How to Become a Psychologist in New Mexico
The "Land of Enchantment" offers up some great opportunities for future psychologists. The New Mexico Workforce Connection estimates that the number of psychology jobs available in New Mexico grows by about 1.7% each year through 2022. A professional psychologist in New Mexico can expect competitive pay and benefits.
A psychologist’s job often puts them in a place where they’re primarily responsible for their clients’ well-being. Mental illness can range from mild to debilitating and it takes a qualified individual to offer help and treatment to individuals suffering with it. For these reasons, there are a variety of requirements in place designed to ensure that individuals gaining licensure within the state are highly qualified.
Education Requirements for Psychologist Licensing in New Mexico
A Doctorate’s Degree from a psychology program accredited by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards is required to obtain licensure in the state of New Mexico. The applicant must have majored in clinical, counseling or school psychology and evidence of this must be provided to the board before being granted a license.
High-quality schools like New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico offer great psychology programs. Read about psychology degrees in NM.
Individuals who are interested in becoming school psychologists need only obtain a Master's Degree or Educational Specialist Degree from an accredited university.
Supervised residencies and internships may be part of the Doctorate's Degree program you choose. These can often be counted toward the supervised experience you need in order to qualify for licensure.
Supervised Professional Experience Requirements for a Psychologist
New Mexico law also requires individuals to earn at least 2 years (3,000 hours) of supervised experience. This includes 1 year (1,500 hours) that can be obtained in a pre-doctoral practicum overseen by the doctoral training program and 1 year (1,500 hours) of supervised experience in postdoctoral psychology work. The board requires documentation of all pre- and postdoctoral experience by supervisors.
Note: To learn more about how to earn a psychology license in the state of New Mexico, please visit the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department.
Examinations for the Psychologist License Process in New Mexico
The Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) is required in New Mexico, as it is with most other states. This exam is administered by the ASPPB and will take most people about 3 hours and 20 minutes to complete. It’s the standard examination, and most psychologists have taken this exam.
The next examination is the Jurisprudence Examination. It’s designed to test an individual’s knowledge of New Mexico laws and ethics. There is no set passing score, as each completed exam is determined passing or failing by the Board.
Psychology Career Outlook in New Mexico
As of May 2011, there were 1,190 clinical, counseling and school psychologists in the state of New Mexico, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Their annual median wage was $65,020. This means that half of all psychologists in the state earned more than $65,020 and 50% earned less than this amount. On a national level, the lowest 10% of psychologists earned $39,060 or lower while the top 10% earned $110,410 or higher.
