Conducting Psychological Evaluations for Security Purposes

August 14, 2025

This presentation will cover how to conduct psychological evaluations for personnel security purposes. Specifically, it will address the reasons why such evaluations are ordered during the security vetting process and their importance. The briefing will further discuss regulations related to reporting requirements as well as medical records requests, relevant risk diagnoses, and behaviors of potential security concern, from a behavioral health perspective. Moreover, a review of what adjudicative issues a mental health evaluator will likely encounter will be addressed as well as how to write a security clearance evaluation report and what makes these reports “adjudicatively sufficient.”

Target Audience

This activity provides continuing education for physicians, nurses, social workers, and psychologists. A certificate of attendance is available for other attendees.

Learning Objectives

  1. List three ways that a mental health practitioner may be involved in the personnel security vetting process.
  2. Identify the “relevant risk” mental health diagnoses as well as at least two other conditions or behaviors of concern that could potentially raise personnel security concerns.
  3. List at least three ways to maximize the chance that a psychological evaluation report will be sufficient for security purposes.
  4. Identify four areas of ethical consideration when conducting security-focused psychological evaluations.
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 2.00 ACCME Non-Physician CME Credit

    DHA, J-7, CEPO is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing education. ACCME Non-Physician CME Credit providers will be provided a certificate of participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. ACCME Non-Physician CME Credit providers may receive a maximum of 2.00 hours for completing this Course activity.

  • 2.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

    DHA, J-7, CEPO is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

    DHA, J-7, CEPO designated this Course for a maximum of 2.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  • 2.00 ANCC

    DHA, J-7, CEPO is accredited by the Joint Accreditation/ Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) to provide this Continuing Nursing Education Course for a maximum of 2.00 ANCC contact hours. Nurses should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  • 2.00 APA

    Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs. Participants may earn 2.00 CE credits for completing this activity.

  • 2.00 ASWB

    As a Jointly Accredited Organization, DHA, J7, CEPO is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 2.00 Clinical continuing education credits.

  • 2.00 Attendance
  • 2.00 IPCE

    In support of improving patient care, DHA, J-7, CEPO is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the health care team. This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 2.00 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.

Course opens: 
08/07/2025
Course expires: 
08/28/2025
Event starts: 
08/14/2025 - 3:00pm EDT
Event ends: 
08/14/2025 - 5:00pm EDT
Add to calendar: 

Dr. Elisabeth Jean-Jacques, Psy. D. Presenter has no relevant financial or non-financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Disclosure: DHA J-7 staff, planners, authors, faculty, and content reviewers for this educational activity have no relevant financial or non-financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Available Credit

  • 2.00 ACCME Non-Physician CME Credit

    DHA, J-7, CEPO is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing education. ACCME Non-Physician CME Credit providers will be provided a certificate of participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. ACCME Non-Physician CME Credit providers may receive a maximum of 2.00 hours for completing this Course activity.

  • 2.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

    DHA, J-7, CEPO is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

    DHA, J-7, CEPO designated this Course for a maximum of 2.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  • 2.00 ANCC

    DHA, J-7, CEPO is accredited by the Joint Accreditation/ Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) to provide this Continuing Nursing Education Course for a maximum of 2.00 ANCC contact hours. Nurses should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  • 2.00 APA

    Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs. Participants may earn 2.00 CE credits for completing this activity.

  • 2.00 ASWB

    As a Jointly Accredited Organization, DHA, J7, CEPO is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 2.00 Clinical continuing education credits.

  • 2.00 Attendance
  • 2.00 IPCE

    In support of improving patient care, DHA, J-7, CEPO is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the health care team. This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 2.00 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.

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Requirements: CE/CME certificates are awarded to participants who fully complete the activity, successfully submit the evaluation survey, and pass the posttest. The deadline to claim credit is Aug 28, 2025.

Access Code: Some activities require an access code to register or claim credit. Please contact the organization providing the activity for the access code. The Continuing Education Program Office (CEPO) does not provide access codes.

Accommodations: Please contact the course instructor to inquire about accommodations. For additional technical support, email [email protected].

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