South-carolina TEMP Requirements & Hours Tracker

South Carolina’s Temporary Permit (TEMP) to Practice Psychology is a limited, short‑term authorization issued by the South Carolina Board of Examiners in Psychology. It is designed for doctoral‑level psychologists who are already licensed in another jurisdiction and need to practice in South Carolina for a brief period, not for trainees seeking to accrue hours.

Below is a structured explanation of:

• What the TEMP permit is and who it’s for
• The supervised‑experience and hour requirements South Carolina uses as its benchmark
• The step‑by‑step process to obtain the TEMP permit
• Key limits on how and how long you may practice under it

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1. What the South Carolina TEMP (Temporary Permit) Is

State law and the Board’s forms describe this permit as follows:

• A temporary permit is available to a person or firm of consultants not licensed in South Carolina and nonresidents of the state who want to perform psychological services in South Carolina.
• The permit allows practice for a period not to exceed sixty (60) days within a calendar year. (llr.sc.gov)
• The Board may issue the permit if the psychologist is licensed or certified in another state whose standards the Board considers equivalent to or more stringent than South Carolina’s. (law.justia.com)

The Board’s licensure webpage reiterates that it “offers a temporary permit which authorizes practice in this state 60 days in a calendar year.” (llr.sc.gov)

In other words, the TEMP permit is:

• Short‑term (maximum 60 days per calendar year in SC)
• For fully licensed, doctoral‑level psychologists from other jurisdictions
• Not a training permit for accumulating supervised hours toward initial licensure

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2. South Carolina’s Supervised‑Experience and Hour Requirements (Benchmark for “Equivalent” Standards)

Because South Carolina will only issue a TEMP permit if your home state’s standards are “equivalent to” those in Chapter 55, it is important to understand the Board’s own licensure requirements, especially the hours of supervised experience. (law.justia.com)

2.1. Required Degree

For full licensure as a psychologist, you must show: (scstatehouse.gov)

• A doctoral degree in psychology from:
  • A regionally accredited institution (or foreign equivalent authorized to grant doctorates), and
  • A program accredited by APA or CPA, or designated as a psychology program by the ASPPB/National Register designation committee.

The TEMP application requires an official terminal transcript of your doctoral degree in psychology, so TEMP holders must also meet this doctoral‑degree standard. (llr.sc.gov)

2.2. Supervised Professional Experience – Years and Hours

South Carolina’s current licensure page and its regulations together define the supervised‑experience requirement this way:

• Two (2) years of supervised professional experience are required. (law.justia.com)
• One of those two years must be postdoctoral. The other year may be predoctoral (e.g., internship/residency). (llr.sc.gov)
• The Board’s licensure page specifies a minimum of 3,000 total hours across those two years:
  • At least 1,500 hours of actual work per year, for a 3,000‑hour minimum total.
  • Each year’s “actual work” must include a mix of direct client service, training activities, and supervisory time. (llr.sc.gov)

In practical terms, South Carolina’s standard is:

• 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience total,
• Arranged as two years, each year being at least 1,500 hours of “actual work”,
• With that work including direct clinical/service hours plus training and one‑to‑one supervision (rather than separate hour minimums for each category).

This is the benchmark against which the Board assesses whether another state’s licensing requirements are “not lower than those required by this chapter” when deciding whether to issue a TEMP permit. (scstatehouse.gov)

2.3. Predoctoral vs. Postdoctoral Experience

The Board further clarifies how those two supervised years are structured: (llr.sc.gov)

• Predoctoral internship/residency:
  • May be counted as one of the two required supervised years if it meets Board expectations.
  • Must be documented via a Predoctoral Supervision Form submitted by the internship director or predoctoral supervisor.
• Postdoctoral supervision:
  • Must total at least one full supervised year (within the 3,000‑hour/1,500‑per‑year framework above).
  • Must be provided by a licensed psychologist in South Carolina in the specialty area(s) in which the candidate seeks licensure, and within the supervisor’s own area of competence. (llr.sc.gov)

2.4. Weekly Supervision Requirements

Regulation 100‑1 adds further detail about the supervision itself: (law.justia.com)

• The supervisor must be a psychologist in good standing licensed in South Carolina or holding an equivalent license in good standing in another state.
• Supervision must be in the specialty area in which the candidate is applying for licensure and also within the supervisor’s own area of competence.
• There must be at least one hour per week of face‑to‑face supervision, as laid out in a written supervision contractual agreement between supervisor and supervisee, which is filed with the Board at the start and updated at the conclusion of supervision.

These supervised‑experience expectations are part of the “standards” South Carolina uses when it decides whether another state’s license is equivalent enough to grant a TEMP permit. (scstatehouse.gov)

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3. Who Is Eligible for a TEMP Temporary Permit in South Carolina?

Taken together, the statute, regulations, and application forms show that a TEMP permit applicant must:

1. Not be licensed as a psychologist in South Carolina and be a nonresident of South Carolina, but wish to perform psychological services in the state. (llr.sc.gov)

2. Hold a doctoral degree in psychology from a qualifying program (see Section 2.1) and provide an official terminal transcript sent directly to the Board. (llr.sc.gov)

3. Already be licensed or certified as a psychologist in another state or jurisdiction:

   • The law requires that the home state’s standards be “not lower than” South Carolina’s. (law.justia.com)
   • The application requires license verification to be sent directly from your current licensing state to the South Carolina Board. (llr.sc.gov)

4. Meet the underlying supervised‑experience expectations implicit in South Carolina’s standards:

   • While the TEMP process does not make you re‑collect hours inside South Carolina, the Board expects your licensure in another state to rest on training and experience at least equivalent to its own two years / 3,000 hours supervised‑experience benchmark described in Section 2.2. (llr.sc.gov)

5. Be in good standing professionally, with no unresolved ethical or disciplinary issues that would disqualify you. The Preliminary Application for Licensure/Temporary Permit includes a series of statements and questions about:

   • Past or pending complaints,
   • Malpractice suits,
   • Licensure denials/suspensions/revocations,
   • Employment‐related discipline,
   • Substance‑use issues impairing practice, and
   • Criminal convictions involving moral turpitude or unprofessional conduct. (llr.sc.gov)

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4. Application Requirements and Process for the TEMP Permit

4.1. Required Forms and Documents

According to the Board’s website and the Temporary Permit Application packet, a TEMP applicant must submit: (llr.sc.gov)

1. Preliminary Application for Licensure / Temporary Permit

   • The Board uses the ASPPB Education and Credentialing Requirements Data Form as its “Preliminary Application for Licensure.”
   • This form collects your doctoral program details, practicum/internship experiences (including hours worked per week and hours of supervision per week), and foundational coursework.

2. Affidavit of Eligibility and statements of understanding

   • You must affirm that you are providing full and accurate information and authorize the Board to obtain additional information necessary to evaluate your qualifications.

3. Curriculum Vitae

   • A current CV summarizing your professional education, experience, and practice history must be mailed with the application.

4. Application / Temporary Permit Fee

   • A non‑refundable $250 fee (money order, cashier’s check, or personal check) payable to the South Carolina Board of Examiners in Psychology. (llr.sc.gov)

5. Official Terminal Transcript

   • An official transcript of your doctoral degree in psychology, sent directly from the granting institution to the Board. (llr.sc.gov)

6. Official License Verification from Your Current Licensing State

   • The Board requires license verification to be transmitted directly from the state where you are currently licensed. (llr.sc.gov)

7. Formal Application Materials (Regulatory Requirement)

   • The regulations state that “[a]n applicant for a Temporary Permit must complete both the Preliminary Application for Licensure and Formal Application materials and submit these materials with the Temporary Permit fee.” (law.justia.com)
   • In practice, the Board’s current Temporary Permit packet and online “Licensure” page appear to consolidate much of this process, but the regulatory language means you should be prepared to submit all materials the Board labels as both preliminary and formal.

4.2. Steps in Order

1. Confirm Eligibility

   • Verify that you:
     • Are a nonresident and not already licensed in South Carolina.
     • Hold a doctoral degree in psychology from an acceptable program.
     • Hold an active license as a psychologist in another U.S. state or jurisdiction, and that your training/experience likely meets or exceeds South Carolina’s two‑year / 3,000‑hour supervised‑experience standard.

2. Complete the Preliminary Application for Licensure / Temporary Permit

   • Fill out all sections of the ASPPB data form used by the Board, including:
     • Graduate program accreditation/residency information,
     • Supervised practicum/internship descriptions with hours worked per week and hours of supervision per week, and
     • Core psychology coursework. (llr.sc.gov)

3. Prepare Supporting Documents

   • Sign the Affidavit of Eligibility and statements of understanding.
   • Prepare and include your CV.
   • Arrange for:
     • Your doctoral transcript to be sent directly to the Board.
     • Your home‑state license verification to be sent directly to the Board. (llr.sc.gov)

4. Submit the Application and Fee

   • Mail the completed TEMP application packet plus the $250 fee to the Board address listed on the form and on the Board’s website. (llr.sc.gov)

5. Wait for Board Review and Permit Issuance

   • Do not begin practicing in South Carolina until the TEMP permit is formally granted.
   • The Board will evaluate:
     • Your educational background,
     • Documented supervised experiences, and
     • Your existing license and any disciplinary history,
       against South Carolina’s statutory and regulatory standards. (llr.sc.gov)

6. Track Your Days of Practice in South Carolina

   • Once approved, you may practice up to 60 days within a calendar year in South Carolina under the TEMP permit. (llr.sc.gov)
   • Keep your own careful record of days practiced to avoid exceeding this statutory limit.

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5. Scope and Limits of the TEMP Permit

• Time‑limited: Maximum 60 days of practice per calendar year in South Carolina. There is no separate “hour cap” in the law; the limit is by days, not hours. (llr.sc.gov)
• Geared to consultants/visiting psychologists: The statutory language specifically references “persons or firms of consultants” who are nonresidents. (law.justia.com)
• Does not substitute for full licensure if you plan ongoing or permanent practice in the state. For sustained work beyond the 60‑day limit, you must pursue a regular South Carolina psychologist license, which carries the 3,000‑hour, two‑year supervised‑experience requirement described above. (llr.sc.gov)
• Separate from PSYPACT: South Carolina is a PSYPACT state, and PSYPACT provides its own framework for:
  • Telepsychology across member states; and
  • 30 days per year of “temporary in‑person, face‑to‑face practice” under a PSYPACT “temporary authorization to practice.” (llr.sc.gov)
    The state TEMP permit is a state‑specific mechanism distinct from PSYPACT; eligibility and procedures differ.

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6. Summary of the Hour Requirements in Plain Terms

To tie the pieces together for your specific interest in hours:

• South Carolina’s Board expects a fully licensed psychologist (and thus a TEMP permit holder) to have come through training comparable to:
  • 3,000 total hours of supervised professional experience,
  • Acquired over two supervised years,
  • With each year including at least 1,500 hours of actual work that blends direct service, training, and supervision,
  • With at least one of those years postdoctoral, and
  • With weekly face‑to‑face supervision (minimum 1 hour per week) from a qualified psychologist in the relevant specialty area. (llr.sc.gov)

The TEMP permit itself does not require you to complete an additional, separate set of direct‑service vs. supervision hours inside South Carolina; instead, it relies on your existing license and the Board’s determination that your home state’s requirements match or exceed these South Carolina standards. (law.justia.com)