Colorado requirements

Psychologist licensure requirements in Colorado

What it takes to become a Licensed Psychologist in Colorado: 1,500 supervised hours, a postdoc required, plus supervision, time limits, exams and whether you can be supervised by video. Every figure is sourced to the state board and dated.

Sourced to State Board of Psychologist Examiners (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations)Checked September 25, 2026Not individually reviewed by a clinicianAbout this site

Licensed Psychologist · Colorado · regulated by State Board of Psychologist Examiners (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) · high confidence

DegreeDoctorate with a major in psychology (or board-determined equivalent) from an approved school; APA-accredited, or equivalency per Rule 1.14(B)
InternshipEquivalent (non-APA) programs: internship ≥1,500 hours, full-time 1 year or half-time 2 years, APA-accredited or substantially equivalent; practicum ≥400 h (150 direct, 75 supervision)
Supervised experienceOne year of postdoctoral supervised experience: ≥1,500 clock hours over ≥12 months, with 75 hours of supervision
Pre-doctoral hoursNo: post-doctoral experience means experience after the date all doctoral requirements were completed; internship/practicum are degree requirements only
Postdoc required?Yes
Postdoc hours≥1,500 clock hours, reasonably uniformly distributed over ≥12 months (teaching ≤500 h, research ≤500 h, psychiatrist-supervised ≤375 h; ≥50 h racial/ethnic bases of behavior)
Credential during the postdocPsychologist Candidate (PSYC) registration — post-degree hours count only if registered as a candidate (or unlicensed psychotherapist / exempt setting); requires jurisprudence exam
ExamsEPPP + Colorado mental health jurisprudence exam (open-book, online); exam results valid 5 years
EPPP-2not adopted (statute requires 'a single, written examination in psychology'; Rule 1.14(D) names only the EPPP)
PSYPACTmember; C.R.S. part 39 of article 60 of title 24, board duties in C.R.S. §12-245-308

Supervision during the postdoc

  • Supervision: ≥75 clock hours over ≥12 months, ≥50 face-to-face individual; remainder group only (≤10 people); 'No other modes of supervision will be accepted'
  • Who may supervise: Psychologist licensed in the jurisdiction where services were performed; or ABPN-certified psychiatrist (limited hours; psychologist must supervise testing)
  • Minimum time: 12 months
  • Time limit: No completion window; experience/supervision predating the application by >5 years not accepted absent good cause (Rule 1.14(A)(3))

Can you be supervised remotely in Colorado?

Mostly, with some limits. What shapes this: video status not stated.

  • Video supervision: Of the 75 postdoc supervision hours, 50 must be "face-to-face individual supervision". The rest may only be group. "Face-to-face" is not defined in the psychology rule, and unlike the LPC, MFT and social work rules it does not say "may be in-person or telesupervision". Rule 1.7's general list of supervision modes includes telephone, audio-visual and telesupervision.
  • Supervisor licensed in Colorado? other: a psychologist licensed in the jurisdiction where the applicant's services were performed (Colorado for Colorado practice), or a highest-level psychologist in that other jurisdiction. A board-certified psychiatrist may cover up to 375 hours.
  • Board approval first: No plan approval. Postdoc experience must be "under supervision approved by the board", in practice meaning a rule-qualified supervisor. Psychologist-candidate registration (jurisprudence exam) is available.
  • If you live outside Colorado: No rule on the postdoc's own location. The supervisor-license rule keys on where services were performed.

The client’s location decides which state’s rules apply. This is not legal advice; confirm with the board before building a program. Compare every state on the remote-supervision map.

Recent and pending changes

SB 24-115 (eff. Aug 7, 2024) made the jurisprudence exam a candidate-registration requirement and added candidate renewal/CE rules. Rules 1.20 and 1.24 amended eff. 05/30/2026 (CE and prescribing, not experience).

Where the rules are unclear

Colorado’s own documents disagree or are silent on these points. Ask the board if they affect you:

  • Does "face-to-face individual supervision" in 3 CCR 721-1 Rule 1.14(C)(5)(a) include real-time video (telesupervision), as it expressly does for LPC, MFT and social work candidates?

In the board’s own words

“Has had at least one year of postdoctoral experience practicing psychology under supervision approved by the board” — C.R.S. §12-245-304(1)(d)✓ matched in the source
“must have at least 1,500 clock hours obtained in such a manner that they are reasonably uniformly distributed over a minimum of twelve months.” — 3 CCR 721-1, Rule 1.14(C)(4)(b)✓ matched in the source
“Applicants must receive a minimum of seventy-five clock hours of supervision, at least fifty of which must be face-to-face individual supervision.” — 3 CCR 721-1, Rule 1.14(C)(5)(a)✓ matched in the source
“must encompass at least 1,500 experience hours.” — 3 CCR 721-1, Rule 1.14(B)(2)(g)(2)✓ matched in the source
“passing a single, written examination in psychology as prescribed by the board and a jurisprudence examination administered by the division” — C.R.S. §12-245-304(1)(e)✓ matched in the source
“Applicants must receive a minimum of seventy-five clock hours of supervision, at least fifty of which must be face-to-face individual supervision.” — 3 CCR 721-1 Rules 1.7(B) and 1.14(C) (eff. 05/30/2026)✓ matched in the source
“Modes of Supervision include but are not be limited to individual, group, telephone, electronic mail, audio-visual, process recording, direct observation, telesupervision” — 3 CCR 721-1 Rules 1.7(B) and 1.14(C) (eff. 05/30/2026)✓ matched in the source
“A licensed psychologist who, at the time of supervision, was licensed by the Board in the jurisdiction in which the applicant’s services were performed.” — 3 CCR 721-1 Rules 1.7(B) and 1.14(C) (eff. 05/30/2026)✓ matched in the source
“Has had at least one year of postdoctoral experience practicing psychology under supervision approved by the board;” — C.R.S. § 12-245-304(1)(d), (3) and § 12-245-308 (CRS 2024)✓ matched in the source
“The board shall register as a psychologist candidate a person who files an application for registration” — C.R.S. § 12-245-304(1)(d), (3) and § 12-245-308 (CRS 2024)✓ matched in the source
“"compact" means the psychology interjurisdictional compact authorized in part 39 of article 60 of title 24.” — C.R.S. § 12-245-304(1)(d), (3) and § 12-245-308 (CRS 2024)✓ matched in the source

Other licenses in Colorado

Sources

Checked against State Board of Psychologist Examiners (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations)’s rules, statutes and publications on September 25, 2026. The board decides; if your situation is unusual, confirm with them.

Track your hours as you earn them

Practice Harbor is free while you are pre-licensed. It counts your clinical hours from the sessions you mark as attended, and you can add outside hours by hand.

General information, not legal advice. Requirements are summarized from each state’s licensing board, statutes and regulations on the date shown; the board decides, and rules change. Becoming Licensed is not affiliated with any licensing board.