LAC 46:LXIII.6501. Licensure Requirements; Application; Applicant

A. All persons applying under the provisions of this Subsection shall: 1. submit to the board the required application fee and the complete prescribed application which includes evidence that the person: a. is at least 21 years of age; b. is of good moral character; c. is a citizen of the United State or has declared his intention to become a citizen. A statement by the person under oath that the person is a citizen or that the person intends to apply for citizenship when the person becomes eligible to make such application shall be sufficient proof of compliance with the requirement of this Paragraph; d. holds a master’s degree in psychology from a regionally accredited institution offering a program meeting the requirements set forth in this Subpart; e. is not be in violation of any of the provisions of this Chapter or the rules and regulations adopted by the board; is not the subject of any pending complaints; is not the subject of a current investigation; does not possess current or prior disciplinary action by a professional board, certifying agency, or school; and has not been found guilty of or settled a claim for malpractice or negligence when the subject matter of such is related in any way to mental health practice; 2. demonstrate professional knowledge of the laws and rules regarding the practice of psychology in Louisiana by passing the Louisiana Jurisprudence Examination; and 3. submit criminal history record information as authorized by R.S. 37:2356.1 and in accordance with Chapter 12 of this Part, including submitting such number of full sets of fingerprints or other identifiable information, and payment of any fees and costs as may be incurred by the board in requesting or obtaining criminal history record information. The results of the criminal history record information search must be obtained, reviewed and considered acceptable by the board prior to approving the applicant’s status as a candidate. B. The board shall issue a license as a licensed psychological associate to each applicant who satisfies the requirements set forth in Paragraph A of this Section and completes the requirements under one of the following provisions: 1. New Applicant. a. A new applicant shall satisfy all requirements set forth in R.S. 37:2356.4, as further defined in this Subpart, including requirements for professional examination in accordance with Chapter 69, and supervised training experience in accordance with Chapter 73. b. a new applicant who has previously taken and passed the Professional Examination more than six years prior to application submission: i. shall be required to complete 40 hours or credits of continuing education as set forth in Chapter 8 of this Part, including two hours of credits within the area of ethics or law and two hours or credits within the area of multiculturalism or diversity. This requirement must be completed within two-years immediately preceding application submission; and ii. based on the evidence submitted as required under this Subpart, the board may require additional training, remediation, or supervision to ensure competence and to satisfy the requirements for licensure. 2. Reciprocity Applicant. a. A reciprocity applicant shall provide proof of current licensure, in good standing, held for a minimum of 5 years, as a licensed psychological associate, or its equivalent as determined by the board, granted by another member jurisdiction of ASPPB if that jurisdiction has entered into a similar agreement with this board providing for the licensure of Louisiana psychologists in that jurisdiction by reciprocity. b. For licensure by reciprocity, the requirements for licensure by another member jurisdiction of ASPPB shall be the substantial equivalent of those required in R.S. 37:2356.4, as further defined in this section. 3. Endorsement Applicant. a. Endorsement pursuant to the Welcome Home Act. i. An endorsement applicant who is relocating to and will be residing in Louisiana, shall provide proof that the applicant meets the requirements set forth in R.S. 37:51 et seq., the Welcome Home Act, which requirements include, but are not limited to, current licensure or certification for a minimum of one year, in good standing, as a licensed psychological associate, or its equivalent as determined by the board, by another member jurisdiction of ASPPB that required the applicant to pass an examination, or to meet education, training, or experience standards. 4. Military Applicant. a. The board shall issue a temporary registration to a member of the military, including the United States Department of Defense civilian employees who have been assigned to duty in Louisiana, or an applicant who is married to or is a dependent of a member of the military or a United States Department of Defense Civilian employee, pending full licensure, pursuant to R.S. 37:3651. b. Temporary Registrations shall be issued in accordance with Chapter 10 of this Part, applicable to psychologists. For purposes of this Chapter, the rules within Chapter 10 applicable to licensed psychological associates and their scope of practice shall be interpreted by replacing the term psychologist with the term licensed psychological associate and the term doctoral with the term masters. c. The board shall prioritize consideration of Military Applications. 5. Foreign Applicant. a. foreign applicants shall provide the board with documents and evidence in the form and manner prescribed by the board to establish that their formal education and training is equivalent to the education and training as specified in this Subpart. At minimum, a foreign applicant shall provide the following: i. an original diploma or other certificate of graduation, which will be returned, and a photostatic copy of such a document, which shall be retained; ii. a transcript or comparable document of all course work completed; iii. a certified translation of all documents submitted in a language other than English; iv. satisfactory evidence of supervised experience; v. a statement prepared by the foreign applicant in English based on the documents referred to in this Section, indicating the chronological sequence of studies and research. The form of this statement shall be as comparable as possible to a transcript issued by American Universities. b. The board may seek reimbursement from a foreign applicant to recover expenses incurred in reviewing unusual credentials. C. The board may, at its discretion, require a meeting with any applicant to review and verify his satisfactory character, current fitness, plans to practice, and specialty declaration prior to the issuance or denial of a license pursuant to this Chapter or any of the laws, rules or regulations governing the practice of a licensed psychological associate. D. Applicant status shall not be used for professional representation.