CIIS's PsyD reputation?

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mrpeabody

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I am wondering, in general, how CIIS's PsyD program is viewed in comparison to other programs (wright, alliant, argosy, pgsp, jfk) in the area, and perhaps in general. Is the program rigorous? Are the students intelligent? Are good internships easy to come by? (Without clear rankings it is so hard to know...)

Thanks.
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I'm in a Ph.D program is the area and really have never come into contact with any of their students or heard a peep about the program. Not sure if thats good or bad. Their match rate for APA internships is not very impressive. PGSP-Stanford Consortium is the top dog as far as the Psy.Ds here. Training and faculty are top notch, class sizes are small. Price is outrageous though. Best thing to do is contact the school itself and get into contact with current students.

I try not to be biased too much...but i cant help it with the Argosy school around here. I know many practicum people (especially the VA and the big academic medical centers around here) who will not take them. Whether this is deserved or not is not really the point. Their reputation is so low and they can get so many other students from other programs that are more accomplished and have better reputations.
 
I've talked to someone who had a very bad time in their master's program. I don't know all the details, and I think it was more administrative problems, but after talking to him I decided not to apply to their program although I had considered it for the meditation and eastern psychology slant, but did apply to the other psyd schools mentioned previously in the SF bay area. PGSP PhD program has a meditation and psychology track, but probably not as "touchy feely" and "new age" as you might get in CIIS, that's just my subjective impression. I've also heard JFK has something similar but didn't look into it much as the commute was a no go for me.
 
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erg923, if you don't mind my asking which program are you in?
 
i think remaining anonymous on this board helps to avoid certain issues
 
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erg,

If you don't mind me asking, what potential issues do you see with revealing one's doc program? It's not that I'm particularly interested in snooping in anyone's business or trying to flaunt mine (really nothing on my behalf to flaunt about), but I'd just like to know the rationale for your stance.

Thanks!
 
I think its particularly advantageous for when one becomes involved in heated discussions on the board. It allows you to speak more candidly about controversial issues, your own experiences, and your own views. Staying anonymous prevents gossip from spreading through the academic grapevine (which is very small), or among students that might even be within my own program on here. Further, I sometimes give opinion on, or use my experiences at practicum sites in threads. This maintains confidentiality in cases where i might want to dissuade others from that practicum site, or give a case example.
 
but would it not be more informational and thusly more advantageous for students to know what goes on where and what experiences people are having at various institutions? Even if someone would say something particularly negative or overly optimistic about a program, it would seem to me that the caliber of people viewing this site are of the capacity to take peoples' opinions lightly and not be swayed entirely in one direction or another. if i was at an internship site that i thought sucked hardcore, i would want to share that with others so that they would be more cognizant in regards to what they're getting themselves into.
 
I think it is up to each person to be as anonymous (or not) as they feel comfortable. I'm pretty visible, but that is by my choice, others may not feel as comfortable. The clinical circle is quite small, particularly if you are in a very niche area....so I can see why some what to be more anonymous. I think people feel more comfortable speaking a bit more anonymously, particularly in areas of conflict.
 
baylordude said:
but would it not be more informational and thusly more advantageous for students to know what goes on where and what experiences people are having at various institutions? Even if someone would say something particularly negative or overly optimistic about a program, it would seem to me that the caliber of people viewing this site are of the capacity to take peoples' opinions lightly and not be swayed entirely in one direction or another. if i was at an internship site that i thought sucked hardcore, i would want to share that with others so that they would be more cognizant in regards to what they're getting themselves into.
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Yes exactly, I would want people to know that a practicum site sucked hardcore, but I would not want people to know where i went to school, because then the comment can be traced back to me. I wouldn't want a practicum site to be able to find out that I was the one giving negatively evals. This world is highly political with lots of gossip. I guess I'm just not as trusting that people will always handle information in appropriate and mature ways as you are. If I see that a person has specific questions about my program that i feel i can answer with inside info, I will usually PM them and I will talk about it there.
 
your comment is well received. thanks for sharing. And, in regards to my latter comment about sucky internship sites, I also meant to include schools as well. to reiterate my previous post about disclosing information (if it didn't come off clearly), i was simply asserting that i try my best to be a resource for viewers; if ya wanna know what i think about my program, i'll letcha know. if ya wanna know what i thought about my practicum or internship site i'll letcha know that as well. If ya want the info Pm'ed to ya...cool, but I'd rather have it up for others to benefit from. However, to each his/her own. :)
 
This thread went off topic, however I am also interested to know in people's opinions about CIIS reputation, especially in regards to Alliant SF and JFKU.
Anyone?

Thanks in advance!
 
I've only known one person directly that has gone to CIIS and his experience (in a master's program) was horrible. I can't spell it out for reasons of this persons privacy but it was a nightmarish scenario. He absolutely did not recommend going there based on his experiences. That scared me off. Again, this was one person's experience so take it for what it is. My impression of the reputation is that it is more "new agey" than other schools which wasn't my cup of tea. They also require students to go through therapy if I'm not mistaken.

I think on the scale of things in the Bay Area, CSPP and JFK would be a leg up. I'm not certain how each of those compares with each other. Many people consider the commute to JFK a factor as it is somewhat far from SF.
 
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I have enjoyed going to school at CIIS and being a part of the Psy.D. program. I've had no problem getting placed for practicum both years (at my first choice) and do not anticipate any problem being placed for internship. As for CIIS having a "new agey" feel to it, if spirituality is New Age, then yes, CIIS has a spiritual component to it. CIIS stands for California Institute of Integral Studies. Integral studies is a movement that seeks a comprehensive understanding of human beings and the universe by combining, among other things, scientific and spiritual insights (e.g., Eastern philosophy). There is an emphasis in the program to become competent in working with spirituality, which is a growing movement in the field of psychology as part of competency in diversity issues (e.g., DSM-IV "religious or spiritual problem," Divison 36 of the APA, and APA Diversity Task Force). I have felt well-prepared to work with clients from a more integrative approach to psychotherapy. The Psy.D. program requires instruction in three paradigms in psychotherapy: Cognitive-behavioral, Psychodynamic, and Transpersonal. CIIS is the only Psy.D. program I know of that offers such diverse views and is also APA accredited. In addition, there are classes offered in other emphases such as Existential, Jungian, etc. I believe that my education thus far has been quite satisfactory and has prepared me to feel very competent and well-rounded as a psychotherapist. CIIS is a private school and thus tuition is pricey, but I don't feel that I could get everything that this school has to offer anywhere else.
 
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erg923,

I was accepted to the psychology doctoral program at PGSP, and I applied to the Ph.D. for one main reason - they were not yet accredited by APA for their Psy.D. program. You do not want to attend a university that has not been APA accredited. Best of Luck!
 
CIIS Student said:
I have enjoyed going to school at CIIS and being a part of the Psy.D. program. I've had no problem getting placed for practicum both years (at my first choice) and do not anticipate any problem being placed for internship.
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Why are you so confident? With as low of an APPIC placement rate as CIIS has, I would anticipate problems. Still, you have a better than 1 in 3 chance of making a match through APPIC. No offense, but their match rate is horrible.

Mark
 
Hoodwinked said:
erg923,

I was accepted to the psychology doctoral program at PGSP, and I applied to the Ph.D. for one main reason - they were not yet accredited by APA for their Psy.D. program. You do not want to attend a university that has not been APA accredited. Best of Luck!
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The PGSP/Stanford Consortium IS absolutely APA accredited.

**EDIT**: just noticed that you're a post-doc and perhaps they were not accredited at the time you applied.
 
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As a previous student of color in the PsyD program at CIIS, I definitely do not recommend this program for several reasons. First of all, this program has been non APA-accredited since it was revoked in 2012 for uncertain adminstrative issues; this have been causing many troubles to most current and previous students in this program. Second, most - if not all, students have been in bitterness right from the second semester for having not satisfying grades, bad experiences with some professors, having hard time in getting a placement for Practicum or internship, discrimination against minorities, and extremely expensive tuitions. Third, some professors have some odd personality traits, in which most students have been trying to avoid taking classes with them. Finally, if you decide to enroll in this program at CIIS, you better keep your mouth shut off because it's not advisable to vent to any student or professor there. Basically, they will share it with the chair, resulting in experiencing a hard time in trying to skip her retaliation.
 
erg923 said:
I think its particularly advantageous for when one becomes involved in heated discussions on the board. It allows you to speak more candidly about controversial issues, your own experiences, and your own views. Staying anonymous prevents gossip from spreading through the academic grapevine (which is very small), or among students that might even be within my own program on here. Further, I sometimes give opinion on, or use my experiences at practicum sites in threads. This maintains confidentiality in cases where i might want to dissuade others from that practicum site, or give a case example.
Click to expand...

It also allows people to be more rude without any real consequences. It has its benefits and drawbacks to be certain.
 
LAPsyGuy said:
It also allows people to be more rude without any real consequences. It has its benefits and drawbacks to be certain.
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Agitator!
 
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Many PsyD programs have reputations of being diploma mills, and some cranking out 100+ students a year deserve it. Argosy has many campuses, as it has been expanded for financial reasons, and some are excellent and some are not worth attending and imo a ripoff.

The first question you should ask is if the program is APA accredited? I personally wouldn't rec anyone go to any PsyD program with less than a 7yr accreditation. Last time I looked, only a handful of psyd programs had such.

Ask for how many students matriculate in the first year and ask for list of active practicum sites and see how that matches up with the number of students (if they'll provide that info). If you have 10 students/site there is a problem.

Ask about class sizes, look around on a tour and see if there are smaller classes or a few rooms seating 100+ people.

Ask about research opportunities and get professor info on who does what. (Look up some profs and see if they're known for anything good or bad).

Ask about financial aid/loans and career opportunities found by former students.

Finally, ask for and look up internship placement and EPPP pass rate statistics. If the school places less than 70% of applicants don't go there.

I'm sure I'm leaving out some questions, but these should be answered before you attend any PhD or PsyD psych program.

Good luck
 
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Therapist4Chnge said:
This forum wears kid gloves compared to most places. Even on SDN...go check out the Political Forum or Pre-Allo....
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matters not to me. I always find that sort of argument a non-starter.
 
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CIIS is in serious financial trouble, according to a family member who attends one of its accredited programs (purchased from a legit school last year) I agree with you and would recommend avoidance of any of its NON APA accredited programs.
 
erg923 said:
I'm in a Ph.D program is the area and really have never come into contact with any of their students or heard a peep about the program. Not sure if thats good or bad. Their match rate for APA internships is not very impressive. PGSP-Stanford Consortium is the top dog as far as the Psy.Ds here. Training and faculty are top notch, class sizes are small. Price is outrageous though. Best thing to do is contact the school itself and get into contact with current students.

I try not to be biased too much...but i cant help it with the Argosy school around here. I know many practicum people (especially the VA and the big academic medical centers around here) who will not take them. Whether this is deserved or not is not really the point. Their reputation is so low and they can get so many other students from other programs that are more accomplished and have better reputations.
Click to expand...

Do you mean in a Ph.D. program as in a graduate student? I noticed that you list yourself as a psychologist under your profile name, so just want to clarify which is true...

Also, I've heard from two different training centers that interviewed Stanford Consortium folks for internship spots that the students were markedly deficient in clinical skills compared to other interviewees. This isn't what I would expect based on Stanford's overall reputation. Not sure if this was a fluke or not, but it came from psychologists at 2 different counseling centers in 2 different states.
 
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foreverbull said:
Do you mean in a Ph.D. program as in a graduate student? I noticed that you list yourself as a psychologist under your profile name, so just want to clarify which is true...

Also, I've heard from two different training centers that interviewed Stanford Consortium folks for internship spots that the students were markedly deficient in clinical skills compared to other interviewees. This isn't what I would expect based on Stanford's overall reputation. Not sure if this was a fluke or not, but it came from psychologists at 2 different counseling centers in 2 different states.
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You are quoting something from 2008.
 
barryggg said:
You are quoting something from 2008.
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???? I'm not quoting anything.
This was from 2015, my own internship training director said it to me, and my colleague's training director in SoCal said it to her in 2014 based on their personal experiences interviewing. Of course I can't verify the exact year of those interviews.
 
It popped up top of the list since Trust but verify revived it. I don't always check the year on the thread if it's up at the top of the list.
Here's to vintage wines and vintage threads...
 
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