PA Act 235 Services

Psychological Exam

We do the Act 235 psychological exam on selected Saturdays. The exam is administered by Dustan Barabas, P.C., who is a PA licensed psychologist, assisted by his support staff. The next exam date is announced on this website and when you call our phone number: 570-629-4900. Our exam sessions begin promptly at 8:00AM. Plan to arrive by 8:00AM. Dr. Barabas’s fee for the psychological examination service at the Examination Session is $300. INSURANCE IS NOT ACCEPTED.

You can reach Dr. Barabas directly by phone at 570-629-4900. If you get voice mail, leave a message.

NOTE: If you have questions about whether the State Police have your application or your exam results, you must call the PA State Police Lethal Weapons Office at 717-346-7763. Their fax is 717-346-7781.

PLEASE NOTE: When you reserve your seat, we expect you to show up. If you don’t show up, you may attend a subsequent exam session. However, you will need to pay a rescheduling fee of $50 in cash on the subsequent session that you attend. Your exam registration is only valid for six months. Applicants who register here on the website will have their one-on-one psychological interview before people who walk in.

Reasons Why the Pennsylvania State Police Require a Psychological Exam

The PA State Police require a psychological examination conducted by a Pennsylvania Licensed Psychologist to determine the psychological fitness of the Act 235 applicant to appropriately handle a lethal weapon. Psychological fitness for working in the security field entails having a number of specific personality traits and abilities:

• A respectful attitude
• Honesty
• Patience and frustration tolerance
• Good judgment and impulse control
• Good interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to deescalate or defuse conflict
• Ability to stay calm and make good decisions under stress
• Ability to exercise appropriate restraint when challenged or under stress
• Good conflict resolution skills
• Ability to learn skills to restrain physically aggressive persons when necessary
• Ability to learn how to effectively respond to a physical assault
• Ability to follow and retain instructions
• Willingness to learn new things and to gracefully accept critical feedback
• Respect for authority and comfort taking orders from supervisors
• Ability to be a team player

What the PA State Police Specifically Require the Psychologist to Do

1. The PA licensed psychologist is required to individually interview the applicant and prepare a typed report that describes the applicant’s personal, educational, employment, psychological history (current or past counseling, psychotropic medication, psychological hospitalization, etc.), and criminal history to include arrest history, as well as any ARD or expunged dispositions. 
2. The psychologist is required to provide in the typed report details and explanations for any positive findings regarding any criminal and psychological history.  Failure to address all required topics will result in the return of the documentation for more information.
3. The psychologist is required to administer to the applicant a full length, current standard form of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). The psychologist and/or his/her psychological assistants must computer score the applicant’s completed MMPI-2 answer form.
4. The examining psychologist and/or psychological assistants must record the applicant’s individual MMPI-2 T Scale scores in the attached tables on the applicant’s Psychological Exam Report Form.
5. The examining psychologist must interpret all of the applicant’s MMPI-2 T Scale scores and record his/her interpretation within the description report he/she submits to the Pennsylvania State Police.
6. The examining psychologist must provide a thorough explanation in your psychological report for any MMPI-2 validity scale and clinical scale above 65T, and any elevated supplemental scales deemed significant.
7. If the examining licensed psychologist is unable to certify your psychological capability or risk to exercise appropriate judgment, and restraint in the handling of a lethal weapon at this time, after administering the MMPI-2 Test and conducting a 1-on-1 clinical interview with you, the psychologist is required to employ whatever other psychological measuring instrument(s) and/or technique(s) he or she deems necessary to form his/her professional opinion.
8. The use of any such instrument(s) and/or technique(s) requires that the examining psychologist prepare a full and complete typed explanation. You are responsible for paying the psychologist an additional fee for his/her time to administer more testing.
9. The psychological exam form that the examining psychologist must use is available on the PA State Police Lethal Weapons Website. You should print out this form, fill out the top portion, and bring it with you to your examination. Download the exam form.
10. The examining psychologist must send the completed examination report to the PA State Police within 15 days of the date of examination, even if you are found to be psychologically at risk. The report is sent by the examining psychologist to: Pennsylvania State Police, Lethal Weapons Certification, 8002 Bretz Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17112-9748.

Why choose Dr. Dustan Barabas’ Act 235 Testing Services?

Dustan Barabas, P.C. is a Pennsylvania and New Jersey Licensed Clinical Psychologist. Dr. Barabas administers the required Act 235 Psychological Examination on announced Saturday mornings and also by individual appointment. Dr. Barabas understand firearms and the people who carry them for personal protection, self-defense and for a living. He has been administering Act 235 Lethal Weapons Exams since 2007.

Appointments and Fees

The fee for the Saturday Psychological Exam is $300. You can reserve your seat here, or be admitted to the exam on a space available basis at 8:00AM on the scheduled Saturday morning. The fee must be paid in cash on the day of the examination if you do not reserve your seat in advance online.

Appointments: If you want or need to schedule an appointment with Dr. Barabas for the Act 235 psychological exam at a time other than the scheduled Saturday exam session, you can call and leave a message at: 570-629-4900. The appointment fee is $300.

Location: 930 N. 9th Street, Stroudsburg, PA 18360

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