Health occupations: psychologists; requirements for practice by limited licensed psychologist; modify. Amends secs. 18221, 18223, 18233 & 18237 of 1978 PA 368 (MCL 333.18221 et seq.).
SB 413 would amend Michigan’s Public Health Code provisions governing the practice of psychology, with the main focus on limited licensure, temporary licensure, board composition, continuing education, and confidentiality. The bill keeps the existing requirement that fully licensed psychologists hold a doctoral degree and postdoctoral experience, but it creates a new, more detailed pathway for limited licensure based on a master’s degree in psychology and supervised postgraduate experience. Under the new framework, limited-license applicants would need either 3,000 hours of supervised experience for certain earlier degree recipients or 4,000 hours for those earning degrees on or after August 31, 2027, and the bill allows limited-license holders to practice without supervision within the scope of their education, training, and experience.
The bill also revises the Michigan Board of Psychology by changing its membership from 9 voting members to 11 over time, reducing the number of public members and adding more licensed psychologists, including limited-license psychologists. It updates temporary license rules for both limited-license applicants and doctoral students, extends renewal periods, and provides for relicensure if a temporary license lapses. In addition, it requires continuing education for license renewal and specifically adds pain and symptom management training. The confidentiality statute is largely retained, but the bill restates the privilege and related exceptions for disclosure of psychological information.
In terms of legal impact, SB 413 would directly amend sections 18221, 18223, 18233, and 18237 of the Public Health Code and would change who may practice psychology under a limited license, what experience is required, how long temporary licenses last, and how the psychology board is structured. It would affect psychologists, limited-license psychologists, doctoral candidates, the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs or other responsible department officials, and members of the public who rely on psychological services. The bill also appears designed to create a clearer long-term licensure pathway for master’s-level practitioners while preserving supervision and scope-of-practice limits.
The overall sentiment reflected in the voting history is strongly favorable. The bill was reported favorably out of committee by a 9-0 vote and then passed the Senate unanimously, 33-0. That suggests broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition in the recorded history.
The main points of contention, based on the text itself, are policy rather than partisan: whether master’s-level psychologists should be allowed to practice under a limited license, how much supervised experience should be required, and whether limited-license psychologists should be able to practice without supervision once licensed. Another likely issue is the board restructuring, which reduces public-member representation and increases professional-member representation. The bill also creates a future increase in supervised-hour requirements in 2027, which may have been intended to balance access to the profession with public protection.
SB 413 would amend Michigan’s Public Health Code to revise licensing standards for psychologists, especially limited-license psychologists, by establishing new degree, supervision, and experience requirements and by updating temporary license rules. It would also alter the composition of the Michigan Board of Psychology, require continuing education including pain and symptom management, and preserve the psychologist-patient privilege with existing disclosure exceptions. The bill would primarily affect psychologists, applicants for psychology licenses, the licensing department, and the board that regulates the profession.
The recorded legislative sentiment is strongly positive. The bill advanced out of committee unanimously and then passed the Senate 33-0, indicating broad support and no recorded opposition in the available voting history. No committee transcript was provided, so the available record shows consensus rather than debate.
The most notable policy questions are whether the state should expand and formalize limited licensure for master’s-level psychologists, how much supervised postgraduate experience should be required, and whether limited-license holders should be allowed to practice without supervision within their competence. The bill also shifts board membership away from public members toward more psychologists, including limited-license psychologists, which could raise concerns about public representation versus professional expertise. A further point of interest is the future increase in required supervised hours for newer degree recipients beginning in 2027, suggesting an attempt to phase in stricter standards over time.