what can count

The Board’s rules call this “post‑doctoral experience practicing psychology under supervision.” It begins after the doctoral degree requirements are completed. (law.cornell.edu)

4.1. Minimum duration and total hours

Rule 3 CCR 721‑1.14(C)(4) requires: (law.cornell.edu)

• At least one year (12 months minimum) of postdoctoral experience.
• This year must include at least 1,500 clock hours of postdoctoral experience practicing psychology under supervision.
• The 1,500 hours must be reasonably uniformly distributed over at least 12 months (not compressed into a short time span).

These 1,500 hours are actual practice hours under supervision, not separate from supervision—supervision is tracked in addition to these hours (see Section 5).

4.2. What “post‑doctoral experience” and “practice in psychology” mean

The rules define: (law.cornell.edu)

• “Post‑doctoral experience” as supervised experience obtained after the date the institution certifies all doctoral requirements are complete.
• “Practice in psychology” as including all services covered under:
  • the statutory definition of “psychotherapy” in C.R.S. 12‑245‑202(14), and
  • the statutory definition of “psychological services” in C.R.S. 12‑245‑303.
• “Supervision” as personal direction and responsible direction by an approved supervisor, who must know the clients sufficiently (including face‑to‑face contact when necessary) to help develop and monitor treatment plans and service delivery, and must collaborate in, and approve, decisions requiring a psychologist’s skill and training. (law.cornell.edu)

The rules also distinguish:

• “Individual supervision” – supervision provided to one supervisee at a time.
• “Group supervision” – supervision provided to no more than ten supervisees at once. (law.cornell.edu)

4.3. Types of postdoctoral hours that may count

Within the required 1,500 clock hours, the Board allows some flexibility (all under an approved supervisor and in your area of competence): (law.cornell.edu)

• Teaching hours
  • Up to 500 hours of teaching psychology (in courses in the same or similar field as your claimed competence)
  • Up to 25 supervision hours can be credited from this teaching experience.
• Research hours
  • Up to 500 hours of research in the same or similar field of psychology
  • Up to 25 supervision hours can be credited from this research experience.
• Experience under a psychiatrist
  • Up to 375 hours of experience may be obtained under a board‑certified psychiatrist, with a cap of 17.75 hours of supervision from that psychiatrist. A licensed psychologist must supervise any psychological testing. (law.cornell.edu)

All of these must still meet the rule’s standards for supervised practice of psychology, and your supervisor must be one of the approved types described below.

4.4. Racial/ethnic bases of behavior requirement

The rules impose a specific content requirement within your postdoctoral hours: (law.cornell.edu)

• At least 50 hours of your 1,500 postdoctoral practice hours must involve training in racial/ethnic bases of behavior.
• At least 3 hours of supervision must be focused on this area.
• Instead of practice‑based hours, you may use graduate coursework equivalent to three semester hours (or five quarter hours) in this subject, properly documented.

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5. Supervision requirements: who can supervise and how many hours

5.1. Approved supervisors

The Board accepts as supervisors for postdoctoral experience: (law.cornell.edu)

1. Licensed psychologists in the jurisdiction where the services are performed.
2. Board‑certified psychiatrists who:
   • are licensed physicians in that jurisdiction,
   • have completed a psychiatric residency,
   • are board‑certified in psychiatry, and
   • attest to competence in the same area of psychology as the applicant’s experience.
     (A psychologist must supervise psychological testing.)
3. Psychologists licensed at the highest possible level in another jurisdiction where the applicant’s services were performed (with additional documentation requirements if that jurisdiction does not license or certify psychologists in the usual way).

Supervisors are required to keep records adequate to credit the applicant with the exact number of postdoctoral practice hours and supervision hours completed. (law.cornell.edu)

5.2. Minimum supervision hours (separate from the 1,500 practice hours)

Rule 3 CCR 721‑1.14(C)(5) sets supervision hours as follows: (law.cornell.edu)

• At least 75 clock hours of supervision during the postdoctoral year.
• At least 50 of those 75 hours must be face‑to‑face individual supervision.
• The remaining (up to 25) hours may be group supervision only.
• No other modes of supervision (e.g., consultation alone) are accepted as counting toward these required supervision hours.
• Supervision must be reasonably distributed over at least 12 months, aligning with how your 1,500 practice hours accrue.

Importantly, “consultation” is explicitly distinguished from “supervision” in the rules and does not count toward the supervision requirement. (law.cornell.edu)

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6. Examinations and background check

To qualify for licensure, you must demonstrate competence by examination and clear a background check:

1. National examination – EPPP

   • The Board uses the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) as the required national exam. (law.cornell.edu)
   • You apply through the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) or another testing service the Board designates.

2. Colorado jurisprudence examination

   • A Board‑developed jurisprudence exam tests knowledge of Colorado statutes, rules, and ethical/professional obligations. (law.cornell.edu)

3. Recency of exam and experience

   • The exam must generally be passed within five years before your licensure application.
   • Experience and supervision older than five years before application may not be accepted without a showing of good cause. (law.cornell.edu)

4. Criminal history / judicial record check

   • At initial licensure, you must submit the results of a name‑based judicial record check (as defined in C.R.S. 22‑2‑119.3(6)(d)) completed no earlier than 60 days prior to your application. (colorado.public.law)

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7. Quick numeric summary of Colorado PSY licensure requirements

This summary pulls the main hour‑based and structural requirements together (not including every fine detail):

Doctoral education (within an APA‑accredited or equivalent program) (law.cornell.edu)

• Practicum
  • ≥ 400 total hours, including:
    • ≥ 150 hours of direct service experience
    • ≥ 75 hours of formally scheduled supervision
• Internship
  • Full‑time (1 year) or half‑time (2 years)
  • ≥ 1,500 experience hours
  • APA‑accredited or substantially equivalent

Postdoctoral supervised experience (law.cornell.edu)

• Duration:
  • ≥ 12 months
• Practice hours:
  • ≥ 1,500 clock hours of postdoctoral experience practicing psychology under supervision
  • Reasonably uniformly distributed across the 12+ months
• Content allowances and caps:
  • Teaching in psychology: up to 500 hours (with up to 25 supervision hours)
  • Research in psychology: up to 500 hours (with up to 25 supervision hours)
  • Experience under board‑certified psychiatrist: up to 375 hours (and up to 17.75 supervision hours)
  • Training in racial/ethnic bases of behavior: at least 50 practice hours and 3 supervision hours (or equivalent graduate coursework)

Supervision of postdoctoral experience (law.cornell.edu)

• Supervisors:
  • Licensed psychologists, or
  • Board‑certified psychiatrists (with limitations and a psychologist supervising testing), or
  • Psychologists licensed at highest level in another jurisdiction
• Supervision hours (separate from 1,500 practice hours):
  • ≥ 75 total supervision hours
  • ≥ 50 hours must be face‑to‑face individual supervision
  • Remaining up to 25 hours may be group supervision (≤10 supervisees)
  • No other modes (like consultation alone) count toward this minimum
  • Supervision hours must be spread over at least 12 months

Status and timing requirements (colorado.public.law)

• Must be registered as a Psychologist Candidate (PSYC) or otherwise properly registered (e.g., Unlicensed Psychotherapist, exempt facility) before post‑degree hours will count toward licensure.
• Must complete statutory requirements for licensure (postdoc experience and exams) within four years of initial PSYC registration, unless the Board grants an extension.

Exams and background check (colorado.public.law)

• National exam: EPPP
• State exam: Colorado jurisprudence examination
• Criminal history: name‑based judicial record check completed close to the time of application

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In combination, these requirements form Colorado’s pathway to the PSY psychologist license: a qualifying doctoral program with specified practicum and internship hours, a structured period of postdoctoral supervised practice (1,500 clock hours plus defined supervision), successful completion of national and state exams, and meeting eligibility and background criteria set in statute and rule.