Kentucky LP Requirements: Hours, Exams & Step-by-Step Guide

In Kentucky, the title “Licensed Psychologist (LP)” is regulated by the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology through KRS Chapter 319 and a set of administrative regulations in 201 KAR 26. For someone coming through the standard doctoral route (not reciprocity), the pathway has four main pieces:

1. A qualifying doctoral degree in psychology
2. 3,600 hours of supervised professional experience with specific sub‑requirements
3. National and state examinations
4. A formal application (with the option of a temporary license while completing exams)

On top of that, most psychologists also pursue the separate Health Service Provider (HSP) designation, which has its own hour requirement and matters if you want to provide direct clinical services and bill insurers.

Below is a step‑by‑step guide with the exact hour language the Kentucky Board uses.

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1. Educational requirements (doctoral degree)

Kentucky requires a doctoral degree in psychology that meets the education criteria in 201 KAR 26:200. Key points:

• The degree must:

  • Be from a “recognized institution of higher learning” and be clearly identified as a psychology program intended to train professional psychologists. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
  • Require a doctoral dissertation “psychological in method and content.” (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
  • Include practica / internship / field training as part of the degree. For a doctoral degree, the program must require a six (6) graduate semester‑hour practica (3 hours in psychotherapy/counseling/intervention and 3 hours in assessment, excluding I/O psychology). (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

• Duration and curriculum:

  • Doctoral study must be a minimum of three (3) years, including “a minimum of one (1) full academic year in residence” (at least 250 contact hours of face‑to‑face coursework with faculty and students). (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
  • The core program must cover ethics, research design, statistics/psychometrics, and at least three graduate semester hours each in:
    • Biological bases of behavior
    • Cognitive‑affective bases of behavior
    • Social bases of behavior
    • Individual differences (personality, development, abnormal psychology) (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

Meeting these requirements is how your doctoral degree qualifies you under KRS 319.050(2) for licensure as a psychologist.

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2. Supervised professional experience: 3,600 hours total

The heart of Kentucky’s LP requirements is 3,600 hours of supervised professional experience for an applicant “with the authorization to provide psychological health care services.” (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

The breakdown and definitions are in 201 KAR 26:190:

2.1 Total hours and basic breakdown

The regulation states that:

• The applicant “shall have completed a minimum of 3,600 hours of supervised professional experience” to qualify. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

Those 3,600 hours must be structured as follows:

1. 1,800 hours – predoctoral internship

   • “A minimum of 1,800 hours of the supervised professional experience shall be a predoctoral internship of 1,800 hours with at least 100 hours of supervisory sessions.” (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

2. 1,800 hours – additional supervised professional experience

   • “The remaining 1,800 hours of supervised professional experience shall be predoctoral, postdoctoral, or a combination of pre‑ and post‑doctoral supervised professional experience acceptable to the board” under Sections 2 and 3 of the regulation. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

So, all 3,600 hours are supervised. Kentucky does not divide them into “supervised vs. unsupervised” hours; instead, it differentiates them into internship vs. additional supervised professional experience.

2.2 What counts toward the 3,600 hours

The regulation uses several specific phrases:

• “Supervised professional experience” (the umbrella term)

  • At the pre‑internship level, this must consist of “practica, field placement, or other professional experiences, all of which shall take place in an identifiable clinical setting with mental health clients.” (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

• Service‑related vs. other activities

  • “At least fifty (50) percent of the supervised professional experience shall be in service‑related activities, such as treatment, assessment, interviews, report‑writing, case presentations, and consultations.” (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

This effectively means at least 1,800 of the 3,600 hours must be “service‑related” activities directly involving client care and closely related tasks (report writing, case presentations, consultations, etc.). The remaining hours can be other professional activities within the supervised setting (e.g., training, supervision, record review).

2.3 Predoctoral internship requirements (1,800 of the 3,600 hours)

The predoctoral internship has its own structure in Section 2 of 201 KAR 26:190:

• Setting and structure:

  • Must occur within an organized training program, not just ad‑hoc supervised work or on‑the‑job training, with a “planned, programmed sequence of training experiences.” (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
  • The program must have a clearly designated staff psychologist responsible for the integrity and quality of the internship.

• Minimum direct client time:

  • “At least twenty‑five (25) percent of the trainee's time shall be in direct client contact.” (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

• Supervision:

  • The internship must include a minimum of two (2) hours per week of regularly scheduled, formal, face‑to‑face individual supervision, plus at least two (2) additional hours per week in learning activities (case conferences, seminars on clinical issues, group supervision, etc.). (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
  • Supervision must be provided by staff with clinical responsibility for the cases; at least half of the internship supervision must be by one or more doctoral‑level psychologists. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

• Time frame:

  • The internship “shall be completed within twenty‑four (24) months” unless the board grants an extension for extreme extenuating circumstances. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

Important nuance about “direct experience” in Kentucky’s language

Kentucky does not say, for example, “1,500 hours of direct client service and 1,500 hours of supervised experience.” Instead, it uses:

• “At least 25% of the trainee’s time… in direct client contact” during the internship, and
• “At least 50% of the supervised professional experience… in service‑related activities” across the entire 3,600 hours. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

So direct clinical work is built in as minimum percentages, not as a separate fixed number of hours.

2.4 Additional 1,800 hours of supervised professional experience

The other 1,800 hours beyond the internship are described in Section 3 of 201 KAR 26:190:

• Nature of the experience:

  • The 1,800 hours “shall be a training‑oriented professional experience” that:
    • May include course‑related field experiences and practica; and
    • “Shall take place in an identifiable clinical setting with mental health clients.” (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

• Required training elements:

  • In addition to diagnostic and treatment activities conducted directly with clients, the experience must include “a planned and organized sequence of activities” with explicit training and supervision in:
    • Clinical skill development
    • Legal and regulatory issues
    • Ethical dilemmas and issues
    • Supervisory skill development (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

• Supervision and settings:

  • During these 1,800 hours, the candidate must:
    • Be “under supervision as required by 201 KAR 26:171” (the general supervision rule). (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
    • Provide psychological health care services under supervision in a setting such as a health care facility, regional mental health board, school, college, university, government agency, independent practice, or formal postdoctoral program. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

In short, this second block of 1,800 hours is also fully supervised clinical training and can be completed pre‑ or postdoctorally as long as it meets these criteria.

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3. Application and temporary licensure

Once you have met the statutory requirements (including the education and the 3,600 supervised hours), you apply under 201 KAR 26:155 (Licensed psychologist: application procedures and temporary license).

3.1 Application components

After meeting KRS 319.050(2), you may apply for a licensed psychologist or temporarily licensed psychologist credential. The application must include: (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

• A certification that the information is true and complete, and acknowledgment that misrepresentation may lead to discipline.
• Payment of the application fee (to the Kentucky State Treasurer or via the board’s online application management system).
• Three recommendations evaluating your professional ability, obtained within 5 years of application:
  • At least two recommendations must be from individuals with a doctorate in psychology (PhD, PsyD, EdD).
• Official transcripts for all education required for licensure, sent directly from the institution (sealed or electronic).

3.2 Temporary license (optional but common)

While you finish examinations, you may request a temporary license to practice at the doctoral level:

• You must have a proposed supervisor who is a licensed psychologist with health service provider certification approved by the board. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
• Supervision under a temporary license must include at least one (1) hour of individual, face‑to‑face supervision weekly. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
• You must take the EPPP within one year of the board’s written approval of temporary licensure. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
• A temporary license is valid for one year from the date of approval (with further conditions detailed in the regulation). (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

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4. Examinations required for LP licensure

Examination requirements are set out in 201 KAR 26:230 (Examinations and applications).

4.1 National examination – EPPP

• Kentucky’s national exam is the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
• It is computer‑administered.
• For licensure as a licensed psychologist, you must:
  • Obtain an EPPP scaled score of 500 or greater, or
  • Have previously achieved a national EPPP score that met the doctoral‑level criterion at the time it was taken. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

4.2 Kentucky examinations – jurisprudence and competency

Kentucky also requires state‑specific exams: (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

• Jurisprudence examination

  • Covers Kentucky mental health law.
  • You must score at least 80% to pass.

• Competency examination

  • Covers ethical principles and professional practice.
  • You must score 100% to pass.
  • For licensed psychologists, it is administered by two licensed psychologists approved by the board. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

An LP applicant is not scheduled for the Kentucky examinations until:

1. The national EPPP has been passed, and
2. The board has determined that the 3,600 hours of supervised experience have been successfully completed and approved. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

There are remediation procedures if you fail one of these exams, and a cap of three attempts on each Kentucky exam, after which you may be limited to practice as a psychological associate. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

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5. Health Service Provider (HSP) designation: extra clinical hours

Kentucky distinguishes between being a Licensed Psychologist and being a Licensed Psychologist with Health Service Provider (HSP) designation. The HSP status is what authorizes you to provide and supervise “psychological health care services” independently, and it has its own hour requirement in 201 KAR 26:125.

A licensed psychologist can qualify for HSP in one of two broad ways:

1. 1,800 hours of clinically supervised experience (HSP track)
2. Recognized national credentials and experience

The hour‑based option (often most relevant to new licensees) is described in 201 KAR 26:125, Section 1–2:

• “The training and supervised experience shall include:
  (a) 1,800 hours of clinically supervised experience…” (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
• The 1,800 hours of clinically supervised experience must:
  • Be within one or more health care settings “in which the licensed psychologist delivered direct psychological health care services… in addition to the 3,600 supervised experience hours required for licensure as a licensed psychologist under 201 KAR 26:190.” (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
  • Be supervised by a licensed psychologist with the health service provider designation, with one hour of individual supervision each week. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

In other words, if you’re coming straight out of a traditional doctoral pathway:

• You first complete 3,600 hours of supervised professional experience (with the 1,800‑hour internship + 1,800 additional supervised hours) to become a Licensed Psychologist. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
• Then you add 1,800 hours of clinically supervised experience delivering direct psychological health care services under an HSP supervisor to qualify for the health service provider designation (unless you instead qualify via ABPP, CPQ, or National Register plus 5 years of independent practice). (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

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6. Hour requirements summarized (Kentucky LP route)

Putting the numbers and wording together:

• Supervised professional experience for LP (201 KAR 26:190):

  • 3,600 hours total of “supervised professional experience” for an applicant for licensure as a psychologist with authorization to provide psychological health care services. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
  • Of these 3,600 hours:
    • 1,800 hours must be a predoctoral internship with:
      • At least 100 hours of supervisory sessions. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
      • At least 25% of time in direct client contact. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
      • At least 2 hours/week individual supervision plus 2 hours/week additional learning activities (case conferences, seminars, group supervision). (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
    • 1,800 hours must be additional supervised professional experience (pre‑ and/or postdoc) in clinical settings with mental health clients, with a structured training plan and supervision under 201 KAR 26:171. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
  • Across the full 3,600 hours, “at least fifty (50) percent of the supervised professional experience shall be in service‑related activities, such as treatment, assessment, interviews, report‑writing, case presentations, and consultations.” (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

• Additional clinically supervised hours for Health Service Provider designation (201 KAR 26:125):

  • 1,800 hours of “clinically supervised experience” delivering direct psychological health care services in health care settings, in addition to the 3,600 hours above.
  • Weekly supervision of one hour of individual supervision by a licensed psychologist with HSP status. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

• Education (201 KAR 26:200):

  • Doctoral degree in psychology from a regionally accredited institution, minimum 3 years of graduate study with 1 full academic year in residence, including required practica and specified coursework in core content areas. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

• Examinations (201 KAR 26:230):

  • EPPP with a scaled score of 500 or greater for LP.
  • Kentucky jurisprudence exam (≥80%).
  • Kentucky competency exam in ethics and professional practice (100%). (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

• Application & temporary licensure (201 KAR 26:155):

  • Completed application with 3 professional recommendations (2 doctoral psychologists), official transcripts, application fee.
  • Optional temporary license with weekly individual supervision while taking the EPPP and Kentucky exams. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

This combination—qualifying doctoral education, 3,600 hours of supervised professional experience with the specified breakdown and service‑related requirements, successful completion of the EPPP and Kentucky exams, and a complete application—is what the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology currently requires to become a Licensed Psychologist (LP). Health Service Provider status then adds another 1,800 hours of clinically supervised, direct psychological health care services or equivalent national credentials plus experience.