§34-26-41. Applications; qualifications of applicants; issuance of license; practice without license; inactive status.

(a)(1) Any person wishing to obtain the right to practice as a psychologist or psychological technician in this state, who has not heretofore been licensed to do so, shall, before it shall be lawful for him or her to practice as a psychologist or psychological technician in this state, make application to the Board of Examiners in Psychology through the chair upon such form and in such manner as prescribed by the board.

(2) Unless a person has first obtained a valid license as aforesaid, it shall be unlawful and a violation of this chapter for him or her to practice.

(b) A candidate for licensure as a psychologist shall furnish the board with satisfactory evidence of all of the following:

(1) He or she is of good moral character.

(2) He or she is at least 19 years of age.

(3) He or she has received a doctorate degree from a department of, or school of, psychology, from an educational institution accredited and recognized by national and regional accrediting agencies as maintaining satisfactory standards.

(4) He or she is competent in psychology as shown by passing such examinations, written or oral, or both, as the board will prescribe, unless exempted pursuant to subsection (e).

(5) He or she is not engaged in unethical practice as defined in the Code of Ethics of the American Psychological Association.

(6) He or she has not within the preceding six months failed an examination given by the board.

(c) The board may issue a license to any person who is a licensed psychologist of another state, and who applies to the board, provided the licensee of another state shall furnish the board with satisfactory evidence of all of the following:

(1) He or she is of good moral character, and holds his or her license in good standing from another state.

(2) He or she is at least 19 years of age.

(3) He or she has received a doctorate degree in psychology from an educational institution accredited and recognized by national and regional accrediting agencies as maintaining satisfactory standards or, in lieu of a doctorate degree in psychology, a doctorate degree in a closely allied field, if the training received therefor is substantially similar to that required of doctorates obtained from departments of psychology.

(4) He or she is competent in psychology as shown by the passing of an examination, unless exempted pursuant to subsection (e), substantially equivalent to the examinations prescribed in subsection (a), or by the passing of a recognized national examination in psychology.

(5) He or she is not engaged in unethical practice as defined in the Code of Ethics of the American Psychological Association.

(6) He or she has practiced psychology in another state at least four consecutive years prior to application.

(7) That the other state under which he or she is licensed gives similar recognition and reciprocal licensing to licensed psychologists of this state.

(d)(1) The board shall accept the Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ) in psychology issued by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB), or its successor organization, or board certification by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) as evidence that the applicant, who has not within the preceding six months failed an examination given by the board, has met the requirements for licensure.

(2) The applicant shall submit all of the following to the board:

a. An application for licensure and the corresponding licensure fee.

b. Verification forms from the jurisdictions of licensure, verifying that licensure is current and in good standing.

c. A verification form from the ASPPB or from the ABPP.

(3) All applicants under this subsection shall successfully pass any local jurisdictional examinations. The board may deny licensure to any applicant who has had disciplinary action taken against him or her by any licensing authority or professional organization or who has a record that discloses any other matter that puts in question his or her competency to practice.

(e) The board shall issue a license to any applicant with a doctoral degree in psychology who is otherwise qualified pursuant to subsections (a) and (b), who is licensed in at least two states and who has passed a recognized national exam.

(f) An individual who possesses a valid license to practice psychology independently at the doctoral level, by any jurisdiction recognized by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, may practice psychology in Alabama for no more than 30 days each calendar year without applying for a license to practice psychology in Alabama, unless otherwise exempted pursuant to this chapter. This authority to practice does not apply to a psychologist who has been denied licensure in Alabama, is a legal resident of Alabama, or intends to practice full-time or a major portion of his or her time in Alabama.

(g) An individual licensed to practice psychology in another jurisdiction, who is providing services in response to a declared disaster or state of emergency, may practice psychology in this jurisdiction for no more than 60 days per year, without applying for a license, upon proper notification as required by board rule.

(h) A licensee may request that the board designate his or her license as inactive at any time before the date of renewal. Granting inactive status to a licensee revokes all privileges associated with licensure under this chapter until reactivation is requested by the licensee. Procedures for reactivating a license and granted by the board shall be established by the rule of the board.

(i) A candidate for licensure as a psychological technician shall furnish the board with satisfactory evidence of all of the following:

(1) He or she is of good moral character.

(2) He or she is at least 19 years of age.

(3) He or she has a master's degree in psychology from a regionally accredited institution of higher education, or has completed the equivalent of a master's degree from an American Psychological Association accredited doctoral program in psychology, as determined by the board. Educational requirements are provided in Section 34-26-65.

(4) Is competent as a psychological technician, as shown by passing examinations, written or oral, or both, as prescribed by the board.

(5) Is not engaged in unethical practice as defined in the most recent version of the Code of Ethics of the American Psychological Association.

(6) Has not within the preceding six months failed an examination given by the board.

(Acts 1963, No. 535, p. 1147, §5; Acts 1982, No. 82-152, p. 181, §4; Acts 1988, No. 88-216, p. 332, §3; Acts 1996, No. 96-394, p. 482, §1; Acts 1997, No. 97-387, p. 619, §3; Act 98-146, p. 230, §3; Act 2008-140, p. 212, §3; Act 2013-386, p. 1484, §1.)