Virginia LAP Requirements & Hours Tracker

Licensure as a Licensed Applied Psychologist (LAP) in Virginia

The Virginia Board of Psychology regulates the “Licensed Applied Psychologist,” defined as a psychologist qualified at the autonomous practice level to apply psychological principles to areas such as organizational functioning, personnel selection, program planning and evaluation, motivation, development, behavioral adjustment, and consultation.(dhp.virginia.gov) Licensure is available either by examination (for new graduates) or by endorsement (for those already licensed elsewhere).

A key point up front about hours:
Virginia’s regulations do not prescribe a specific number of supervised experience hours (e.g., 1,500 hours) for the applied psychologist license. Numeric hour requirements (like the 1,500‑hour residency) appear only for clinical and school psychologist licensure, not for applied psychology.(law.lis.virginia.gov)

Below is a step‑by‑step guide keyed to the actual Board language and regulations in effect as of late 2025.

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1. Choose the Licensure Pathway

The Board describes two pathways for applied psychologists:(dhp.virginia.gov)

1. Licensure by Examination – For applicants who:

   • Have never been licensed as an applied psychologist in any jurisdiction, and
   • Hold a qualifying doctoral degree in psychology, and
   • Need Board approval to take the EPPP Part 1 – Knowledge exam.

2. Licensure by Endorsement – For applicants who:

   • Already hold an active, unrestricted, substantially equivalent applied psychologist license in another U.S. or Canadian jurisdiction and want to practice applied psychology in Virginia.

The core education standard is the same for both; the difference is how you demonstrate prior licensure and experience.

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2. Education Requirements (Core of LAP Eligibility)

Education for a Licensed Applied Psychologist is governed by 18VAC125‑20‑55, “Education requirements for applied psychologists.”(law.lis.virginia.gov)

2.1. Doctoral degree

You must:

• Hold a doctorate from a professional psychology program in a regionally accredited university.(law.lis.virginia.gov)
• The program must be an organized, integrated sequence of study with identifiable psychology faculty, a psychologist responsible for the program, and a matriculated body of students, with faculty who “provide appropriate professional role models” and guidance.(law.lis.virginia.gov)
• The program must encompass at least three academic years of full‑time graduate study (or equivalent).(law.lis.virginia.gov)

Foreign‑educated applicants must provide an evaluation from a credentialing service acceptable to the Board showing that the program meets Virginia’s regulatory standards.(law.lis.virginia.gov)

2.2. General core curriculum

Your doctoral program must include at least 3 graduate semester hours (or 5 quarter hours) in each of these content areas:(law.lis.virginia.gov)

1. Biological bases of behavior
2. Cognitive‑affective bases of behavior
3. Social bases of behavior
4. Psychological measurement
5. Research methodology
6. Techniques of data analysis
7. Professional standards and ethics

These are specified directly in 18VAC125‑20‑55(A)(5).

2.3. Applied psychology specialization

The regulation then requires a concentrated program of study in applied psychology:(law.lis.virginia.gov)

• You must complete at least 18 semester hours (or 30 quarter hours) in an identified applied area of psychology.
• The regulation provides examples of qualifying areas, including:
  • Developmental, social, cognitive, or motivation psychology
  • Applied behavior analysis
  • Industrial/organizational psychology
  • Human factors
  • Personnel selection and evaluation
  • Program planning and evaluation
  • Teaching, research, or consultation

The Board’s phrasing is that “demonstration of competence in applied psychology” is met by including this minimum of 18 semester hours (or 30 quarter hours) in such an area.(law.lis.virginia.gov)

Note: The regulation is course‑ and credit‑based. It does not specify a required number of applied practicum or internship hours for LAPs, only that the program must be an organized sequence that prepares you with the requisite competencies.

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3. Experience and Supervised Hours: What Virginia Does and Does Not Require for LAP

3.1. No explicit numeric supervised‑hour requirement for applied psychologists

The core licensure‑by‑examination rule, 18VAC125‑20‑41(A)(1), says every applicant must meet:(law.lis.virginia.gov)

• The education requirements in the section corresponding to the license sought (for LAP, 18VAC125‑20‑55), and
• The experience requirement in 18VAC125‑20‑65 “as applicable for the particular license sought.”

However, 18VAC125‑20‑65, “Residency,” applies only to clinical and school psychologist licensure. It explicitly speaks of “candidates for clinical or school psychologist licensure” completing a residency of at least 1,500 hours of supervised experience in delivering clinical or school psychology services.(law.lis.virginia.gov)

Applied psychologists are not mentioned in that residency provision. The Board’s own application instructions and forms also limit residency/verification of post‑degree supervision to clinical and school psychologist applicants. For example, the “Verification of Post‑Degree Supervision” and “Internship Verification” forms are marked “for applicants for licensure as a clinical or school psychologist only.”(ris.dls.virginia.gov)

Taken together:

• The 1,500‑hour residency requirement is for clinical and school psychologists, not for applied psychologists.
• There is no parallel numeric requirement (e.g., 1,500 hours of direct experience + 1,500 hours of supervision) stated anywhere in the regulations for the Licensed Applied Psychologist category.

In practice, this means that for LAPs the Board relies on the structure and rigor of the doctoral program—including whatever practicum/internship and supervised experiences that program requires—rather than imposing its own fixed hour total.

3.2. How this differs from clinical/school psychology (for comparison)

To highlight the contrast:

• 18VAC125‑20‑65(A) requires “candidates for clinical or school psychologist licensure” to complete a residency of at least 1,500 hours of supervised experience in clinical or school psychology over 12–36 months.(law.lis.virginia.gov)
• 18VAC125‑20‑54(F) then details how clinical psychology practicum hours can count toward that 1,500‑hour residency and defines:
  • “Face‑to‑face direct client services”
  • “Service‑related activities”
  • “Supporting activities”
    and sets minimum proportions of hours in each category and minimum supervision ratios (e.g., one hour of individual supervision for every eight hours of direct/service‑related activities).(law.lis.virginia.gov)

None of this hour‑by‑hour structure is extended to applied psychology in the current regulations. So while those definitions illustrate the Board’s terminology for hours in clinical training, the Board does not require LAP applicants to document a specific number of such hours.

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4. Examination Requirements

All applicants for licensure by examination as clinical, school, or applied psychologists must pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP).(law.lis.virginia.gov)

For the applied psychologist route, the Applied Psychologist Licensure Process Handbook (rev. 04/2025) lays this out as the EPPP Part 1 – Knowledge exam:(dhp.virginia.gov)

• After your application is deemed complete, the Board issues an Approval to Test email.
• You then register through ASPPB, schedule, and take the EPPP Part 1 – Knowledge exam.
• The handbook specifies that you must take and pass this exam within 2 years of the Board’s approval.
• ASPPB sends your scores directly to the Board; once received and all other requirements are met, the Board issues your LAP license.

At present, there is no separate state jurisprudence exam described for applied psychologists; the only stated examination is the EPPP Part 1 – Knowledge.(dhp.virginia.gov)

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5. Application Components for Licensure by Examination (LAP)

According to the Board’s applied psychologist applicant page and the 2025 Handbook, the typical licensure‑by‑examination file includes:(dhp.virginia.gov)

1. Online application

   • Choose Psychology as the profession, Applied Psychologist as the license type, and Examination as the method.(dhp.virginia.gov)

2. Application fee

   • Currently $200 for Licensed Applied Psychologists.(dhp.virginia.gov)

3. Official graduate transcripts

   • Sent directly from the institution to verify your doctoral degree and coursework satisfying 18VAC125‑20‑55.(law.lis.virginia.gov)

4. Areas of Graduate Study / coursework documentation

   • The Board uses an “Areas of Graduate Study” form and course syllabi, especially if your program is not clearly labeled in applied psychology, to verify you meet both the general core curriculum and the 18‑semester‑hour applied concentration.(dhp.virginia.gov)

5. National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) Self‑Query report

   • A current NPDB report must be provided.(dhp.virginia.gov)

6. If applicable

   • Verification of any other health/mental health licenses you’ve held.(law.lis.virginia.gov)
   • Proof of name change (marriage, court order).(ris.dls.virginia.gov)
   • Documentation addressing any criminal convictions, disciplinary actions, or impairments disclosed in the ethics/fitness questions.

There is no requirement in the LAP checklist for:

• Registration of a residency,
• Verification of post‑degree supervised experience, or
• Internship verification,

because those forms and requirements are used only for clinical and school psychologist applicants.(ris.dls.virginia.gov)

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6. Licensure by Endorsement as a LAP

If you already hold an applied psychology license elsewhere, you may apply for licensure by endorsement. The endorsement regulation, 18VAC125‑20‑42, applies equally to applied, clinical, and school psychology.(law.lis.virginia.gov)

You must submit:

1. Completed online endorsement application and fee.(dhp.virginia.gov)
2. Attestation that you’ve read and will comply with Virginia’s Standards of Practice and laws governing psychology.(law.lis.virginia.gov)
3. Verification of all other health or mental health licenses you’ve ever held, with no unresolved disciplinary actions or surrendered licenses in lieu of discipline.(law.lis.virginia.gov)
4. Current NPDB report.(law.lis.virginia.gov)
5. Documentation of one of the following:(law.lis.virginia.gov)
   • Current National Register of Health Service Psychologists credential,
   • American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) diplomate in a comparable category,
   • ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ),
   • Or five years of active, substantially equivalent licensure with at least 24 months of active practice in the last 60 months,
   • Or, for those with less than 5 years/24 months, a package showing that your original licensure was granted according to standards substantially equivalent to Virginia’s current education, experience, and examination rules, including documentation of EPPP scores and official transcripts.

Again, there is no separate numeric supervised‑hours requirement added for applied psychologists at the endorsement stage beyond whatever your prior jurisdiction required.

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7. Summary of Hour‑Related Requirements for LAP in Virginia

Putting it in the format you asked for:

• Direct experience hours required by the Virginia Board for LAP:

  • No specific number is stated. The regulations for applied psychologists do not include a numeric minimum of “direct experience” hours (unlike the 1,500‑hour residency for clinical/school psychologists).(law.lis.virginia.gov)

• Supervised experience / residency hours required for LAP:

  • None specified as a post‑degree residency. 18VAC125‑20‑65’s 1,500‑hour residency requirement is explicitly limited to candidates for clinical or school psychologist licensure, and no parallel section exists for applied psychologists.(law.lis.virginia.gov)

• Educational credit‑hour requirements that function as the Board’s main quantitative standard for LAP:(law.lis.virginia.gov)

  • Minimum of three academic years of full‑time graduate study.
  • At least 3 semester hours (or 5 quarter hours) in each of seven core areas (biological, cognitive‑affective, social bases of behavior; measurement; research methods; data analysis; ethics).
  • At least 18 semester hours (or 30 quarter hours) in a defined applied psychology area demonstrating competence for applied practice.

So, unlike some other licenses where the Board might say “1,500 hours of direct clinical service plus 1,500 hours of supervised experience,” the Virginia LAP license is structured primarily around doctoral education and passing the EPPP, with no Board‑mandated numeric tally of supervised hours beyond what your doctoral program itself requires.