Washington PY Requirements & Hours Tracker

Licensure as a psychologist (“PY” credential) in Washington State is governed by the Examining Board of Psychology under Chapter 18.83 RCW and Chapter 246‑924 WAC. As of rule changes effective August 14, 2025, the board requires a clearly defined mix of practicum, internship, and other supervised experience totaling 3,300 hours. (doh.wa.gov)

Below is a breakdown of those requirements, using the board’s own terminology where it matters.

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1. Big picture: total supervised experience hours

Under the current rules, to qualify for initial licensure by examination as a psychologist in Washington you must complete:

• Total supervised experience:
  3,300 hours of supervised experience (“a total of 3,300 supervised experience hours”) (lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov)

Those 3,300 hours must be composed as follows:

1. Practicum

   • At least 300 hours over at least nine months, as part of the doctoral program. (app.leg.wa.gov)

2. Additional supervised experience (minimum 3,000 hours) that includes: (app.leg.wa.gov)

   • Internship: At least 1,500 hours of supervised internship experience as part of the doctoral program; and (app.leg.wa.gov)
   • Remaining 1,500 hours:
     May be any combination of:
     • Additional practicum hours
     • Additional internship hours
     • Postdoctoral supervised experience meeting WAC 246‑924‑059

   In other words, the board’s rule now states that “the remaining 1,500 supervised hours may be obtained through one or a combination of additional practicum hours, additional internship hours, or a postdoctoral experience.” (app.leg.wa.gov)

3. Special reduction for certain substance use disorder professionals

   • If you can show proof of being credentialed as a substance use disorder professional for three years in the previous 10 years, the “remaining” 1,500 hours is reduced to 1,020 hours, so your total supervised experience requirement becomes 2,820 hours. (app.leg.wa.gov)

The Department of Health (DOH) summarizes the supervised‑experience structure like this: an applicant must complete at least 3,300 hours of supervised experience, comprised of a minimum of 300 practicum hours, a minimum of 1,500 internship hours, and the remaining 1,500 hours in any combination of practicum and postdoctoral experience. (doh.wa.gov)

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2. Practicum requirements (WAC 246‑924‑052)

Definition and timing

The rules define practicum as:

“A practicum is the initial supervised experience earned during the doctoral program.” (app.leg.wa.gov)

Key points:

• Must be part of the doctoral program (cannot be done after the degree is conferred). (doh.wa.gov)
• Must be a cumulative practicum of at least nine months (for current applicants). (app.leg.wa.gov)

Required hours and how they must be distributed

Current rule language (effective August 14, 2025) requires: (app.leg.wa.gov)

• Minimum hours:
  • At least 300 hours of practicum; may include up to 1,800 hours of supervised experience.
• Type of hours within practicum supervised experience:
  • At least 25% of practicum hours must be direct client contact providing assessment and intervention services.
  • At least 5% of hours must be regularly scheduled, formal, individual supervision.
  • At least 35% of hours must be other learning activities, including:
    • Case conferences
    • Seminars on applied issues
    • Cotherapy with a staff member (including discussion of the case)
    • Group supervision focusing on the services you provide.
  • The remaining 35% can be any combination of direct client contact, individual supervision, or other learning activities.

Practicum supervision

Supervision during practicum must meet specific standards: (app.leg.wa.gov)

• The practicum must be supervised by the person(s) responsible for your assigned casework, who holds an unrestricted license.
• At least 75% of the supervision must be provided by a licensed psychologist.
• Up to 25% of supervision may be by:
  • A psychiatrist with three years post‑residency
  • A licensed mental health counselor, marriage and family therapist, advanced social worker, or independent clinical social worker with five years post‑license experience
  • A doctoral‑level psychologist with three years postdoctoral experience who is exempt from licensure (in an exempt setting)
  • An individual in an internship or postdoc, themselves supervised by an appropriately credentialed psychologist.

Supervision must include discussion of services, case plans, theoretical concepts, ethical principles, relevant Washington laws and rules, and standards of practice. (app.leg.wa.gov)

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3. Internship requirements (WAC 246‑924‑056 & 246‑924‑057)

Core internship requirement and hours

The WAC provides that applicants “shall successfully complete an organized internship as part of the doctoral degree program.” (lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov)

Minimum structure:

• Hours: The internship must include at least 1,500 hours of supervised experience. (law.cornell.edu)
• Time frame: Those 1,500 hours must be completed within 12–24 months (or 9–24 months for school psychologists). (lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov)
• Doctoral‑level only: Internship hours must be part of the doctoral program; master’s‑level internship hours cannot be counted toward the 1,500 internship‑hour requirement. (doh.wa.gov)

Accreditation or “alternative” internship

You meet the internship requirement if your internship: (lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov)

• Is accredited by the APA or CPA, or
• Is a member program of APPIC, or
• Meets the detailed requirements of WAC 246‑924‑057 as an “alternative internship.”

For these non‑APA/CPA/APPIC internships, the rules (now in WAC 246‑924‑057, previously spelled out in 246‑924‑056) specify that, among other things: (law.cornell.edu)

• The internship must follow a planned sequence of training experiences, with ongoing ethics training.
• At least 25% of hours must be direct client contact providing assessment and intervention services.
• For every 40 hours of internship:
  • You must receive at least 2 hours of individual, face‑to‑face supervision addressing your direct services, and
  • At least 2 hours of other learning activities (case conferences, seminars, cotherapy with discussion, group supervision).
• The internship setting must have two or more psychologists available as supervisors, at least one of whom is licensed as a psychologist.
• At least 75% of internship supervision must be provided by a licensed psychologist with two years post‑license experience; up to 25% can be provided by specified other licensed behavioral health professionals meeting experience requirements.

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4. Postdoctoral supervised experience (WAC 246‑924‑059)

Postdoctoral hours are not automatically required; they are used only if you have not already accumulated the full supervised‑experience requirement by the time your doctoral degree is conferred.

When postdoc hours are needed

• If you have not reached 3,300 total supervised hours (including practicum and internship) by the time your degree is awarded, you may apply up to 1,500 hours of supervised postdoctoral experience toward that total. (doh.wa.gov)
• Postdoctoral supervised experience is required only if you do not already have enough total hours.

Structure and supervision ratio

The postdoctoral supervised experience section specifies: (regulations.justia.com)

• The supervisor is ethically and legally responsible for all supervisee work covered by the supervision agreement and has authority over service plans.
• You must use a training‑status title, such as “psychological resident,” “psychological intern,” or “psychological supervisee.”
• There must be a written supervision agreement covering:
  • Professional activities supervised
  • Hours and/or ratio of supervision to work
  • Mode of supervision, evaluation, and feedback
  • Business arrangements, how you represent yourself, and how disagreements are handled.
• Some direct observation of your work is required (e.g., notes, audio/video, client ratings, one‑way mirror).

Critically, the WAC sets a minimum supervision ratio:

• There must be at least one hour of individual supervision for every 20 hours of psychological work during the postdoctoral period. (regulations.justia.com)

Who can supervise postdoc hours

For postdoctoral supervised experience: (regulations.justia.com)

• At least 50% of supervision must be by a licensed psychologist.
• Up to 50% can be by:
  • A psychiatrist with 3 years post‑residency experience,
  • A licensed mental health counselor, MFT, advanced social worker, or independent clinical social worker with 5 years post‑license experience, or
  • A doctoral‑level psychologist with 3 years postdoctoral experience who is exempt from licensure (in exempt settings).

An applicant may not sign off as supervising their own postdoctoral hours. (doh.wa.gov)

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5. Doctoral program and non‑hour requirements (briefly)

To qualify for licensure by examination, in addition to the hours above you must: (doh.wa.gov)

• Hold a doctoral degree from a regionally accredited institution in an integrated program of graduate study in psychology.
• If the program is not APA/CPA/PCSAS‑accredited, it must include:
  • At least 51 semester or 85 quarter graduate credits in required curriculum areas.
  • A residency year.
  • An original dissertation that is psychological in nature and endorsed by the program.
  • An organized, sequential, coordinated practicum and internship meeting the WAC requirements.
• Pass:
  • The EPPP (Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology), and
  • The Washington jurisprudence exam (currently required as part of continuing education after initial licensure, but passing is still tied to practice requirements). (doh.wa.gov)
• Submit:
  • A full application,
  • Fingerprint‑based criminal background check, and
  • Professional Reference Request forms from all supervisors documenting your supervised hours.

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6. Putting the hours together: what the board is actually looking for

In practical terms, the Examining Board of Psychology expects your supervised training record to show, at minimum:

1. Practicum

   • ≥ 300 hours of supervised experience during the doctoral program, over ≥ 9 months, with at least:
     • 25% direct client contact,
     • 5% individual supervision, and
     • 35% other learning activities. (app.leg.wa.gov)

2. Internship

   • ≥ 1,500 hours of supervised internship as part of the doctoral program, completed in 12–24 months (or 9–24 months for school psychology).
   • In an APA/CPA‑accredited, APPIC‑member, or WAC‑compliant alternative internship.
   • For alternative internships: at least 25% direct client contact and at least 2 hours of individual supervision plus 2 hours of other learning activities per 40 hours. (lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov)

3. Additional supervised experience (up to 1,500 hours)

   • A mix of:
     • Extra practicum hours (beyond the 300‑hour minimum),
     • Extra internship hours (beyond the 1,500‑hour minimum), and/or
     • Postdoctoral supervised experience (up to 1,500 hours, with at least 1 hour of individual supervision per 20 hours of work and required supervisor qualifications). (app.leg.wa.gov)

4. Total supervised experience documented to the board:

   • 3,300 hours minimum, unless you qualify for the reduced 2,820‑hour track as a long‑term substance use disorder professional. (app.leg.wa.gov)

This is the structure and language the Washington Examining Board of Psychology and Department of Health will look for when evaluating whether you meet the “PY” psychologist licensure requirements.