West Virginia Psychology Education Overview

Psychology Licensure in West Virginia

The extremely beautiful state of West Virginia has great career options for human services professionals with a license in psychology.

Whether you want to work in private practice in Charleston, or at a hospital in Huntington, you will find that there plenty of professional niches for licensed psychologists.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the average annual salary for clinical and counseling psychologists in West Virginia is $88,540.

If you enjoy working with children, you can consider a career at one of West Virginia’s 56+ school districts. If you like a fast paced and highly stimulating environment in a medical setting, then you may wish to seek employment with one of West Virginia’s 58+ major hospitals.

Featured Programs:

Sponsored School(s)

Southern New Hampshire University

Featured Program: Earn your BA in Human Services with concentrations in Child and Family Services; Substance Abuse and Gerontology.

Request Info

Grand Canyon University

Featured Program: Choose from a variety of online counseling degree programs at GCU, from our Bachelor of Science in Counseling to our counseling master's degrees, including the Christian-focused online counseling and addiction counseling degrees.

Request Info

Walden University

Featured Program: Earn you BA, MS or PhD degree in Human Services in various concentrations.

Request Info

Liberty University

Featured Program: Our 100% online master’s in human services counseling degree is designed to give you a solid foundation in the study of human behavior and equip you with the practical helping skills you need to make a lasting impact on those around you.

Request Info

Purdue Global

Featured Program: Courses in Purdue Global’s social and behavioral sciences programs are reviewed by professionals and industry leaders to help ensure your education keeps you competitive.

Request Info

With so many options to choose from, you have an excellent chance of finding a career that will match your personal temperament and skill set. Below you will find a step-by-step guide to help you in the process of earning your license to practice psychology in West Virginia.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2024. Salary figures for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists. Salaries based on state data not school specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed May 2025.

Required Educational Background

Meeting the requirements to attain a licensure as a Psychologist in West Virginia will require discipline and perseverance on your part. Fortunately, the process of completing each of the steps for licensure will give you a great foundation to begin a lucrative and fulfilling psychology practice. You will need to earn both your Bachelor and Master of Psychology. To attain full licensure you need to continue your schooling and attain your doctorate of psychology which is required for licensure in West Virginia. Licensure for those holding a Master of Psychology is available in West Virginia as explained below.

Studying to earn your Bachelor of Psychology will give you tremendous insight into the field of psychology, while simultaneously giving you a degree that opens up a multitude of career opportunities in the human services sector. Even if you choose to not pursue full licensure you will have a valuable degree for your resume.

Master Level Licensure

Field Experience

• Complete an APA approved graduate program in Psychology
• Find a board approved supervisor and complete a Supervisor Contract with them
• Apply with the board for your gold card to become a Supervised Psychologist
• Once you have your gold card, you must then complete 5 years of supervised work experience
• Each year you must take 10 hours of continuing education requirements including 1.5 hours of ethics
• You must complete a mid-way evaluation 2.5 years into your supervised work experience

Examinations

• Pass the EPP with a score meeting the West Virginia minimum
• Pass the state administered oral exam

You can find more information about Master Level Licensure requirements here:

Doctoral Level Licensure

Once you have been awarded your Ph.D. in psychology from an APA approved school you will need to begin accumulating your required post-graduate hours of field experience.

Field Experience

To verify your field experience component, you will need to take the following actions:

• You will need to have completed 2 years of supervised work experience.
• You may complete one year in the form of an internship while studying for your doctorate.
• You will then need to apply for your license, have it approved and take your examinations as explained below.

You will want to familiarize yourself with the West Virginia specific rules and regulations for licensure. These laws change so it is good to make sure you have current information, you can find that information here:

Examination

Once you have completed your field experience you can apply to take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP).

• Pass the EPPP with a score meeting the West Virginia minimum.
• Pass the West Virginia state administered oral exam.

You can find some helpful information about your EPPP here: