Psychologist

A psychologist who is licensed by another state or territory of the United States or a foreign country or province whose standards, in the opinion of the board, are equivalent to or higher than the requirements for licensure as a psychologist in s. 455.04 (1), Stats., may provide psychological services in Wisconsin for not more than 60 days in any calendar year without holding a license issued under s. 455.04 (1), Stats.

If the practice exceeds 20 days in a calendar year, the psychologist must report in writing to the board the nature and extent of their practice by submitting form 8139.

Please note that a psychologist provides psychological services in this state whenever the patient or client is located in this state, regardless of where the psychologist is located.

Effective 6/1/2021, the 2021 Wisconsin Act 22, codified into Wisconsin 2021 Statute Chapter 455, discontinued the Wisconsin Psychology Examining Board initial licensure of private practice school psychologists. Applicants interested in pursuing a school psychologist credential must go to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website.

Please note: private practice school psychologists who, on 5/31/2021, held a valid private practice school psychologist license under Wisconsin 2019 Statute 455.04(4) may continue to renew their Wisconsin Psychology Examining Board license.

Renewal Information

For a list of renewal dates please see: Renewal Date Page

To Renew:

You will be able to renew your credential approximately 4 weeks prior to your license expiring. You will receive an email to the email address on file with instructions on how to renew.

1. ​Online Log In: Go to LicensE

2. Select "Renew My License"

3. Complete the application

4. Upload any required documents

5. Submit payment

6. See fees list here: Credential Fees

To renew your Wisconsin psychologist license, you must complete 40 hours of continuing education (CE) every two years, unless you have been granted a waiver or postponement.

Your continuing education must include:

• 40 total hours of Board-approved continuing education.

• At least 6 hours in ethics, risk management, or jurisprudence.

First Licensing Period

If this is the first two-year licensing period after your license was issued, you do not need to complete continuing education before your first renewal.

Approved Continuing Education

The Department does not pre-approve continuing education programs. Courses will count toward your renewal if they meet the requirements in Wisconsin Administrative Code Chapter PSY 4.

Continuing education may be earned through programs approved by organizations such as:

• American Psychological Association (APA)

• National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)

• Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)

• Wisconsin Psychological Association (WPA)

• Wisconsin School Psychologists Association (WSPA)

• Category 1 continuing medical education approved by the American Medical Association (AMA) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA)

• Psychology licensing boards in other states where you are also licensed

• Accredited colleges and universities offering graduate-level psychology courses

Other Ways to Earn Continuing Education Credit

You may also receive CE credit for approved professional activities, including:

• Publishing a professional book or peer-reviewed journal article (up to 20 hours).

• Teaching graduate-level courses, seminars, or workshops for the first time (up to 20 hours).

• Completing graduate-level coursework relevant to psychology (up to 20 hours).

You must keep documentation of all continuing education activities in case you are selected for an audit.

Additional Forms

The following forms are available for psychologists:

• Trainee Attestation Supervision Form

Renewal Period

The two-year reporting period runs from:

October 1 of an odd-numbered year through September 30 of the next odd-numbered year

(example: October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2027).

For complete continuing education requirements, see Wisconsin Administrative Code Chapter PSY 4.

Only available to private practice school psychologist credential holders who were granted their license by DSPS prior to June 1, 2021.

Renewal application and proof of completion of hours of continuing education under s. Psy 4.025 are required. 

Renewal of credentials issued after June 1, 2021, should be submitted to the WI Department of Public Instruction.

Per Wisconsin Statute Chapter Psy 4.04, a credential holder with an active or expired credential is eligible to place his or her credential in Retired status if:

• He or she is retired and no longer engages in the practice for which the credential was issued

If you do not intend to practice and want your license in Retired status, renew online in LicensE. Follow instructions given during the renewal process.

• If during the biennium, the credential holder needs to change from Retired to Active status, they must apply for Active status, by submitting CE completion documents, before returning to the practice authorized under his or her credential by submitting a support ticket to request the change in status.

• You can pay all fees associated with your credential by going to LicensE. 

• You will be asked to pay automatically at the end of your application. 

• You can pay with a credit or debit card, or via an automated clearing house or (ACH) payment.  

Please note, using an ACH payment can increase credential processing times by 3-5 business days.

You can view a list of fees for initial credentials and renewing your credential here: 

Credential Fees

The term credential is used universally to mean license, certification, permit, registration, enrollment and authorization.

• Applicants with convictions, who do not already have a credential, may apply for a predetermination. Predetermination is an optional, first step that happens before you would submit an initial credential application while meeting all credentialing requirements (e.g., education, training, examination, etc.)

  • To apply for a predetermination, log into LicensE.

  • If you have not created an account, you will first need to register.

  • After creating your account, log in, and select “Apply for a Pre-Determination.”

  •   Select the type of credential you would like to apply for.

  •   Follow all application instructions and upload all required documents.

• If the Department decides your record would not disqualify you, you can then apply for the actual credential and meet all the typical requirements like education, training, and exams.

• You may skip the predetermination process and submit your initial application for your credential. You must complete all steps to meet the credentialing requirements such as education, training, exams, and disclose your conviction record on your application.  Convictions and pending charges will be reviewed as part of the application process.

• Some applications require review by Department Legal staff.   

• This can be for a number of reasons, including but not limited to disclosure of convictions or pending charges, professional discipline, malpractice, termination, medical condition, supervised experience and application via reciprocity/endorsement.   

• Applications that require legal review will require additional processing time.  

• An application in the status “Legal File Preparation” is with DSPS and under review. 

Support Ticket
Submit a support ticket on LicensE and click "request support." Please provide as much detail as possible regarding your concern so we can work to answer your question with a one touch resolution. 

Call
608-266-2112

Email
dsps@wisconsin.gov

Office Hours
7:45am-4:30pm
Department of Safety and Professional Services
4822 Madison Yards Way
Madison, WI, 53705

Note: The in-person office does not process same day.

• LicensE at (license.wi.gov) is a self-guided online system where you can manage your professional credential from start to finish. 

• You will still need to review the requirements for the credential you are applying to. These can be found on the A-Z profession page. 

• With LicensE you can: 

  • Apply for a credential for the first time, with steps guiding you to upload your application documents, and pay all required fees.  

  • Renew an existing credential when it is time, to keep your credential active.  

  • View or download your credential for your records or verification.  

  • Update your personal information, including your phone number, email, and mailing address 

  • Submit support tickets and receive responses to your email from our staff experts.  

  • Allow third parties to review and upload required documents on your behalf 

  • Check the status of someone's credential using the public LicensE look up. 

• If you have never held a credential, you will need to create an account the first time you are on LicensE. 

  • To create an account, visit LicensE. You will then select “register for an individual” if you are applying for a license held by an individual, or “register for an organization” if you are applying for a license held by an organization.  

  • If you are not sure if the license you are applying for is an individual or organization license, please visit our A-Z professions page and review the profession page for more information.  

• When you create an account, please be sure to use an email you will always have access to.  

• For more information on LicensE, please see link to LicensE "How To" Page.