How to gain "supervised professional experience" after training in the UK?

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ash18

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Hi all,

How would someone who trained as a Clinical Psychologist in the UK obtain the supervised professional experience required for licensure?
I am originally from California and the state board does not accept foreign-earned supervised professional experience. Am I correct in thinking I would need to complete two post-docs in order to gain the total 3000 hours required? How would I apply for these?

Thank you for any insight provided😊

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If you have a doctorate, then you would probably have to complete a re-specialization program in clinical psychology (e.g., Alliant). If you have a masters degree, then you would have to complete a PsyD or PhD including the internship and postdoc.
 
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Hi all,

How would someone who trained as a Clinical Psychologist in the UK obtain the supervised professional experience required for licensure?
I am originally from California and the state board does not accept foreign-earned supervised professional experience. Am I correct in thinking I would need to complete two post-docs in order to gain the total 3000 hours required? How would I apply for these?

Thank you for any insight provided😊
I don't know anything about the specifics, but a 2-year postdoc would likely give you at least that many hours. I also know that California is one of the trickier states to get licensed in, even when coming from an APA-accredited U.S. program (e.g., additional courses that need to be taken, etc.).
 
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Caveat: I'm not licensed in California. But they are on the stricter end of the scale in terms of tracking supervised experience (e.g., I believe the supervisor and you essentially have to register with the board at the outset of the supervision period, and the supervisor will have to complete forms about your activities afterward).

One or two formal or informal postdocs would be one way to get supervised hours, although coming from another country, applying for them could be tricky. Or you could just find a licensed psychologist willing to supervise you for the necessary hours. The state board will stipulate how much supervision (i.e., number of hours) you need to receive. For most states, it's around a couple hours per week. The state board will also stipulate how the supervision can occur (e.g., in-person or remotely).

But before doing all that, adding on to what PsyDr mentioned above: if you haven't already, you'll want to check with the state board to see if they'll accept your extant education and training, and if so, at what level (i.e., as a psychologist, or perhaps as a masters-level provider).
 
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4. I have a doctoral degree from outside the United States or Canada. Will my doctoral degree qualify for licensure?

Answer: It may. The doctoral degree must be evaluated by a foreign credential evaluation service that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), or by the National Register of Health Services Psychologists (NRHSPF). The member of the NACES or the NRHSP is required to submit the evaluation to the board directly and include in the evaluation all of the following:

  • A transcript in English, or translated into English by the credential evaluation service, of the degree used to qualify for licensure.
  • An indication that the degree used to qualify for licensure is verified using primary sources.
  • A determination that the degree is equivalent to a degree that qualifies for licensure pursuant to BPC §2914(b)(5).
Have you done this yet? Or have it on good confidence that your current degree will pass?

If not, the board can likely give some guidance on respecialization as PsyDr mentioned.

If so, then you can start with APPIC and search their formal postdoc directory. Or start looking for jobs that hire unlicensed folks and provide the required supervision or find/pay somebody else willing to supervise you that’s independent of that organization.
 
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Hi all,

How would someone who trained as a Clinical Psychologist in the UK obtain the supervised professional experience required for licensure?
I am originally from California and the state board does not accept foreign-earned supervised professional experience. Am I correct in thinking I would need to complete two post-docs in order to gain the total 3000 hours required? How would I apply for these?

Thank you for any insight provided😊

It sounds like you have a DClinPsy (I'm assuming) and not an experimental PhD.
A couple of things to keep in mind: the North American clinical psych model is quite different. Psychologists at the doctoral level take multiple classes, do research and a one year internship in order to graduate. Then most states/provinces require additional supervised hours and a standardized exam (the EPPP). Students also do multiple practicum placements while studying/doing research, before the internship year.

While some of the things you've done for your DClinPsy may be equivalated, many things will probably not. I'm particularly thinking about all the courses, and the fact that your clinical training sequence is very different.
Your best bet is to contact the board/state reps in the state where you'd like to practice, and ask them what they usually ask from people with similar degrees. Depending on their answer, you might have to take graduate level courses and do some post-docs to get your supervised hours. Depending on the state, it might be quite competitive to get a post-doc, since most want people who had their internship year at an approved site (APPIC) and your credentials might be harder to explain.

I hope I'm not the bearer of bad news, but I don't see an easy path for you to get licensed fast. It will involve a lot of hoops to jump through and re-doing some of your training.
 
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Thank you all! Yes, I am earning the Doctorate of Clinical Psychology and will definitely need to complete at least six additional courses for California licensure. I expect there will be more given how different the teaching is in the UK🥴

I just couldn't wrap my head around the SPE requirements this morning. Looks like I can try to (a) apply for post-docs (APA, APPIC, or CAPIC accredited) but will run up against the issue of not completing an APA-accredited internship.

Or (b) look for Psychological Assistant/Associate roles and apply for Psychological Associate registration to earn supervision hours in California. I've contacted the state board to inquire whether I would need to complete the full 3,000 hours or just the 1,500 post-doc hours🤞

And then take the standardized exams. I fully expect this whole process to take at least two years but right now it feels worth it to be able to return home - I miss the sunshine!☀️
 
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