Author: Scott Edwards, PhD
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When Does Drinking Become a Guideline G Problem?
Thinking about drinking this Veteran’s Day? Alcohol use is ubiquitous in American culture. In most cases, enjoying a drink at the end of a workday or sharing a bottle of wine at a celebration is socially accepted and legally permissible. But in the security clearance world, Guideline G (Alcohol Consumption) exists because excessive or irresponsible…
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Need a Psychological Evaluation to Get a Security Clearance?
Psychological Evaluations Occur Often During Security Clearance Investigations: Here Are the Three Most Common Reasons The security clearance approval process is long, even under the best circumstances. Though the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) has made significant strides in reducing delays—bringing Top Secret processing times down from an average of over 500 days in…
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Disclose Your Mental Health History & Keep Your Clearance
For many federal employees, military service members, and government contractors, access to classified information is an essential requirement of the job. If you are not successfully cleared through a background investigation, you simply cannot hold the position. That makes it natural to worry about whether a mental health condition—or a history of treatment—could jeopardize your…
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How to Approach Security Clearance Psychological Evaluations
If you’ve been asked to undergo a psychological evaluation during a security clearance investigation, you may feel nervous, confused, or even offended. That’s normal. But understanding the process—and how to approach it—can make all the difference between a favorable adjudication and an unnecessary clearance denial. Why Psychological Evaluations Happen The security clearance process is thorough…