Psychology in Arkansas: A Human Services Profession
Psychology Licensure in Arkansas
You will find that there is a vast diversity of potential jobs available to the human services worker with a Psychology license. Arkansas offers its licensed psychologists many different opportunities in a variety of institutions and organizations. Arkansas boasts a population of 2.9 million people; because of this there is plenty of demand for licensed psychologists. A search of the Bureau of Labor and Statistics website yields the following Mean Wage for Psychologists in Arkansas, $68,9201. Some people enjoy the thought of working with people who are undergoing medical treatment. For those who like to work in the fast paced hospital environment there are 60+ major hospitals in Arkansas2. For people who want to specialize in child Psychology there are plenty of careers available within Arkansas’ 300+ school districts3. Many different institutions, companies and organizations in Arkansas are in need of properly licensed psychologists. You will find the step-by-step licensing process below to be extremely helpful in your journey towards enjoying the career of your dreams.
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How to Become a Psychologist in Arkansas
If you wish to become a licensed Psychologist in Arkansas, you will need to have earned your doctorate. Of course this means you will need to first earn your Bachelor and Master of Psychology degrees.
A Bachelor of Psychology is an extremely useful degree in and of itself. While it is a necessary step on the journey to licensure, it is also helpful in its own right. You will open up a variety of human services careers by getting your Bachelor of Psychology. Your course of study will also help you determine if Psychology is a field you wish to continue in.
Master’s Level Licensure
Having a Master of Psychology is a very useful degree and some states will allow limited practice with a Master’s degree through a lower level of licensure. With a Master’s degree you can practice as a Psychological Examiner in Arkansas. To do so, you will need to meet the following requirements:
- A minimum of 600 clock hours of supervised experience directly related to the intended use of the license
- Find an APA approved internship as described here: https://accreditation.apa.org/accredited-programs
- Provide 4 references including 3 from licensed Psychologists and one from director of the academic program where you completed your internship
- Pass the EPPP
Doctoral Level Licensure
To get your Arkansas Psychologist license you will first need to have earned your doctorate in psychology from a board approved school. Once you have your doctorate you will need to turn your attention towards accumulating your required field experience.
Field Experience
To begin earning your field experience on the way to licensure, you will need to do the following:
- Make sure that during your doctorate or through independent study you have completed all the required coursework as described here:
- Find an APA approved 2000 hour internship as described here:
- You will need to submit proof of your education and also your supervision plan to obtain the required experience for licensure.
- Provide 4 references including 3 from licensed Psychologists and one from director of the academic program where you completed your internship
You will want to look at the Arkansas page on the laws around Psychology license here:
These laws change so it is good to make sure you have current information.
Examination
Once you have completed your field experience you can apply to take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP).
You can find some helpful information about your EPPP here: