Supervision and Experience Verification
What this domain tests
Supervision and experience verification tests how hours are accrued, who may supervise, and how supervisors document experience so IDFPR will accept it. The exam focuses on the Rules’ supervision ratios, supervisor qualifications, and the verification form.
Core rules
- Supervisor qualifications. The supervisor must hold an active Illinois clinical psychologist license and meet the experience requirement in the Rules-generally at least two years of post-licensure experience. A supervisor licensed only in another state may not verify Illinois hours unless the Rules permit it.
- Supervision ratio. The Rules require documented, regular supervision-commonly at least one hour of individual supervision per week or one hour per 20 hours of experience, with a minimum frequency. Group supervision counts only in limited amounts.
- Direct client contact. Hours must include assessment, diagnosis, therapy, and consultation; administrative or teaching hours are not countable unless the Rules expressly allow them.
- Verification. The supervisor, not the applicant, completes and signs the verification form, attesting to dates, total hours, direct contact hours, and the nature of the experience.
Worked example
A postdoctoral trainee logs 1,600 hours over 10 months, but her supervisor met with her monthly for two hours. The hours fail the supervision ratio and frequency requirements, so IDFPR may reject the entire block. She must repeat or extend the experience under compliant weekly supervision.
Traps
- Retroactive supervision: signing off on hours not actually supervised.
- Using a supervisor whose license lapsed during the experience.
- Counting group supervision without checking the limit.
- Assuming out-of-state postdoctoral hours automatically count.