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What to expect during a North Carolina Psychology Board investigation

5 min read · Updated July 2026

Once the North Carolina Psychology Board opens an investigation, a defined sequence unfolds — from the Board's fact-finding and any request for records to a possible consent order or statement of charges. Knowing what to expect, and the protections and deadlines involved, removes much of the fear that comes with the unknown. Here is what a psychologist should expect, from notice to outcome.

What triggers a North Carolina Psychology Board investigation?

An investigation begins when the Board receives a written complaint alleging a violation of the Psychology Practice Act, or when it learns of a matter from another source — a malpractice action, a criminal charge, or disciplinary action taken in another state. The Board retains jurisdiction to investigate even where a license is already suspended.

Because many cases start from sources other than a client complaint, psychologists are sometimes surprised to be investigated over a matter they considered closed. The common thread in defensible cases is a clear, contemporaneous record made at the time of care.

How does the Board investigate?

The Board gathers the facts. It reviews the complaint, may request records and conduct interviews, and assesses the conduct against the Code of Conduct and the Board's rules. It may also ask a licensee under investigation to consent to a criminal history record check; refusing to consent can itself be a ground for discipline.

How you engage with the investigation matters. What you provide becomes part of the record that determines whether the case advances, so records and any response should be prepared factually and with counsel rather than informally.

Can the Board compel records or an evaluation?

The Board can seek the documents and information relevant to its inquiry, and it can go further where fitness to practise is genuinely in issue. On a showing of probable cause that a psychologist is not capable of practising with reasonable skill and safety, the Practice Act allows the Board to petition a court to order a psychological or physical evaluation.

Records concerning the treatment of a client are handled with care throughout, reflecting the confidentiality the Practice Act builds into the process — but they are often central to the Board's assessment of a standard-of-care allegation.

How long does a North Carolina psychology investigation take?

North Carolina does not publish a fixed statutory deadline for Board investigations. In practice, a straightforward matter may resolve in a few months, while cases that require expert review, involve multiple clients, or run alongside a criminal or malpractice action commonly take a year or more.

The absence of a hard deadline can be frustrating, but it also gives you time to prepare a considered response and to begin building a mitigation record while the case is still open.

What are the possible outcomes?

An investigation ends in one of three broad ways. The Board may close the matter where the evidence does not support a violation. It may resolve the case by a consent order — which the Practice Act allows in lieu of or in connection with an investigation. Or it may issue a formal statement of charges, moving the case toward a hearing under Chapter 150B.

Because a consent order can be entered without a contested hearing, many matters are resolved by agreement — particularly where the psychologist has engaged constructively and can demonstrate insight and remediation.

Can your license be affected before a hearing?

In most cases, no — a psychologist continues to practise while an investigation proceeds. But under Chapter 150B, a license can be summarily suspended before a full hearing where the public health, safety, or welfare requires emergency action, with formal proceedings to follow.

Summary suspension is reserved for the most serious situations, such as credible allegations of sexual misconduct or impairment endangering clients. A psychologist served with one should obtain counsel immediately.

What should you do during the investigation?

Take any Board contact seriously and note every deadline. Preserve your records exactly as they stand, do not contact the person you believe complained, and route all communication with the Board through counsel. Do not ignore a request for records or to consent to a records check.

Notify your malpractice carrier, retain experienced counsel before you respond, and begin building a record of insight and remediation in parallel — it is far more persuasive assembled while the case is live than produced after a sanction is proposed.

This article is general information for psychologists, not legal advice. Regulatory processes change and every case turns on its own facts — confirm current requirements with the North Carolina Psychology Board and your own attorney before acting.