Most psychologists cannot prescribe medication, but a small and growing number can. In a handful of U.S. states, psychologists who complete extensive postdoctoral training in pharmacology earn the legal authority to prescribe psychiatric medications. This is separate from psychiatrists, who are medical doctors and can prescribe in all 50 states. If you’re wondering whether your psychologist can write you a prescription, the answer depends almost entirely on where you live and what additional credentials they hold.
Where Psychologists Can Prescribe
As of 2025, psychologists have prescriptive authority in seven U.S. jurisdictions: New Mexico (since 2002), Louisiana (2004), Illinois (2014), Iowa (2016), Idaho (2017), and Colorado, plus the territory of Guam. Several other states, including Virginia, have active legislative efforts to expand this list. New Mexico was the first state to pass prescriptive authority, and each state that followed crafted its own version of the law with slightly different requirements and restrictions.
Outside of state law, prescribing psychologists also practice within the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Public Health Service, and the Indian Health Service. The military actually pioneered this model in the early 1990s through its Psychopharmacology Demonstration Project, which trained clinical psychologists to prescribe on military bases. Some of those graduates became the sole mental health prescriber at remote installations where no psychiatrist was available.
Training Required to Prescribe
A psychologist who wants to prescribe doesn’t simply take a weekend course. Every state requires substantial postdoctoral education in clinical psychopharmacology, typically a full master’s degree earned after the psychologist has already completed a doctoral program (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) in psychology. Programs like the one at Fairleigh Dickinson University involve 10 courses covering neuroscience, neuropharmacology, clinical pharmacology, and treatment issues, totaling 30 graduate credits.
Beyond coursework, states mandate hundreds of hours of supervised clinical experience. New Mexico requires at least 450 hours of classroom instruction plus a 400-hour supervised practicum. Illinois has the most demanding clinical requirement: a 14-month, full-time prescribing residency totaling at least 1,620 hours across hospitals, community mental health clinics, and correctional facilities. Iowa requires 400 supervised clinical hours (with at least 25% in primary care or community mental health settings) followed by two years of supervised practice involving a minimum of 300 patients.
After completing their education and clinical hours, psychologists must pass the Psychopharmacology Examination for Psychologists (PEP), a national standardized test administered by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards. All seven prescribing jurisdictions, plus the Department of Defense, Public Health Service, and Indian Health Service, require a passing score before granting prescription privileges.
What They Can and Cannot Prescribe
Prescribing psychologists are limited to psychotropic medications, meaning drugs used to treat mental health conditions. The main categories include antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers (anticonvulsants), sedatives, and stimulants. They cannot prescribe medications for non-psychiatric medical conditions.
Every state places additional restrictions. The most common is a prohibition on Schedule II controlled substances, which includes many stimulants (like certain ADHD medications) and opioids. New Mexico, Louisiana, Illinois, and Utah all bar psychologists from prescribing Schedule II drugs, though some states are debating whether to carve out an exception for stimulants given how central they are to ADHD treatment. Illinois goes further, prohibiting prescribing psychologists from treating patients younger than 17, older than 65, or who are pregnant. Utah restricts prescribing authority to adults only and excludes all narcotics and controlled substances.
How Prescribing Psychologists Differ From Psychiatrists
Psychiatrists are physicians who completed medical school and a psychiatric residency. They can prescribe any medication, treat any age group, and manage complex medical conditions alongside mental illness. Prescribing psychologists operate within a narrower scope, focused specifically on psychiatric medications for otherwise medically stable patients.
In practice, the two professions tend to see somewhat different patient populations. Research published in American Psychologist found that patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and PTSD were more likely to be treated by psychiatrists, while patients with anxiety disorders, personality disorders, and ADHD were more likely to see a prescribing psychologist. Prescribing psychologists also prescribed antidepressants at higher rates and antipsychotics at lower rates compared to psychiatrists, even after adjusting for differences in patient diagnoses. This suggests the two professions approach initial medication decisions differently, not just that they see different patients.
One practical advantage prescribing psychologists offer is the combination of therapy and medication management in a single provider. Traditional psychologists provide therapy but must refer patients elsewhere for medication, which means coordinating between two clinicians. A prescribing psychologist can do both, which can simplify treatment and reduce gaps in care, particularly in rural or underserved areas where psychiatrists are scarce.
Physician Collaboration Requirements
Most states don’t allow prescribing psychologists to operate entirely independently. Many laws require ongoing collaboration with the patient’s primary care physician or another physician of record. In some states, this means the psychologist must consult with the physician before starting a new medication, changing a dose, or stopping treatment. If a patient doesn’t have a physician of record, the psychologist may not be permitted to prescribe for that person at all.
The level of oversight varies. Louisiana’s law emphasizes a collaborative relationship between the prescribing psychologist and the patient’s primary care doctor. Illinois requires extensive supervised clinical rotations before a psychologist can practice independently. In the military model, all graduates were initially proctored by psychiatrists and needed direct supervision to start or discontinue any medication. Some eventually advanced to independent provider status after demonstrating competence.
How to Find a Prescribing Psychologist
If you live in one of the states with prescriptive authority, you can look for psychologists who hold a postdoctoral master’s degree in clinical psychopharmacology or who carry the title “prescribing psychologist” or “medical psychologist” (the title varies by state; Louisiana uses “medical psychologist”). Your state psychology board can confirm whether a specific provider holds prescriptive authority. If you live in a state where psychologists can’t prescribe, your options for medication management are psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and in many states, primary care physicians.