P 1 March 2005 North Carolina Psychology Board
North Carolina Psychology Board M embers
J. Kelly Burgin, Ph.D., Chair
Thomas J. Thompson, Ph.D., Vice-Chair
Margery Adams, MN, RN
Pamela Corbett, M.A.
John T. Esse, Ph.D.
J. Anthony Powell, M.A.
Maria Velazquez-Constas, M.Ed.
North Carolina Psychology Board
895 State Farm Road, Suite 101
Boone, NC 28607
(828) 262-2258 (tel)
(828) 265-8611 (fax)
E-mail: ncpsybd@charter.net
N E W S
North Carolina Psychology Board
B U L L E T I N
March 2005
Inside
Rule Making Proceedings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Health Services/Practice of Psychology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Provision of Services Via Electronic Means . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Continuing Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Board Vacancies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Address Change? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
The North Carolina Psychology Board is
mailing this News Bulletin to all licensees
to provide time sensitive and important
information. The Board also encourages licensees to
check its web site, www.ncpsychologyboard.org,
often for other information which may be useful.
License verification may now be conducted online,
and currently, Supervision Contract forms,
Supervision Report forms, the NC Psychology
Practice Act, Board rules, a description of the
complaint process and the complaint form, and
various other information can be downloaded from the
web site.
Rule Making Proceedings
The Board will hold a public rule making
hearing on Wednesday, April 20th, at 4:00
p.m. at the La Quinta Inn and Suites, 2211
Summit Park Lane, in Raleigh (directions can be
obtained by calling the hotel at (919) 785-0071 ext.
3). The Board intends to adopt the rules cited as 21
NCAC 54 .1611 and .2708 and amend the rules cited
as 21 NCAC 54 .1701, .1707, .1802, .1901, and .2009.
The reasons for the proposed action are as follows: to
define the conditions under which an individual who
is pursuing postdoctoral training or experience must
practice in order to be exempt from licensure, to
amend the number of years which an applicant must
have been licensed and practicing in another state or
province in order to qualify for licensure under senior
psychologist provisions, to amend the educational
requirements for licensure at the Psychological
Associate level, to clarify the conditions which a
candidate must meet in order to be granted special
examination accommodations, and to define the
requirements to qualify for licensure under reciprocity
provisions. The full text of the proposed rules to be
adopted and amended is available on the Board web
site at www.ncpsychologyboard.org (click on Rule-making
Proceedings on the side bar) or a hard copy
may be obtained by contacting the Board office. Any
person may submit written comments or objections to
the Board either prior to or at the public hearing.
Written comments and objections should be sent to
Martha Storie, North Carolina Psychology Board, 895
State Farm Road, Suite 101, Boone, NC 28607, or
fax (828) 265-8611. The comment period ends on
May 31, 2005.
Need a copy of the North Carolina
Psychology Practice Act or Board Rules?
Go to: www.ncpsychologyboard.org.
P 2 March 2005 North Carolina Psychology Board
Health Services/Practice of
Psychology
Aquestion that is often asked of Board staff
is, “What is the difference between health
services and the practice of psychology?”
The definitions of health services and the practice of
psychology are found in G.S. § 90-270.2(4) and (8),
respectively, and are provided on various supervisor
forms produced by the Board. You will note that all
health services are encompassed within the practice of
psychology, but that all activities which constitute the
practice of psychology are not necessarily health
services. Health services, by definition, are services
provided directly to individuals or groups of
individuals whose growth, adjustment, or functioning
is actually impaired or is at risk of impairment. These
activities may include assessment of individuals,
psychological report writing, documentation in
progress notes, making collateral contacts with family
members and other service providers in the patient’s
interest, psychotherapy and counseling, consultation
with other professionals to facilitate service delivery,
and other activities provided in service to the
psychologist’s patient or group of patients. Because
health services activities all relate to typical activities
in which an individual psychologist may be engaged
while engaged in the practice of psychology, the total
number of hours in which an individual psychologist
practices psychology may be similar to the number of
hours the individual engages in health services
activities. However, particularly when reporting the
number of health services and practice hours on the
various supervisor forms, it is not possible for a
supervisee to have accrued more health services hours
than practice hours. Rule 21 NCAC 54 .2701(b)
defines activities which may be considered to be the
practice of psychology but that are not included in
health services as follows:
Health services in psychology do not include
vocational and educational guidance. Also
not included are the teaching of psychology,
the conduct of psychological research, or the
provision of psychological services or
consultations to organizations or institutions,
except when such activities involve the
delivery of direct psychological services to
individuals or groups of individuals who are
themselves the intended beneficiaries of such
services.
Provision of Services Via
Electronic Means
In response to inquiries from licensees and
other interested parties, the Board has
confirmed that it has no separate view per se
with regard to provision of services via electronic
means. As long as a licensee is practicing in a manner
consistent with his/her training and experience, and is
receiving supervision as is appropriate, the medium
for doing so is not at issue. However, it is incumbent
upon any psychologist to recognize that as he or she
moves away from direct contact with clientele, the
psychologist incrementally loses much of the richness
of interaction which, as any psychologist knows,
comes with traditional face-to-face contact in an
individual session with a client.
Delivery of clinical services by technology-assisted
media such as telephone, use of video, and
the internet obligate the psychologist to carefully
consider and address a myriad of issues in the areas of
structuring the relationship, informed consent,
confidentiality, determining the basis for professional
judgments, boundaries of competence, computer
security, avoiding harm, dealing with fees and
financial arrangements, and advertising. Specific
challenges include, but are not limited to, verifying
the identity of the client, determining if a client is a
minor, explaining to clients the procedure for
contacting the psychologist when he or she is off-line,
discussing the possibility of technology failure and
alternative modes of communication if that failure
occurs, exploring how to cope with potential
misunderstandings when visual cues do not exist,
identifying an appropriately trained professional who
can provide local assistance (including crisis
intervention) if needed, informing internet clients of
encryption methods used to help ensure the security of
communications, informing clients of the potential
hazards of unsecured communication on the internet,
telling internet clients whether session data are being
preserved (and if so, in what manner and for how
long), and determining and communicating
procedures regarding the release of client information
P 3 March 2005 North Carolina Psychology Board
received through the internet with other electronic
sources.
The Board considers that the practice of
psychology occurs both where the psychologist who
is providing therapeutic services is located and where
the individual (patient/client) who is receiving the
service is located. In order for an individual to
provide psychological services in North Carolina, that
individual must be licensed by the Psychology Board
or be exempt under the Psychology Practice Act. On
this basis, if a North Carolina licensee renders
psychological services electronically to an out-of-state
client, it is recommended that the licensee contact the
psychology licensing board in the state in which the
patient/client resides to determine whether or not such
practice is permitted in that jurisdiction. Licensees
are advised to review the North Carolina Psychology
Practice Act, specifically the Code of Conduct, and
the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and
Code of Conduct (Standards 3.10(a), 4.02(c), 5.01(a),
and 5.04 specifically address electronic
transmissions).
Continuing Education
The Board is in the process of completing its
first audit of continuing education credits.
It randomly selected 5% of licensees to
provide documentation of required continuing
education hours which were submitted for 2004-06
license renewal. Of this 5%, approximately 11% are
being contacted for further information. Depending
on the outcome of the review of additional
information, the Board will determine whether to
audit additional licensees.
The Board reminds licensees to maintain complete
documentation of continuing education hours as
detailed in 21 NCAC 54 .2104(k) and (l). For
Category A hours, licensees should make sure that the
programs are sponsored by the NC Psychology Board,
APA, APA approved sponsors, or NC AHECs.
Licensees are cautioned against relying on a sponsor’s
“claim” to be APA approved, or to meet the
requirements of the North Carolina rule for Category
A credit, but rather are encouraged to check the details
of the program to make sure that it complies with all
requirements in Board rule to count for Category A
credit. While neither the Board, nor its staff can pre-approve
programs, licensees may contact the Board
office if they have questions about the provisions of
the CE rule. Following are the applicable questions to
which a licensee must be able to answer “YES” to
make the determination that an activity counts
Category A credit:
[9 hours in Category A are required, 3 hours
of which must be in the area of ethical and
legal issues in the professional practice of
psychology; all required 18 hours may be
completed in Category A]
(1) Is the program sponsored by the NC
Psychology Board, by the American
Psychological Association (APA), by an
APA approved sponsor, or by a North
Carolina Area Health Education Center
(AHEC)?
(2) Is the program identified as offering
continuing education for psychologists?
(3) Does the sponsor specify contact hours?
(4) Does the program fall within the
following areas: ethical and legal issues
in the professional practice of
psychology, or the maintenance and
upgrading of professional skills and
competencies within the psychologist's
scope of practice? The latter includes,
but is not limited to, training in
empirically supported treatments, the
application of research to practice, and
training in best practice standards and
guidelines.
(5) Will a certificate be awarded?
REMINDER: Continuing education hours
for the current biennial renewal period must
be completed between October 1, 2004 and
October 1, 2006.
Resources
Licensees may contact the Board office at
any time they have an ethical or legal
question pertaining to practice. While the
Board’s staff psychologists, Randy Yardley, M.A.,
and Susan Loy, M.A., cannot provide legal advice,
they are available to provide education by pointing out
possible statutes, rules, and ethical standards which
may be applicable to a given set of circumstances.
P 4 March 2005 North Carolina Psychology Board
REMINDER: A supervisor must maintain a
clear and accurate record of supervision
with a supervisee in accordance with 21
NCAC 54 .2001(c)(8). This, and all Board
rules, are available on the Board web site at
www.ncpsychologyboard.org.
Board Vacancies
There will be two vacancies on the licensing
board on June 30, 2005, one for a Licensed
Psychologist and one for a Licensed
Psychological Associate. Pursuant to G.S. § 90-
270.6, the North Carolina Psychological Association
(NCPA) submits to the Governor a list of the names
of three eligible persons for each vacancy. Any
licensee interested in one of these positions should
send a letter of interest and curriculum vitae to the
North Carolina Psychological Association, 1004
Dresser Court, Suite 106, Raleigh, NC 27609.
Interested individuals must also have three letters of
professional reference sent to the NCPA office.
Address Change?
Please notify the Board in writing
immediately if your mailing address has
changed. Changes may be faxed to (828)
265-8611, emailed to ncpsybd@charter.net, or mailed
to the NC Psychology Board, 895 State Farm Road,
Suite 101, Boone, NC 28607.
REMINDER: A supervisee is required to
file a written, notarized supervision contract
form with the Board within 30 days of a
change in the conditions specified in the
supervision contract form on file with the
Board. A supervisor is required to file a
supervision report within two weeks of
termination of supervision or a change in
the conditions specified in the supervision
contract on file with the Board.
3500 copies printed at a cost of 26¢ each
North Carolina Psychology Board
895 State Farm Road, Suite 101
Boone, NC 28607