Kansas Provisional License Requirements & Hours Tracker

In Arkansas, the title “Provisionally Licensed Psychologist” is a formal license category used while a new psychologist completes required supervised experience and examinations. The Arkansas Psychology Board rules make a clear link between provisional licensure and the specific hours of supervised practice you must accrue to qualify for full psychologist licensure.

Below is a structured overview of what the Board requires, with emphasis on the number and type of hours and how they are defined in rule.

---

1. What “Provisionally Licensed Psychologist” Means in Arkansas

Arkansas uses two closely related concepts:

1. Provisional licensure applicant status – you reach this status when your application has been approved and you are admitted to the next written exam; at this point you may practice psychology under supervision. (law.cornell.edu)

2. Provisional license / Provisionally Licensed Psychologist – the actual provisional license issued under Section 7.4 of the Board’s Rules, which entitles you to practice psychology only under supervision while you complete postdoctoral supervised hours and examinations. (law.cornell.edu)

The Board is explicit that:

• “Only provisional licensure applicants may practice psychology in the State of Arkansas without holding a valid and current license,” and they “may practice psychology under the supervision of a qualified Psychologist.” (law.cornell.edu)
• “As a provisionally licensed Psychologist, you must have written authorization from the Board to practice. You may work only under supervision.” (psychologyboard.arkansas.gov)

---

2. Big Picture: Hour Requirements Tied to Provisional Licensure

To become fully licensed as a psychologist in Arkansas, you must complete:

1. 2,000 hours of a pre‑doctoral internship, and
2. 2,000 hours of supervised postdoctoral experience. (law.cornell.edu)

Crucially, the rules state:

• “To become licensed in Arkansas, a psychologist must complete a 2000 hour pre-doctoral internship program and obtain 2000 hours of post-doctoral supervision.” (law.cornell.edu)

And:

• “To begin accruing postdoctoral supervised hours, applicants for licensure as a Psychologist must apply for and be granted Provisional Licensure status.” (law.cornell.edu)

So the postdoctoral 2,000 hours may only be accumulated while you are provisionally licensed (unless you are coming in via reciprocity or a senior pathway).

---

3. Predoctoral Internship Hours (Completed Before or During Provisional Status for Interns)

3.1. Total number of hours

Arkansas requires a 2,000‑hour predoctoral internship program. You can meet this by:

• Completing an APA‑accredited predoctoral internship that fits your doctoral program and Statement of Intent, or
• Completing a 2,000‑hour internship that meets specific criteria listed in Rule 5.4.F. (law.cornell.edu)

3.2. Required direct client contact within those 2,000 hours

For non‑APA internships, the Board specifies that:

• The intern “must spend at least 25 percent of the program in direct patient contact (minimum 500 hours).” (law.cornell.edu)

In practical terms, for the 2,000‑hour internship:

• Direct service / contact hours: at least 500 hours
• Other internship hours (up to 1,500 hours): may include:
  • Indirect client services
  • Documentation
  • Case conferences and seminars
  • Other training activities specifically described in the rules (e.g., additional learning activities like case conferences, seminars, group supervision). (law.cornell.edu)

3.3. Supervision during the internship

The internship must include:

• At least 2 hours per week of “regularly scheduled, formal, face‑to‑face individual supervision” focusing on health services you deliver.
• At least 2 additional hours per week of learning activities such as case conferences, seminars, co‑therapy with staff, or additional supervision. (law.cornell.edu)

The program must be completed within 24 months and in a multidisciplinary setting. (law.cornell.edu)

---

4. Postdoctoral Supervised Experience Hours (The Main Hour Requirement During Provisional Licensure)

Once your doctorate is complete and you are moving toward full psychologist licensure, the central requirement you complete while provisionally licensed is the 2,000 hours of postdoctoral supervised experience.

4.1. Total number and time frame

The Board states:

• “Two thousand (2000) hours of supervised postdoctoral experience is required.” (law.cornell.edu)

Postdoctoral supervision must:

• Be full‑time (40 hours per week) for at least one calendar year (50 weeks), or be part‑time with prior Board approval, and
• Be completed within no more than three (3) years. (law.cornell.edu)

4.2. Direct client service vs. other professional activities

Within the 2,000 postdoctoral hours:

• At least 25% – that is, a minimum of 500 hours – must be “in the provision of direct client services (i.e., psychological treatment and assessment) consistent with the individual's Statement of Intent to Practice.” (law.cornell.edu)

This means, for the postdoctoral period:

• Direct client service hours:
  • 500 hours minimum of direct psychological services (assessment and treatment)
• Other supervised hours (up to 1,500): may include:
  • Documentation and case management
  • Teaching of psychology
  • Research
  • Consultation
  • Psychological or mental health–related administration
    As the rules put it, “components of practice other than direct ameliorative services may be included in the postdoctoral supervised experience,” specifically listing teaching, research, consultation, and administration. (law.cornell.edu)

4.3. Supervision during the postdoc

Postdoctoral supervision must:

• Be under a licensed psychologist whose Statement of Intent matches the supervised areas. (law.cornell.edu)
• Include a minimum of 1 hour per week of “regularly scheduled formal face‑to‑face supervision” specifically addressing services you are providing. (law.cornell.edu)

Supervision hours themselves are part of the supervised experience period but are not counted as “direct client services” toward the 25% threshold; they are part of the 2,000 total hours.

---

5. How Provisional Licensure Fits Into Those Hour Requirements

5.1. When you can start counting postdoctoral hours

The Board is explicit that you cannot start accruing the 2,000 postdoctoral hours until you are provisionally licensed:

• “To begin accruing postdoctoral supervised hours, applicants for licensure as a Psychologist must apply for and be granted Provisional Licensure status.” (law.cornell.edu)

Thus, a clean formulation for Arkansas is:

• Predoctoral requirement:
  • 2,000‑hour internship, including at least 500 hours of direct client/patient contact.
• Postdoctoral requirement (under provisional license):
  • 2,000 hours of supervised postdoctoral experience, including at least 500 hours of direct client services, accrued after provisional licensure is granted.

5.2. Time limits on provisional status

There are two overlapping sets of timing language:

1. Core rule language (Rules, Section 5.4.H.(5) and 7.3):

   • Provisional licensure status is “granted for up to 18 months and may be extended up to 3 years.”
   • “Any provisionally licensed applicant who does not pass the examination within three (3) years may not continue to practice psychology under supervision.” (law.cornell.edu)

2. Applicants page (procedural guidance):

   • Provisional license fees are $100 per six months, and “You may be provisionally licensed up to 18 months.” (psychologyboard.arkansas.gov)

Taken together, practice in Arkansas today looks like this:

• You are typically granted up to 18 months of provisional licensure in six‑month segments (each segment with its fee).
• Under the rules, Board‑approved extensions are possible up to a maximum of 3 years of provisional status, but if you have not passed the written exam within three years, you must stop practicing. (law.cornell.edu)

---

6. Supervision Rules While Provisionally Licensed

While you hold a provisional license and are accruing hours:

• All services provided by a Provisionally Licensed Psychologist “must be supervised by a qualified Psychologist,” who is “clinically and professionally responsible for the work of the supervisee.” (law.cornell.edu)
• The supervisor:
  • Must be accessible to you at any point during the supervisory relationship. (law.cornell.edu)
  • Must provide “a minimum of 1 hour of face‑to‑face supervision per week” for provisional licensure applicants who have not previously held a psychology license (with limited exceptions allowing at least 4 hours per month in special hardship circumstances). (law.cornell.edu)
• Public announcements of services and fees must be made only in the name of the supervising psychologist, and your title must clearly indicate your provisional status. (law.cornell.edu)
• All written professional reports and communications are to be countersigned by the supervising psychologist. (law.cornell.edu)
• The supervisor must maintain an ongoing record of supervision detailing:
  • Types of activities you perform
  • Your level of competence in each
  • Types and outcomes of procedures
    Quarterly supervision reports are required while you practice psychology without full licensure, and at least one report must be available before your oral review/exam. (law.cornell.edu)

---

7. Eligibility Requirements to Obtain the Provisional License

The rules and Board guidance specify that to be granted a provisional license as a psychologist in Arkansas, you must:

1. Have appropriate doctoral training
   Under Rule 7.5.B.(1), you may be granted a provisional license if you have:

   • “A doctoral degree in psychology from a regionally accredited educational institution,” or
   • A doctoral degree in psychology (or closely allied equivalent) from a regionally accredited institution, or
   • Accepted status in an APA‑accredited pre‑doctoral internship program. (law.cornell.edu)

2. Meet general fitness and conduct standards
   For example, you must:

   • Have attained the age of majority.
   • Be physically and mentally competent to provide psychological services safely.
   • Not have disqualifying felony convictions.
   • Not abuse substances to a degree that impairs professional competence.
   • Not have engaged in fraud or unlicensed practice. (law.cornell.edu)

3. Satisfy preliminary statutory requirements
   Section 7.4.A requires that you have “satisfied the preliminary requirements of A.C.A. § 17‑97‑302 and § 17‑97‑303” (the core licensure requirements in statute) and paid the provisional license fee. (law.cornell.edu)

4. Complete the application and be admitted to the exam
   Under Section 5.5.F, you are considered a “provisional licensure applicant” when:

   • The Board has approved all your application materials, and
   • You have been admitted to the next written examination. (law.cornell.edu)

5. Arrange Board‑approved supervision

   • A Board‑approved supervisor must sign a Supervision Agreement and Plan before you deliver any services. (psychologyboard.arkansas.gov)

6. Pay the required fees

   • Application, background check, and EPPP fees.
   • Provisional license fee: currently $100 per six months, with a late fee if applicable. (psychologyboard.arkansas.gov)

Once these are in place, the Board issues your provisional license; you then practice only under supervision and begin counting your 2,000 hours of postdoctoral supervised experience.

---

8. Special Case: Provisional Licensure for APA Predoctoral Interns

Arkansas also grants a provisional license to psychology interns who are in an APA‑accredited predoctoral internship program:

• The provisional license “issued to a psychology intern participating in an American Psychological Association (APA)‑accredited pre‑doctoral internship program shall only be valid while the intern is an active participant in the program.” (law.cornell.edu)
• Time spent under this internship‑related provisional license does not count against the three‑year limit for postdoctoral provisional licensure. (law.cornell.edu)

These interns must still meet the 2,000‑hour internship requirement, including at least 25% (500 hours) direct contact, as described earlier, but their main goal at this stage is to complete the predoctoral experience component.

---

9. Putting the Hour Requirements Into a Simple Breakdown

For someone following the standard Arkansas path from doctoral graduate to full psychologist licensure, the Board’s requirements work out to:

1. Predoctoral internship (before full licensure; may be under student/intern or intern‑provisional status)

   • Total: 2,000 hours
   • Direct client/patient contact: at least 500 hours (≥25% of the total)
   • Other supervised training hours: up to 1,500 hours (indirect services, documentation, seminars, supervision, learning activities)

2. Postdoctoral supervised experience (must be under Provisional Licensure as Psychologist)

   • Total: 2,000 hours of supervised postdoctoral experience
   • Direct client services: at least 500 hours (≥25% of the total) specifically in psychological treatment and assessment
   • Other supervised professional activities: up to 1,500 hours (teaching, research, consultation, administration, documentation, etc.)
   • Schedule: typically 40 hours/week for 50 weeks (full‑time for at least one year), finished within three years
   • Supervision: minimum 1 hour/week individual face‑to‑face supervision throughout the postdoc period

All 2,000 postdoctoral hours must be completed while you are provisionally licensed, practicing under a Board‑approved supervising psychologist, and within the time limits laid down by the Arkansas Psychology Board rules.