Licensed Behavioral Practitioner

Definitions and Acronyms

• BBHL      =       Oklahoma State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure
• LBP          =      Licensed Behavioral Practitioner
• CCE          =      Center for Credentialing & Education

General

Neither the Board nor Board’s staff can provide academic advisement. Applicants with questions related to coursework availability, enrollment requirements, or qualifying coursework transfers, and all other program specific questions must contact an advisor at a qualifying degree program for additional information.

All applicants for licensure must submit a complete application to the Board to qualify for an academic review. The Board must receive an official transcript to verify that academic requirements have been met. Applicants may arrange for either of the following:

• The university bursar sends an electronic, password-protected transcript to info.behavioralhealth@bbhl.ok.gov; or
• A sealed transcript is mailed directly to the BBHL office.

If an official transcript is not yet available at the time of application, an applicant may apply using an unofficial transcript together with a Verification of Academic Standing. The following sequence then applies:

1. The applicant submits an unofficial transcript and a Verification of Academic Standing in place of the official transcript.
2. The Board may grant a conditional, Board-approved exam eligibility period on that basis.
3. The applicant must submit an official transcript before the application is deemed complete.

The regional accreditation requirement applies to all graduate degree programs and the regional accreditation requirements must be met for all academic pathways described below. All graduate coursework applied toward licensure must be accrued from a college or university that holds regional accreditation recognized by one of the following regional accrediting associations (or their predecessors or successors):

• New England Commission on Higher Education (NECHE)
• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSCHE)
• Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
• Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
• WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)

In order to qualify for LBP licensure you must have at least a masters degree from a program in psychology and the program must be intended to prepare a scientist-practitioner in the field of psychology at the masters level and meet all the following criteria:

• The masters program must be clearly identified as a psychology program. Such a program must specify in a pertinent institutional catalogue, its intent to educate and train students in the field of psychology at the master’s level.
• The pertinent institutional catalogue must state the structure and content of the curriculum of the program
• The program must have faculty who hold graduate degrees in psychology or closely related fields

At least sixty (60) semester credit hours or ninety (90) quarter credit hours of graduate counseling-related course work, including internship, must be earned. You must have at least one (1) or more courses of at least three (3) semester credit hours or four (4) quarter credit hours per course in each of the following core behavioral areas:

• Assessment and Diagnosis - at least six (6) semester hours. Psychological theory, research, and methods concerning the measurement and assessment of an individual's behavioral or psychological functioning, such as the assessment of psychopathology, personality characteristics, intellectual functioning, skills and interests, and neuropsychological functioning
  
• Intervention - at least nine (9) semester hours. Psychological theory, research, and methods regarding empirically validated treatment modalities for the remediation, treatment, or prevention of behavior disorders, adjustment problems, and psychopathology, or other disturbances in psychological functioning
  
• Experimental foundations – at least six (6) semester hours. Psychological theory, research, and methods concerning the design, conduct, analysis, and interpretation of psychological research, or concerning the general principles and processes for the core areas of experimental psychology
  
• Psychopathology - at least six (6) semester hours. Psychological theory, research, and methods concerning the descriptive characteristics, diagnosis, and etiology of psychopathology, or mental and behavioral disorders of children and adults
  
• Personality and Social Psychology – at least six (6) semester hours. Psychological theory, research, and methods concerning the psychological or behavioral development and functioning of the individual and group differences. Three (3) of these hours shall be in a course in multicultural issues or cultural bases of behavior
  
• Professional orientation/ethics – at least (3) semester hours. Objectives of professional behavioral health services organizations, codes of ethics, legal aspects of practice, standard of preparation and the role of persons providing direct behavioral health services.
  
• Biological bases of behavior – at least three (3) semester hours. Physiological, or genetic underpinnings of behavior.
  
• Practicum/internship - Organized practica/internships with at least three hundred (300) clock hours in behavioral health services with planned experiences providing classroom and field experience with clients under the supervision of college or university approved behavioral health services professionals.

The remaining courses needed to meet the sixty (60) graduate hour requirement shall be in any of the knowledge areas listed above.

The Board of Behavioral Health Licensure provides two pathways for the review of academic requirements for licensure:

• Pathway 1 — Licensure by Endorsement
• Pathway 2 — Designated Credentialing Agency Review

Pathway 1: Licensure by Endorsement

An application for licensure by endorsement does not require an additional academic review. However, the degree earned must be primary source verified through receipt of an official transcript.

Pathway 2: Designated Credentialing Agency Review

If an applicant is not submitting an application for licensure by endorsement, the applicant must apply for review by the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE). The CCE academic review must be completed before applying to the Board. 

Application procedures and any additional considerations will be addressed in accordance with the terms outlined in the contract between CCE and the Board.

*Applicants with degrees earned from institutions outside the United States must provide an acceptable comprehensive evaluation of the degree performed by a foreign credential evaluation service that is acceptable to the Board’s designated credentialing agency, and any other requirement(s) the Board deems necessary.

If the applicant is not submitting an application for licensure by endorsement, the applicant will be required to apply for review by the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE). The CCE academic review must be completed prior to applying to the Board.

You may find the application and instructions at the link below:

• CCE Academic Review Application and Instructions