Board staff received several inquiries about recent changes to Minnesota Statute 148.925. Parties have requested clarification of the impact of the new statutory language from Board staff regarding whether or not an individual must first be an applicant with the Board prior to beginning their postdoctoral supervised psychological employment.

BACKGROUND

Recent changes to Minnesota Statute 148.925 subd. 6 state “Applicants preparing for licensure as a licensed psychologist during their postdegree supervised psychological employment may perform as part of their training any of the services specified in section 148.89, subdivision 5, but only under qualified supervision.”

Under Board rules, an applicant is defined in Minn. Rule 7200.0110, subp. 2, as, “’Applicant’ means an individual who has submitted to the board an application for licensure, registration, or admission to an examination.”
The recent addition of Minnesota Statute 148.9075 provides exemptions to licensure. Specifically, 148.9075, subd. 8 provides that, “ Nothing in sections 148.88 to 148.98 shall prohibit the practice of psychology under qualified supervision by a practicum psychology student, a predoctoral psychology intern, or an individual who has earned a doctoral degree in psychology and is in the process of completing their postdoctoral supervised psychological employment. A student trainee or intern shall use the titles as required under section 148.96, subdivision 3.”
Individuals completing postdoctoral supervised psychology employment who are not applicants, or who do not meet one of the exemptions in 148.9075, may be at risk of being found to have practiced psychology without authorization.

GUIDANCE

 

Given the exemption provided under 148.9075, subd 8, students who have earned a doctoral degree in psychology do not need to be applicants with the Board prior to beginning their postdoctoral degree supervised psychological employment. After a review of the statutory language in Minnesota Statutes 148.925 and 148.9075, the Board staff  views  students as having “earned” a doctoral degree in psychology when the student has completed all programmatic requirements for graduation, even if the degree is conferred by the university at a later date. At the time of application for licensure as a psychologist, applicants who began postdoctoral supervision prior to degree conferral will be required to provide a letter from their degree program director or equivalent stating the date on which all programmatic requirements were completed.

If there are any outstanding questions, please contact the Licensure Unit at psychboard.licensure@state.mn.us.

 

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