Prescribing Psychology Is Undergoing Rapid Expansion
Research, legislation, and training are fueling the rise of prescribing psychology.
Posted December 11, 2025 | Reviewed by Margaret Foley
In the past two years, prescribing psychology (also known as clinical psychopharmacology or medical psychology) has started to expand with increasing momentum. The first prescribing psychologists graduated from training in 1994, but this effort was initially constrained to a pilot program of 10 military psychologists , prescribing only in military treatment facilities. However, as with a multitude of military inventions and initiatives , prescribing psychology is being adopted more widely and is viewed as a partial solution to a number of the country’s mental healthcare problems. An unprecedented mental health provider shortage and dangerous access-to-care problems have stimulated legislation and the need for an infrastructure to support these psychologists and their training.
Part of the current increase in momentum is the evidence for safety and efficacy, which is starting to become more robust as research emerges from states with prescribing psychologists. In 2025, researchers compared patient safety outcomes between physicians and psychologists in New Mexico and Louisiana (the first two states to grant prescriptive authority to psychologists) in the areas of adverse drug events, psychiatric emergency department use, medication adherence, and psychotropic polypharmacy. Findings indicated similar patient safety outcomes between providers. Another study found that the patient panels of prescribing psychologists in New Mexico and Louisiana closely parallel those of psychiatrists, demonstrating that prescribing psychologists are serving patients in need of specialty care, thereby providing access to critical mental health care.
Seven states (Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Utah), one U.S. territory (Guam), all branches of the U.S. military, the Public Health Service, and the Indian Health Service currently grant prescriptive authority. Other states are in various stages of legislation (e.g., Vermont ), and seven schools now offer the requisite Master of Science in Clinical Psychopharmacology degree and clinical training. (Prescribing psychologists must also have a doctoral degree in psychology; the MSCP is insufficient alone to enable an individual to qualify to prescribe.) The ease of access to an increasing number of training programs is making the addition of this skill set an easier prospect for interested psychologists.
Finally, with the recognition by the American Psychological Association (APA) of Clinical Psychopharmacology as a formal specialty in 2020 , the path was cleared for the establishment of a board certification process. As such, earlier this year, the American Board of Psychopharmacological Psychology was founded and is currently in a provisional monitoring phase with the American Board of Professional Psychology. It is anticipated that applications will be opened to qualifying prescribing psychologists in 2026. Board certification is the highest credential that can be obtained by a psychologist, and this will bring prescribing psychology fully in line with other psychology specialties.
Prescribing psychologists are poised to make notable impacts for communities in addressing mental health provider shortages, reducing the burden on primary care providers, improving access to care, and providing a one-stop shop for both medication and psychotherapy needs. With accredited training opportunities, designation as a psychology specialty, board certification, continuous state legislation, and a now 31-year track record of successful prescribing psychologists, the field has opened and become a viable career option for interested psychologists.
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Carrie H. Kennedy, Ph.D., ABPP is a neuropsychologist with a specialization in military psychology and aeromedical psychology. An active duty Captain in the U.S. Navy, she has deployed to Cuba and Afghanistan.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.