Indiana HSPP Requirements & Hours Tracker

Obtaining Health Service Provider in Psychology (HSPP) Endorsement in Indiana

In Indiana, a psychologist must hold an additional endorsement as a Health Service Provider in Psychology (HSPP) in order to independently diagnose and treat mental and behavioral disorders. Without the HSPP endorsement, a licensed psychologist may only diagnose/treat if they are supervised by an HSPP or are practicing under a limited license. (secure.in.gov)

This article focuses on the hour requirements and the exact categories of experience the Indiana State Psychology Board (via the Professional Licensing Agency, PLA) requires for HSPP endorsement.

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1. Big picture: What the HSPP endorsement requires

To obtain HSPP status in Indiana, you must:

1. Hold (or be in the process of obtaining) an Indiana psychologist license (by exam or endorsement). (secure.in.gov)
2. Complete:
   • A 1,500-hour doctoral internship in psychology, and
   • At least 1,600 hours of supervised post‑internship experience, completed in no less than 12 months, including 900 hours of direct client hours. (secure.in.gov)
3. Submit the HSPP application, fee, and verification forms documenting the above hours.

These HSPP-specific hour requirements are in addition to whatever supervised experience you needed to qualify for initial psychologist licensure.

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2. Required supervised experience and hours (with board language)

Indiana breaks the HSPP experience into two major components, each documented by a specific form.

A. Internship – “1,500 hour internship” (Form A)

For HSPP, the Board requires proof of a doctoral psychology internship:

• The board’s licensing page states that the applicant must show completion of a “1,500 hour internship”, verified on Form A – Verification of Internship, completed and signed by a representative of the program. (secure.in.gov)
• If the internship was not APA or APPIC‑approved, the applicant must submit an additional Supplemental Educational Form so the Board can determine whether the internship met the statutory and rule requirements. (secure.in.gov)

Key points about this requirement:

• The 1,500 hours are internship hours, i.e., a structured doctoral internship in psychology (a health-service training setting), not general work hours.
• The Board does not split this 1,500 into “direct” vs “support” hours in its HSPP checklist; it simply requires documented completion of the 1,500-hour internship that is acceptable under Indiana rules. (secure.in.gov)

B. Post‑internship supervised experience – “1,600 hours” with “900 hours of direct client hours” (Forms B and/or C)

In addition to the internship, the Board requires a second block of supervised clinical experience specifically for HSPP endorsement:

• Indiana specifies that you must show “Proof of Post‑Internship Experience” consisting of a minimum of 1,600 hours of supervised experience completed in no less than twelve (12) months including 900 hours of direct client hours. (secure.in.gov)

The 1,600 hours can be satisfied via any one of three routes (or a combination):

1. Doctoral‑level practicum – documented on Form B – Verification of Practicum, described as “Doctoral level practicum (Form B) as in 868 IAC 1.1‑13‑3.1 Section C”; (secure.in.gov)
2. Post‑internship experience (i.e., a traditional postdoctoral supervised experience) – documented on Form C – Verification of Post‑Internship Experience, as referenced in “868 IAC 1.1‑13‑3.1 Section D”; (secure.in.gov)
3. Combination of doctoral practicum and post‑internship experience – using both Form B and Form C. (secure.in.gov)

The Board’s HSPP section further clarifies:

• The 1,600 hours must:
  • Be “completed in no less than twelve (12) months”; and
  • Include “900 hours of direct client hours” (i.e., face‑to‑face or equivalent direct service with clients, not just indirect or administrative tasks). (secure.in.gov)

Supervision documentation:

• Form B and/or Form C must be completed and signed by the appropriate supervisors. If you had multiple supervisors, you submit multiple forms. If you worked at multiple locations under one supervisor, they can submit a supplemental letter summarizing total hours and listing all locations. (secure.in.gov)

So in the terms the Board itself uses, the HSPP experiential requirement is:

• 1,500 hour internship, plus
• “a minimum of 1,600 hours of supervised experience completed in no less than twelve (12) months including 900 hours of direct client hours.” (secure.in.gov)

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3. How the hours fit together (practical interpretation)

Putting the hour requirements into a simple framework:

Component	Total Hours Required	Type of Hours	Key Conditions
Doctoral internship	1,500 hours	Internship training in psychology (health-service setting), supervised	Must be verifiable via Form A; non‑APA/APPIC internships need supplemental review
Post‑internship supervised experience	1,600 hours minimum	Supervised clinical experience at doctoral practicum and/or post‑doc level	Must be at least 12 months in duration and include 900 direct client hours

This means you do not meet the HSPP experiential criteria with only an internship; you must also have the second 1,600‑hour supervised block (with 900 direct client hours) documented through practicum and/or post‑doc experience.

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4. Licensure and HSPP are technically separate steps

The Indiana PLA makes an explicit distinction between:

• Licensure as a psychologist (by exam or endorsement/reciprocity), and
• Endorsement as a Health Service Provider in Psychology (HSPP).

Key Board language:

• “Licensed psychologists must obtain endorsement as health service providers in psychology to engage in the independent diagnosis and treatment of mental and behavioral disorders.” (secure.in.gov)
• If a psychologist is not endorsed as an HSPP, they may diagnose/treat only by:
  1. Practicing under supervision of an HSPP “for the purpose of qualifying for endorsement”; or
  2. Holding a limited license under IC 25‑33‑1‑18 and practicing within that limited scope. (secure.in.gov)

For HSPP application eligibility:

• The Board specifies that “HSPP applicants must have a psychology license in Indiana or pending psychology application submitted to the PLA to begin the HSPP application”, and that the HSPP attribute may also be requested when you first apply for psychologist licensure. (secure.in.gov)

So, in practice:

1. You either already hold an Indiana psychologist license or are applying for one.
2. You then document the 1,500‑hour internship and 1,600 hours of supervised post‑internship experience (900 direct client hours) to qualify for HSPP.

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5. Step‑by‑step process to obtain HSPP (focused on board‑defined requirements)

Step 1 – Obtain or apply for Indiana psychologist license

• Meet all requirements for psychologist licensure (doctoral degree, EPPP, supervised experience required for licensure, jurisprudence exam, etc.).
• Either:
  • Hold an active Indiana psychologist license, or
  • Have a pending psychologist licensure application with the PLA before starting the HSPP application. (secure.in.gov)

Step 2 – Assemble documentation of your internship (Form A)

• Have your internship program complete Form A – Verification of Internship documenting completion of the 1,500‑hour internship. (secure.in.gov)
• If the internship was not APA or APPIC approved:
  • Complete and submit the Supplemental Educational Form so the Board can confirm it meets Indiana requirements in statute and rule. (secure.in.gov)

Step 3 – Assemble documentation of post‑internship supervised hours (Form B and/or C)

You must be able to show:

• At least 1,600 hours of supervised experience,
• Completed in at least 12 months, and
• Including 900 hours of direct client hours. (secure.in.gov)

You do that by:

• Having your doctoral program or training site complete Form B (doctoral practicum) if you are using doctoral practicum hours, and/or
• Having your post‑doctoral or other qualifying site complete Form C (post‑internship experience). (secure.in.gov)

If you had multiple supervisors or settings:

• Submit a separate Form B or C for each supervisor as needed.
• A single supervisor covering multiple locations can write a supplemental letter summarizing the total hours and listing all locations, as suggested by the Board. (secure.in.gov)

Step 4 – Submit the HSPP application and fee

• Log into MyLicense.IN.gov and use the “Manage Attributes” function to request the HSPP endorsement, or check the HSPP box in your initial psychologist application if you are applying for both at once. (secure.in.gov)
• Pay the $100 HSPP application fee, which is separate from the psychologist licensure fee. (secure.in.gov)
• Upload:
  • Form A (internship)
  • Form B and/or Form C (practicum/post‑internship)
  • Any required supplemental forms for non‑APA/APPIC internships.

Step 5 – Maintain your HSPP status (after initial endorsement)

Although your question is about becoming licensed, it is useful to know the ongoing requirement tied to HSPP:

• Only psychologists who are endorsed as HSPP must complete 40 hours of continuing education every two‑year license period, including 6 hours in ethics (at least 3 hours Category I). (in.gov)
• HSPP status renews automatically when you renew your psychologist license, provided CE requirements are met.

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6. Hour requirements summarized in the format you requested

Using your example format but with Indiana’s actual numbers and wording:

• 1,500 hours of internship experience

  • Defined by the Board as completion of a “1,500 hour internship” documented by Form A – Verification of Internship and, if not APA/APPIC, supported by a supplemental form to show compliance with Indiana statute and rules. (secure.in.gov)

• 1,600 hours of supervised post‑internship experience

  • Defined by the Board as “a minimum of 1,600 hours of supervised experience completed in no less than twelve (12) months including 900 hours of direct client hours.” (secure.in.gov)
  • May be met through:
    • Doctoral level practicum (Form B, per 868 IAC 1.1‑13‑3.1 Section C),
    • Post‑internship experience (Form C, per 868 IAC 1.1‑13‑3.1 Section D), or
    • A combination of doctoral practicum and post‑internship experience (Forms B and C). (secure.in.gov)

If you want to be very literal in your own planning notes, you can think of Indiana’s HSPP requirement as:

• 1,500 hours – internship (training year)
• 1,600 hours – supervised health‑service experience at the practicum/post‑doc level, of which 900 are direct client contact

all of it documented on the Board’s forms and linked to an Indiana psychologist license.