§ 90-270.5. Application; examination; supervision; provisional and temporary licenses. - North Carolina Statutes

§ 90‑270.5. Application; examination; supervision; provisional and temporary licenses.

(a)        Except as otherwise exempted by G.S. 90‑270.4, personswho are qualified by education to practice psychology in this State must makeapplication for licensure to the Board within 30 days of offering to practiceor undertaking the practice of psychology in North Carolina.  Applications mustthen be completed for review by the Board within the time period stipulated inthe duly adopted rules of the Board.  Persons who practice or offer to practicepsychology for more than 30 days without making application for licensure, whofail to complete the application process within the time period specified bythe Board, or who are denied licensure pursuant to G.S. 90‑270.11 or G.S.90‑270.15, may not subsequently practice or offer to practice psychologywithout first becoming licensed.

(b)        After making application for licensure, applicants must takethe first examination to which they are admitted by the Board.  If applicantsfail the examination, they may continue to practice psychology until they takethe next examination to which they are admitted by the Board.  If applicantsfail the second examination, they shall cease the practice of psychology perG.S. 90‑270.4(h), and may not subsequently practice or offer to practicepsychology without first reapplying for and receiving a license from theBoard.  An applicant who does not take an examination on the date prescribed bythe Board shall be deemed to have failed that examination.

(c)        All individuals who have yet to apply and who are practicingor offering to practice psychology in North Carolina, and all applicants whoare practicing or offering to practice psychology in North Carolina, shall atall times comply with supervision requirements established by the Board.  TheBoard shall specify in its rules the format, setting, content, time frame,amounts of supervision, qualifications of supervisors, disclosure ofsupervisory relationships, the organization of the supervised experience, andthe nature of the responsibility assumed by the supervisor.  Individuals shallbe supervised for all activities comprising the practice of psychology untilthey have met the following conditions:

(1)        For licensed psychologist applicants, until they have passedthe examination to which they have been admitted by the Board, have beennotified of the results, have completed supervision requirements specified insubsection (d) of this section, and have been informed by the Board ofpermanent licensure as a licensed psychologist; or

(2)        For licensed psychological associate applicants, until theyhave passed the examination to which they have been admitted by the Board, havebeen notified of the results, and have been informed by the Board of permanent licensureas a licensed psychological associate, after which time supervision is requiredonly for those activities specified in subsection (e) of this section.

(d)        For permanent licensure as a licensed psychologist, anotherwise qualified psychologist must secure two years of acceptable andappropriate supervised experience germane to his or her training and intendedarea of practice as a psychologist.  The Board shall permit such supervisedexperience to be acquired on a less than full‑time basis, and shalladditionally specify in its rules the format, setting, content, time frame,amounts of supervision, qualifications of supervisors, disclosure ofsupervisory relationships, the organization of the supervised experience, andthe nature of the responsibility assumed by the supervisor.  Supervision ofhealth services must be received from qualified licensed psychologists holdinghealth services provider certificates, or from other psychologists recognizedby the Board in accordance with Board rules.

(1)        One of these years of experience shall be postdoctoral, andfor this year, the Board may require, as specified in its rules, that thesupervised experience be comparable to the knowledge and skills acquired duringformal doctoral or postdoctoral education, in accordance with establishedprofessional standards.

(2)        One of these years may be predoctoral and the Board shallestablish rules governing appropriate supervised predoctoral experience.

(3)        A psychologist who meets all other requirements of G.S. 90‑270.11(a)as a licensed psychologist, except the two years of supervised experience, maybe issued a provisional license by the Board for the practice of psychology. If the psychologist terminates the supervised experience before the completionof two years, the Board may place the psychologist on inactive status, duringwhich time supervision will not be required, and the practice of psychology orthe offer to practice psychology is prohibited.  In the event a licensedpsychologist issued a provisional license under this subsection is placed oninactive status or is completing the supervised experience on a part‑timebasis, the Board may renew the provisional license as necessary until such timeas the psychologist has completed the equivalent of two years' supervisedexperience.

(e)        A licensed psychological associate shall be supervised by aqualified licensed psychologist, or other qualified professionals, inaccordance with Board rules specifying the format, setting, content, timeframe, amounts of supervision, qualifications of supervisors, disclosure ofsupervisory relationships, the organization of the supervised experience, andthe nature of the responsibility assumed by the supervisor.  A licensedpsychological associate who provides health services shall be supervised, forthose activities requiring supervision, by a qualified licensed psychologistholding health services provider certification or by other qualifiedprofessionals under the overall direction of a qualified licensed psychologistholding health services provider certification, in accordance with Boardrules.  Except as provided below, supervision, including the supervision ofhealth services, is required only when a licensed psychological associateengages in:  assessment of personality functioning; neuropsychologicalevaluation; psychotherapy, counseling, and other interventions with clinicalpopulations for the purpose of preventing or eliminating symptomatic,maladaptive, or undesired behavior; and, the use of intrusive, punitive, orexperimental procedures, techniques, or measures.  The Board shall adopt rulesimplementing and defining this provision, and as the practice of psychologyevolves, may identify additional activities requiring supervision in order tomaintain acceptable standards of practice.

(f)         A nonresident psychologist who is either licensed orcertified by a similar Board in another jurisdiction whose standards, in theopinion of the Board, are, at the date of his or her certification orlicensure, substantially equivalent to or higher than the requirements of thisArticle, may be issued a temporary license by the Board for the practice ofpsychology in this State for a period not to exceed the aggregate of 30 days inany calendar year.  The Board may issue temporary health services providercertification simultaneously if the nonresident psychologist can demonstratetwo years of acceptable supervised health services experience.  All temporarilylicensed psychologists shall comply with supervision requirements establishedby the Board.

(g)        An applicant for reinstatement of licensure, whose licensewas suspended under G.S. 90‑270.15(f), may be issued a temporary licenseand temporary health services provider certification in accordance with theduly adopted rules of the Board. (1967, c. 910, s. 5; 1977, c. 670, s. 4; 1979, c. 670, s. 3; 1985, c.734, s. 4; 1993, c. 375, s. 1.)