PCSAS Recognized by VA

[DynamicDidactic]

Big doings.

http://www.psychologicalscience.org...gnized-by-veterans-health-administration.html

This was the last major barrier. Of course, APA accreditation still makes state licensure simpler but its more of a burden rather than a barrier.

It seems that PCSAS accredited trainees can likely be licensed in almost every state and hired for most clinical positions. Sure, some non-VA places require APA accreditation but I doubt they would consider PCSAS inadequate.

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[deleted343839]

It seems that PCSAS accredited trainees can likely be licensed in almost every state and hired for most clinical positions.

I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for the first clinical science training program to drop APA accreditation voluntarily.

 

[DynamicDidactic]

I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for the first clinical science training program to drop APA accreditation voluntarily.

Why?

One of my students is starting at a top tier clinical psych program and they were told during interviews that the program is seriously considering no longer continuing APA accreditation after the current term is complete. Appropriately, this is something they wanted their applicants to consider before accepting.

If you look over the list, I feel like a good deal of these programs can skip APA and not lose a beat in attracting talented students.
http://www.pcsas.org/accredited-programs.php

 

[deleted343839]

I'm sure they'll attract talented students with dreams of future academic careers, but the fact remains that many of their graduates will want or need to become licensed at some point, and in some states the accreditation issue will be more than an annoyance. For example, Oregon is phasing out acceptance of degrees from non-APA or non-CPA accredited programs. I trained at a top tier program and I totally understand the grievances with APA, but they're kidding themselves if they think that dumping APA accreditation won't affect their students' marketability.

 

[Ollie123]

I strongly support PCSAS - did grad school at one of the earliest places to get accredited and am now on faculty at another member (albeit not in the psych dept). However, I expect it will be at least 5-10 years before programs even consider dropping APA accreditation. That may or may not fit with the timeline of the school mentioned above depending on how recently they were renewed. Its also great that they are warning students of the possibility, but this is the sort of thing I'm certain the faculty will split on and get some pushback from students (who have the most to lose and will be nervous even if the legal issues are worked out by that time). The VA is a great start, but they need equivalence written into the laws of some key states before I think this will really take off. That is not something that will happen quickly, particularly given I am certain APA will fight tooth and nail on that one. The time horizon for these things is never as quick as you think.

That said - anything that pushes us towards greater accountability as practitioners and a more diverse perspective on the field of clinical psychology (and one that arguably better captures our strengths) is certainly a good thing.