Wyoming SSP Requirements: Hours, Exams & Step-by-Step Guide

Becoming a Specialist in School Psychology (SSP) in Wyoming is governed by the Wyoming State Board of Psychology through statute (Title 33, Chapter 27) and the Board’s Rules and Regulations, primarily Chapter 6 (Certification Requirements), Chapter 8 (Renewal), and Chapter 14 (Supervision). The Board calls this credential “Specialist in School Psychology” and issues a certificate, but it functions much like a license: you may not practice under this title without Board certification. (law.justia.com)

Below is a step‑by‑step description of the requirements, with emphasis on the hours and the Board’s own wording.

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1. Credential type and authority

• The Wyoming Board of Psychology “licenses Psychologists… and certifies… Specialists in School Psychology in the state of Wyoming.” No person may practice as a Specialist in School Psychology in Wyoming without first obtaining this certificate. (psychology.wyo.gov)
• State law defines a “specialist in school psychology” as a person who holds at least a master’s degree in school psychology (or equivalent) and who is certified by the Board. (law.justia.com)

Practically, people often say they are “licensed” as an SSP, but the legal term used by the Board is certified Specialist in School Psychology.

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2. Two eligibility pathways

Under Wyoming Administrative Code, Chapter 6, Section 6‑2, there are two routes to SSP certification. (regulations.justia.com)

Pathway A: NCSP + Wyoming PTSB School Psychologist

You are deemed to have already met the education, experience, and examination requirements if:

1. You hold the Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) credential, and
2. You are certified as a School Psychologist by the Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board (PTSB).

In that case, the rule states you “shall be considered as having met the education, experience, and examination requirements for certification as a Specialist in School Psychology.” (regulations.justia.com)

You still must apply to the Board of Psychology and complete its application and criminal background check, but you do not have to separately prove hours or exam beyond what is already documented by NCSP and PTSB.

Pathway B: “All other applicants”

If you are not in the NCSP + PTSB category, you must individually satisfy the Board’s Education, Internship, and Examination requirements laid out in Chapter 6, Section 6‑2(c). (regulations.justia.com)

The rest of this guide focuses on those explicit requirements and the associated hours.

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3. Education requirements (graduate semester hours)

For “all other applicants,” the Board’s education standard is:

The applicant shall have completed a master's degree in school psychology plus thirty (30) graduate semester hours, or a higher degree in school psychology with sixty (60) graduate semester hours minimum, consisting of course work, practicum, internship and culminating in a graduate degree in school psychology from an NASP‑accredited graduate program in school psychology. (regulations.justia.com)

Key points:

• Minimum total graduate hours:
  • Master’s + 30 semester hours or
  • A higher school psychology degree totaling at least 60 graduate semester hours.
• Those 60 hours must include coursework, practicum, and internship and must culminate in a school psychology graduate degree.
• The program must be NASP‑accredited, or otherwise meet “the current standards for graduate preparation approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) or its successor.” (regulations.justia.com)

These 60 hours are coursework‑based hours, not clinical time; they are separate from the internship clock hours described next.

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4. Internship / experience hour requirements

The primary pre‑certification experience requirement for SSP is the internship defined in Chapter 6, Section 6‑2(c)(ii):

The applicant shall have successfully completed a 1,200 hour supervised internship in school psychology, of which 600 hours shall be in a school setting. (regulations.justia.com)

Breaking this down:

• Total internship hours:
  • 1,200 hours of supervised internship in school psychology.
• Setting distribution within those 1,200 hours:
  • At least 600 hours must be in a school setting.
• Supervision standard:
  • The internship must meet “the current standards for graduate preparation approved by NASP or its successor.” This ties supervision, scope of activities, and evaluation to NASP’s standards, even though the state rule itself does not subdivide hours into “direct” vs. “indirect” service. (regulations.justia.com)
• Documentation:
  • The internship must be “recognized through institutional documentation (transcript)”, or for internships completed prior to December 31, 1994, accepted without that documentation if they meet the stated requirements. (regulations.justia.com)

Important nuance: Unlike some psychologist licenses that specify, for example, “1,500 hours of direct service and 1,500 hours of supervised experience,” Wyoming’s SSP rules specify a single block of 1,200 hours of supervised internship, with an internal distribution requirement (600 hours in a school) but no further breakdown into direct vs. indirect services in the rule text.

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5. Examination requirement

The Board requires applicants to pass the National School Psychology Examination (NSPE):

The applicant must pass the NSPE. A passing score is one which equals or exceeds the cut score determined by NASP for achieving the NCSP credential at the time the applicant took the NSPE. (regulations.justia.com)

Practically, this is the Praxis School Psychologist exam; you must meet or exceed NASP’s NCSP benchmark that was in force when you tested.

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6. Application process and background check

The Board’s forms page lists specific documents for SSP applicants: (psychology.wyo.gov)

• Specialist in School Psychology – Application
• Specialist in School Psychology – Supervision Agreement
• Fingerprint card instructions for all applicants.

Core procedural steps generally include:

1. Complete required graduate education (see Section 3) and internship hours (Section 4).
2. Pass the NSPE with at least the NASP NCSP cut score.
3. Obtain or document PTSB and/or NCSP credentials if you are using Pathway A.
4. Submit the SSP Application to the Wyoming Board of Psychology with:
   • Official transcripts showing the required degree and semester hours.
   • Documentation of your 1,200‑hour supervised internship (often via transcript and program verification).
   • Official NSPE (Praxis) scores.
5. Submit fingerprint cards and any required fees for state and national criminal history checks, following the Board’s fingerprint instructions. (psychology.wyo.gov)
6. Execute and file the Supervision Agreement with a qualifying Wyoming licensed psychologist (see Section 7).

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7. Supervision requirements after certification (practice hours & oversight)

Supervised status

By statute and rule, a certified Specialist in School Psychology:

• May engage in the practice of school psychology, but
• Must not use the title “psychologist” and
• Must “perform their activities under the supervision and responsibility of a psychologist” in accordance with Board rules. (law.justia.com)

Chapter 6, Section 6‑3(c) states:

• A “certified specialist in school psychology shall function under the supervision of a psychologist who has the appropriate training and experience to supervise individuals within the school psychology specialty scope of practice.” (law.cornell.edu)

General supervision framework

Under Chapter 14, Section 14‑3 (Requirements of Supervision), the supervising psychologist is:

• Clinically and professionally responsible for the supervisee’s work and must be accessible.
• Required to ensure that public announcements of services are in the supervisor’s name and that the supervisee’s supervised status is clear to the public.
• Required to maintain:
  • An ongoing record of supervision describing the supervisee’s activities.
  • Quarterly Supervision Report Forms, retained for at least 5 years.
  • Records documenting “the exact nature and number of hours of supervision” and “the exact nature and number of hours of acceptable post‑doctoral supervised professional experience” (the latter phrase applies primarily to psychologist licensure, but the record‑keeping duty extends to all supervisees). (law.cornell.edu)

The rule directs the supervisor to “establish and maintain a level of supervisory contact consistent with established professional standards”; it does not set a fixed weekly hour‑for‑hour ratio for SSPs in the current version of the rules. (regulations.justia.com)

Change in supervision intensity after five years

The one place where the Board specifies supervision hours for SSPs is after significant experience:

“Following five (5) years of supervised experience as a certified psychological practitioner or certified specialist in school psychology, the required supervision by a psychologist may be reduced, as appropriate, to a minimum of weekly consultation with one (1) hour of face‑to‑face individual supervision provided on a monthly basis.” (law.cornell.edu)

In practical terms:

• First five years as a certified SSP:
  • You practice under full, ongoing supervision of a licensed psychologist.
  • The rule requires sufficient contact to meet professional standards, but does not give a numerical weekly supervision hour requirement.
• After five years of supervised SSP experience:
  • Supervision may (at the Board’s and supervisor’s discretion) be reduced to at least:
    • Weekly consultation, and
    • 1 hour of face‑to‑face individual supervision each month.

So, while there is no requirement like “X hours of supervision for every Y hours of service” for SSPs in the current rules, there is an explicit minimum ongoing supervision dosage after five years and an expectation that earlier supervision be at a level appropriate to professional standards.

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8. Continuing education (CE) hour requirements for renewal

Once certified, you must meet the general continuing education requirement in Chapter 8, Section 8‑2, which applies to psychologists, psychological practitioners, and specialists in school psychology: (regulations.justia.com)

• Total CE hours:
  • 30 hours of continuing education every two (2) years as a condition of renewal.
• Timeframe for earning hours:
  • Hours must be obtained during the 48 months immediately preceding your renewal date.
• Source of hours:
  • Up to 20 hours may come from activities reviewed and approved by the Wyoming Psychological Association (WPA) or the Wyoming School Psychology Association (WSPA).
  • At least 10 hours must come from program‑designed activities reviewed and approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) or the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP).
• Documentation:
  • It is the licensee or certificate holder’s responsibility to obtain documentation of hours and provide it to the Board upon request.

These CE requirements are separate from and in addition to your initial 1,200 internship hours.

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9. Hour requirements in summary

For a Wyoming Specialist in School Psychology through the Board of Psychology, the key hour‑based requirements defined in statute and rule are:

1. Graduate coursework hours

   • At least 60 graduate semester hours in school psychology (either a master’s plus 30 additional hours or a higher degree totaling 60 hours). These are academic credit hours, not practice hours. (regulations.justia.com)

2. Internship / pre‑certification practice hours

   • 1,200 hours of supervised internship in school psychology, with a minimum of 600 hours in a school setting, meeting NASP standards and documented by your training institution. (regulations.justia.com)

3. Supervised practice after certification

   • Entire SSP practice is under the supervision and responsibility of a licensed psychologist.
   • After five years of supervised experience as a certified SSP, supervision may be reduced to at least weekly consultation plus 1 hour of face‑to‑face individual supervision per month. (law.cornell.edu)

4. Continuing education hours for renewal

   • 30 continuing education hours every two years, within a 48‑month window before renewal, with at least 10 hours from APA‑ or NASP‑approved programs and up to 20 hours from WPA/WSPA‑approved activities. (regulations.justia.com)

Wyoming does not impose an additional multi‑thousand‑hour post‑degree supervised experience requirement for SSP certification analogous to the 3,000 hours required for full psychologist licensure; instead, it centers clinical hour requirements on the 1,200‑hour supervised internship that meets NASP standards, followed by structured, ongoing supervision during practice as a certified Specialist in School Psychology.