North Carolina Administrative Code › Title 21 - OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS › Chapter 54 - PSYCHOLOGY › Section .1800 - EDUCATION › Section 54 .1802 - PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATE

Current through Register Vol. 39, No. 2, July 15, 2024
(a) Licensure for
				the level of psychological associate shall require a master's degree or
				specialist degree in psychology from an institution of higher education. The
				degree program shall meet all of the following requirements:
(1) The program shall be identified and
				labeled as a psychology program. The program shall specify in institutional
				catalogues its purpose to educate and train students to engage in the
				activities that constitute the practice of psychology as defined in
				G.S.
				90-270.136(8).
(2) The program shall maintain authority and
				primary responsibility for the core and specialty areas.
(3) The program shall have a body of students
				in residence at the physical campus of the institution who are matriculated in
				that program for a degree.
(4)
				There shall be a full-time psychology faculty employed in residence at the
				physical campus of the institution, sufficient in size and breadth to carry out
				its responsibilities, employed by and providing instruction at the physical
				campus of the institution.
(5)
				There shall be a psychologist responsible for the student's program, either as
				the administrative head of the program, or as the advisor, professor, or
				committee chair for the individual student's program.
(6) The program shall be an integrated,
				organized sequence of study in psychology as demonstrated by a curriculum track
				or tracks wherein course sequences and course content are described in
				institutional catalogues, departmental handbooks, or other institutional
				publications.
(7) The program shall
				encompass the equivalent of a minimum of one academic year of graduate study in
				student residence at the institution from which the degree is granted.
				Residence requires in person interaction with psychology faculty and other
				matriculated psychology students at the physical campus of the institution. One
				year's residency is defined as 30 semester (45 quarter or 40 trimester) hours
				taken in person at the physical campus of the institution over the course of
				one year.
(8) The program shall
				include supervised training experience listed on the applicant's transcript and
				shall include an internship, externship, practicum, or other supervised field
				experience related to the area of specialty and the practice of psychology and
				shall meet all of the following criteria:
(A)
				It shall be a planned and directed program of training for the practice of
				psychology, in contrast to on-the-job training, and shall provide the trainee
				with a planned and directed sequence of training that is integrated with the
				educational program in which the student is enrolled. This supervised training
				experience shall be planned by the educational program faculty and supervised
				training experience site staff, rather than by the student.
(B) The supervised training experience shall
				have a written description of the program of training, or a written agreement,
				developed prior to the time of the training, between the student's educational
				program and the supervised training experience site, detailing the
				responsibilities of the student and the supervised training experience site.
				The agreement shall be approved by the student's educational program prior to
				the beginning of the supervised training experience.
(C) The supervised training experience site
				shall have a designated licensed or certified psychologist or psychological
				associate responsible for the supervised training experience.
(D) A student enrolled in a supervised
				training experience shall be designated as any of the following: an "intern,"
				"extern," or "practicum student," or shall hold a title that provides training
				status for the practice of psychology.
(E) The supervised training experience shall
				be a minimum of 12 weeks consisting of at least 500 hours of supervised
				training. At least 400 hours of the training shall be in the practice of
				psychology. Supervision for this supervised training experience shall be
				provided as required by Parts (G) or (H) of this Subparagraph.
(F) The supervised training experience shall
				be completed within a period of 12 consecutive months at not more than two
				supervised training experience sites.
(G) Except as provided in Part (H) of this
				Subparagraph, individual in person supervision that oversees the student's
				practice of psychology shall be provided by a North Carolina licensed
				psychologist or psychological associate or by a psychologist who is exempt from
				licensure, pursuant to
				G.S.
				90-270.138(b), at a rate of
				not less than one hour per week during at least 12 separate weeks of the
				supervised training experience. The supervisor shall establish and maintain a
				level of supervisory contact consistent with professional standards and shall
				be accessible to the student.
(H)
				If completing a supervised training experience outside of North Carolina, the
				student shall be provided scheduled individual in person supervision by a
				licensed or certified psychologist or psychological associate or by an
				individual holding a master's, specialist, or doctoral degree in psychology, at
				a rate of not less than one hour per week during at least 12 separate weeks of
				the supervised training experience. The supervisor shall supervise the student
				practice of psychology and maintain a level of supervisory contact consistent
				with professional standards and shall be accessible to the student. Proof of
				the supervisor's license or degree program shall be required by the Board to
				establish the supervisor's training in psychology.
(9) Except as provided in Paragraph (b) of
				this Rule, the program of study shall include a minimum of 45 semester (68
				quarter or 60 trimester) hours of graduate study in standard psychology
				courses, including courses drawn from academic psychology (e.g., social,
				experimental, physiological, and developmental psychology, and history of
				psychology), statistics and research design, scientific and professional ethics
				and standards, and a specialty area. Of the required 45 semester (68 quarter or
				60 trimester) program hours, not more than 6 semester (9 quarter or 8
				trimester) hours shall be credited for supervised training experience and not
				more than 6 semester (9 quarter or 8 trimester) hours shall be credited for
				thesis or dissertation. No credit shall be allowed for audited courses or
				courses taken at an institution which does not meet the definition of an
				"institution of higher education" as defined by 90-270.136(5).