SECTION 575:10-1-3. Private Practice Under Supervision

(a)   Purpose. The purpose of this provision is to provide an opportunity for individuals to fulfill the experience requirements for licensure in psychology in other than academic, governmental, or institutional settings. The applicant for such approval is considered to be requesting entrance into the established practice of a licensed psychologist for the purpose of gaining supervised experience.

(b)   Not an independent practitioner. The applicant, if approved to conduct Private Practice Under Supervision, is not authorized to represent him/herself as an independent practitioner of psychology to the public.

(c)   Application; eligibility; approval. Application for approval to Practice Psychology Under Supervision shall be made in the same manner, and on the same forms that are used to apply for licensure. A statement, signed by both the applicant and proposed supervisor, must be submitted with the application. The statement shall contain an explicit statement indicating that the supervisor agrees to supervise the practice of psychology of the applicant, and that the supervisor has read, understands and agrees to the provisions of the law with respect to practice under supervision, 59 O.S., Section 1353(d) to wit, that the supervisor accepts complete and full responsibility for the psychological activities and services of the applicant. Permission to practice under supervision will be granted only after the applicant has completed all requirements for the doctorate and the Board has been so notified by the university awarding the degree. Approval will be extended only to those whose training and experience would qualify them for licensure after completion of the experience requirements of the law, except for the second year of supervised experience as required in 575:10-1-2(g), and has been approved by the Board or a committee selected by the Board to sit for examination. Approval for practice under this provision shall be for a period of one calendar year dating from the date of approval by the Board of the application for Private Practice Under Supervision or until date of licensure. Extension of this approval shall be considered only upon written request of the supervisee and such request must be received prior to the end of the one-year period of previous approval.

(d)   Written agreement between applicant and supervisor. Applications for approval to engage in Private Practice Under Supervision shall include a written agreement, co-signed by the applicant and his/her supervisor, describing the terms of the supervisory arrangement. Said terms must include supervision time amounting to at least 90 minutes weekly and a statement of fees charged for supervisory time, the extent of the applicant's services rendered to the public while practicing under supervision, and an evaluation of the quality of the applicant's professional and interpersonal skills for rendering services to the public.

(e)   Notice of decision. The individual applicant for approval for Private Practice Under Supervision shall be notified in writing as to the decision of the Board or committee with respect to said application.

(f)   Preparation and distribution of certain announcements forbidden. Persons approved for the private practice under supervision are not authorized to represent themselves as independent practitioners of psychology. Preparation or distribution of announcements of practice, independent telephone listings, or other such notices shall be in violation of the authorization to practice under supervision and will lead to automatic revocation of the approval for practice under supervision.

(g)   Terminate responsibilities and obligations. Any individual practicing psychology under supervision must take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) and Jurisprudence Examination no later than one calendar year after the day permission to practice under supervision is granted. Failure to take the examination within the designated time period shall result in automatic revocation of the approval to practice under supervision. An individual approved for Private Practice Under Supervision who fails all or part of the examination for licensure, may be granted an extension of the approval for Private Practice Under Supervision; however, such approval shall be automatically revoked if the individual does not attempt re-examination within one calendar year from the date of the completion of the last part of the examination which was previously attempted. Under unusual circumstance, such as military service or major illness, an applicant may be granted an extension of the approval to practice until the next examination which the supervisee might reasonably be expected to attempt. If the applicant fails any of the three portions of the licensing examination three times then approval for practice under supervision will automatically be revoked.

(h)   Requirements for supervisors. Permission to practice psychology under supervision shall be granted to applicants who otherwise qualify, only if the supervisor for their practice is:

(1)   A psychologist who has been licensed for two years and in good standing.

(2)   Trained in the same major program of study as the applicant's doctoral training and who will supervise the candidate in work consistent with that major program of study.

(3)   Currently engaged in a private practice rendering psychological services to the public on at least a 10-hour weekly basis.

(4)   Is not a member of the psychologist's immediate family nor an individual with whom the necessary level of objectivity can be maintained. This will include, but is not limited to, a spouse, children, siblings, and parents or anyone with whom the psychologist has an emotionally or sexually intimate relationship.

(i)   Supervisor's responsibility. As per 59 O.S., Section 1353(6), the supervising psychologist accepts full and complete responsibility for all professional conduct of the supervisee; all professional responsibility resides with the supervisor, not with the supervisee. The supervisee will be considered to have joined the practice of the supervisor. The supervisory psychologist will normally be expected to accept no more than three supervisees under the provision of this section. Exceptions to this limit may be approved by the Board if the Board determines that adequate supervision will be provided by the proposed relationship.

[Source: Amended at 10 Ok Reg 1861, eff 5-14-93; Amended at 12 Ok Reg 1263, eff 5-11-95; Amended at 13 Ok Reg 1719, eff 5-28-96; Amended at 20 Ok Reg 1016, eff 5-12-03; Amended at 24 Ok Reg 2657, eff 7-12-07; Amended at 31 Ok Reg 2166, eff 9-12-14; Amended at 32 Ok Reg 2167, eff 9-11-15; Amended at 33 Ok Reg 164, eff 10-26-15 (emergency); Amended at 33 Ok Reg 1806, eff 9-11-16]