Hi, Leo, welcome to PsychCentral.

States license psychologists and most states (like California) protect the name "psychologist" and a person has to meet rigorous rules in order to get a license to call themselves a psychologist. Anyone can set up and call themselve anything they want, somewhere, I imagine; but I don't think anyone gets a job as an architect without the degree/5 years education. It could just be the word "architect" isn't protected by law. But I don't know anyone who would be foolish enough to hire someone without the education/internship/testing, etc.

Here's a good site on what your wife needs:

http://psyccareers.apa.org/

There are many different "paths"/types of psychologists. But you'd have to look at the various state laws as to what they required for their licenses, how they differed: http://www.uky.edu/Education/EDP/psyinfo2.html

One generally knows where they want to practice so studies to get a license in that state and go by those laws.