How to Become a Psychologist in Delaware
To be recognised as a Psychologist in Delaware you must gain a doctorate degree from an accredited educational institution.
The licensing process for a psychologist in Delaware consists of, completing your education requirements, supervised work experience, testing, and applying for the license itself. Below is a detailed description of that process.
What Are the Education Requirements to Become a Psychologist in Delaware?
Achieving a master’s degree is a significant step along the path to achieving licensure as a psychologist in Delaware, however, to be eligible to apply for a license you must continue your higher education to doctorate level.
In order to practice as a licensed psychologist in Delaware, you are required to obtain a degree at the doctorate level, either a Ph.D. or PsyD. Your doctorate needs to be in psychology or a closely related subject such as educational psychology, or equally an education degree that specializes in counseling psychology or education psychology from an accredited or approved school. Read more about DE psychology schools.
Supervision and Examination Requirements for Psychologists in Delaware
Once you have graduated with you Ph.D. or PsyD you are then required, by the Delaware State Board of Psychology to acquire a minimum of 1500 hours of supervised work experience, over the course of a year. Regulations also enforce that the supervisor must be a licensed psychologist and the experience gained must be within the same or a similar field to the one you are planning on working in.
After you have completed the required total of supervised hours you then need to verify your work experience, this is done through a supervised work verification form which can be found on the Delaware Board of Psychologists Examiners website. This website is also where you will find the application for licensure.
Once your application has been reviewed and accepted you then need to pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). For more information on the EPPP including testing locations, dates and content then visit the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards website.
After you have passed the EPPP exam you will then receive your Delaware Psychologist License allowing you to practice in the state.
Note: For detailed information about how to earn a psychology license in Delaware, please see the Delaware board of psychology overview of licensure as a psychologist.
What Can I Do with a PsyD vs a PHD in Delaware?
Once you have achieved a PhD or a PsyD you are then, providing you have met all the listed requirements, able to practice as a psychologist in Delaware. Which doctorate you gain will affect what career you go on to have, for example a PsyD graduate will work mostly in the clinical field and will have a lot of day-to-day patient contact. While a clinical career is also available to a PhD graduate they also have the added option of working in research or teaching.
Attaining a PhD or a PsyD are both viable options to becoming a psychologist in Delaware but the two degrees are built on very different programs and so graduates from each are faced with differing career options. A Doctor of Philosophy or PhD places a very clear emphasis on research, to accommodate this a PhD is a longer degree and so students would usually gain funding, it also requires a thesis than contributes some original research and findings into the field of psychology. A Doctor of Psychology or PsyD on the other hand focuses much more on clinical work and patient contact, the thesis required for a PsyD is also considerably shorter than that of a PhD, this is because research doesn’t play as big a part.
Psychology Career Outlook In Delaware
In the state of Delaware, the average annual salary for a psychologist is about $80,230. Those at the beginning of their career in entry-level positions can expect to earn around $59,650 increasing to about $98,900 for senior positions.
Find information regarding tuition, financial aid, enrollment dates and curriculum by requesting information from the programs below:
Additional Psychology Resources for Delaware:
- Delaware Counselor Licensing
- Delaware Social Work Licensing
- Delaware Marriage and Family Therapist Licensing
- Explore Additional Psychologist Careers
2022 US Bureau of Labor Statistics market trends and salary figures for clinical and counseling psychologists, school psychologists, and psychologists (all other) are based on national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed July 2023.
