Licensure, Registration, Certification, and Discipline Authority of the Board
Licensure pathway
The Board licenses doctoral-level psychologists. Core requirements include an approved doctoral degree, supervised experience, good moral character, and passing examinations. The national EPPP supplies the knowledge examination; Pennsylvania adds a jurisprudence examination on Act 52 and Chapter 41. Supervised hours must be documented and obtained under qualified supervision; the Board, not the applicant, determines equivalence.
Renewal and status
Licenses renew biennially. The Board's continuing-education regulation requires 30 hours per biennium, with mandated topic content set by regulation and renewal instructions. Late renewal, inactive status, and restoration are administrative processes; practicing on an expired or inactive license is unlicensed practice.
Discipline authority
The Board may refuse, suspend, or revoke a license; reprimand; impose probation or conditions; require remedial education; and assess civil penalties. Grounds include fraud in obtaining a license, incompetence, gross negligence, unprofessional conduct, criminal conviction, impairment, and violation of Board regulations. The Board also has investigative tools such as subpoenas and may refer matters for prosecution. Disciplinary proceedings are administrative, with notice and hearing rights and appeal to Commonwealth Court.
Worked example
An applicant passes the EPPP but has an old conviction. A pass alone does not entitle the applicant to a license. The Board evaluates moral character and may consider rehabilitation, time elapsed, and relationship of the offense to practice. The applicant should disclose the conviction accurately; concealment is an independent ground for denial.
Traps
Passing the EPPP is not licensure. A psychologist title from another state does not automatically transfer; endorsement depends on substantial equivalence. Do not confuse Board discipline with malpractice; both may arise from one act but use different forums and standards.