Advancing Psychology in North Carolina
The North Carolina Psychological Association is dedicated to strengthening psychology as a profession and promoting mental health for all North Carolinians. Through advocacy, education, and community, we support psychologists in their practice and provide trusted resources for the public.
Latest News
Click here to review the APA Model Act The North Carolina Psychological Association is our state’s oldest and, by far, largest organization of professional psychologists. Our goals are to promote psychology as a profession and to advocate for human welfare with science. We have had both doctoral-level Licensed Psychologists (LPs) and masters-level Licensed Psychological Associates (LPAs) since 1967. LPAs worked under supervision of LPs, consistent with their more limited training as well as the absence of accreditation for MA-level programs in health psychology. However, as other masters-level mental health practitioners began to be licensed for independent practice, and particularly with the recent advent of APA accreditation for master’s programs in health service psychology, it became clear that our LPAs also deserved some sort of independent practice. NCPA has long endorsed a thoughtful path to such independent practice, and we believe the APA’s Model Act is largely consistent with that goal. The Model Act reflects the core truth that psychology’s identity as a health service is based on its scientific approach to the complexities of human behavior. Professional psychology began by requiring the doctoral degree, and continuing to require that degree as a minimum for the most complex aspects of the practice of psychology is appropriate for the public protection. APA’s relatively new standards for accreditation of master’s programs in health services, as well as this Model Act’s proposal for a scope of practice for Licensed Practitioners of Psychology that is slightly attenuated from that for Licensed Psychologists, give prospective masters-level psychologists a more defined career path, and a scope of practice consistent with their training and experience. In so doing, this may improve the public’s access to mental health care, but this will be by adding new MA-level psychologists to the work force rather than by the minor changes in licensure for existing licensees. Lines 80-82, definition of “psychological assessment”. The word “diagnosis” is not defined in the Model Act. It would be good to note here that diagnosis – deciding if a patient meets pre-defined criteria for an externally-defined taxonomy – can be one outcome of a psychological assessment. Lines 202-208, Exclusions to Practice of Licensed Practitioners of Psychology. While NCPA believes that it is important to protect the public safety by requiring appropriate training and supervised experience for the higher-skill, high-impact aspects of our practice, writing appropriate rules in this area will likely be challenging. For example, at what point does a psychoeducational evaluation become so complex as to cross into the realm of neuropsychology? The across-the-board prohibition of LPPs engaging in forensic psychology is also inconsistent with the experience of states like North Carolina, where our Licensed Psychological Associates, with appropriate training and under supervision, conduct initial forensic evaluations. The more nuanced language in the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Board’s Model Statutory and Regulatory Language deserves consideration here. Lines 218-222, Psychology Board Membership. North Carolina is more generous in its representation of Licensed Psychological Associates on the Psychology Board than the Model Act’s proposal. The Board has three Licensed Psychologists and two LPAs, while there are approximately 3,000 LPs, and 1,000 LPAs, licensed in North Carolina. Lines 224-226, Psychology Board Membership. In addition to the requirement for active practice, consider the additional qualifier that “such activity during the two years preceding appointment shall have occurred primarily in this State” (NCGS 90-270.141(a)(2)). Even with a national model practice act, its integration into each state’s statutes may be idiosyncratic, and it is better for Board members to be familiar with that. Lines 290-291, rationale about doctoral degree. Refer here to “Licensed Psychologist” rather than simply “psychologist” to clarify that this does not apply to proposed Licensed Practitioners of Psychology or current Licensed Practicing Psychologists.
Name: Andrea M. Hussong, Ph.D. License #: 3007 Bio: Andrea is a licensed clinical psychologist and developmental scientist with over 30 years of research in promoting health and well-being in children, youth, and families. Before joining the faculty at the Department of Psychology at the University of North Carolina in 1997, she obtained a BA in psychology from Indiana University and a doctorate in clinical psychology from Arizona State University. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Developmental Science at UNC-CH - where she would return to serve as director from 2011-2018. Her research focuses on developmental pathways to substance use and disorder, particularly for children of drug-involved parents. Through this work, she has collaborated with quantitative methodologists to apply innovative methods for longitudinal data analysis and co-develop integrative data analysis. More recently, her research focuses on positive youth development and resilience, including how parents foster gratitude in children. This focus allows her to engage in translational science, using developmental science, design-based and community engaged methods, and digital tools to create programs that support youth in the transition to young adulthood and families in coping with the challenges of parental drug addiction. What attracted you to the field of psychology? “So, I am a 1st generation college student and worked a lot of jobs to get through college. And it was some of those work study jobs that I had early on that attracted me to the field. Some of them were working in research labs. But I also worked in a halfway house for adults who were coming out of a State psychiatric facility, and I lived with them - I was the live in person providing support at night. So, I had a variety of touch points through those jobs that gave me different versions of insight into what this field might be about. But, in the end, I was naive and just went for it.” What do you enjoy most about your work? “There's sort of two things I enjoy most about my work. Part of it has to do with training students and helping them figure out who and what they want to become as professionals, because everybody comes in with some notion of how they want to do their part of saving the world. Helping them translate that desire into something they can do for a job is pretty fulfilling. The other part - I really love trying to understand how people develop – how they change or stay the same. And so, the research that I do is really about how people develop the way they do, along with various ways of thinking about resilience. There's hope in that, so I enjoy that too.” What advice would you give someone who is considering getting a degree in psychology? “When I have these conversations, I usually want to understand what the person thinks the degree means and what they think it will bring for them - and if what they want seems aligned with how I understand the field versus so many other helping fields. My most general advice is to spend some time volunteering and just doing the type of work that most interests them - to make sure that they really like research or working with people so that they can figure that out first-hand because I think it's really hard to figure that out in a classroom.” When you are not working, what do you enjoy doing? “I have a secret hobby that I'm sharing with you right now. I like to write children’s and young adult literature - fiction and short stories. I am not published but I enjoy doing it and have been working with different writing groups over the years. And that's been one of the hobbies that I most enjoy.” What is something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know? “I’m from a very small town in Indiana – Lebanon, Indiana. I come from a family where many people didn't finish high school, much less go to college. I have fumbled my way into my career. This career trajectory is not at all planned, even though I can tell a story that may sound that way.” If you were not a psychologist, what would you do? “I would be a writer. I feel like it uses so many of the same skill sets of a psychologist. Trying to understand why people do what they do, but with more detail.” What is the next place on your travel bucket list? “I think probably the next place on my travel bucket list would be up toward Alaska to see the open wilderness. We haven't gone up that direction. And I have a wedding anniversary coming up that may pull us north.” What are you currently reading or listening to? “I always have several stories open at once. Something I finished recently was Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. But other than that, I read a lot of mysteries, and short stories and that type of thing, but that's the latest.” What is your favorite word and why? “’Liminal’. I think there's so much opportunity in liminal space, and I think the word liminal just has a beauty to it by itself, that pushes you from one “L” to the other - that feels like what it is.”
Stay Informed. Stay Connected.
Get the latest news, events, and resources from NCPA delivered straight to your inbox.
Calendar of Events
NCPF Foundation
Your gift strengthens mental health initiatives across NC and helps protect access to care.
Grow Your Career
Find psychology job opportunities and career resources tailored to your professional path.
Find a Psychologist
Search our statewide directory to connect with trusted, licensed psychologists in your area.
Together, We’re Stronger
Join psychologists across North Carolina working to protect licensure, advance mental health, and support one another.
Testimonials
"As a member, I’ve found NCPA to be my professional home – from CE opportunities to advocacy, everything I need is in one place."
– NCPA Member
"The Find a Psychologist tool made it simple to connect with the right professional in my area. It’s an incredible resource for anyone seeking support."
– North Carolina Resident
"I value that NCPA serves both members and the public – strengthening our profession while also providing trusted mental health resources to the community."
– Licensed Psychologist
