APA accreditation site visit

[krisrox]

My program is up for reaccreditation next year, so APA is going to be visiting and
"checking in" with us students. Our DCT warned us that we might be asked questions
not only about our program, but also things like major names and trends in psych
current events. Is this really how it goes? Has anyone been in this situation
before?

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[JockNerd]

My program is up for reaccreditation next year, so APA is going to be visiting and
"checking in" with us students. Our DCT warned us that we might be asked questions
not only about our program, but also things like major names and trends in psych
current events. Is this really how it goes? Has anyone been in this situation
before?

???

I was at multiple meetings for my site's accreditation and they never asked us anything even remotely like that. It was focused exclusively on how we thought we were being treated by the dept.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Both APA program acred. and internship acred. have outlined standards that get covered with the written submissions, and then the site visit happens which is when they talk to students, staff, etc. I have been through both, and the line of questioning and how much particular areas were covered were somewhat up to the main person. Programs and sites have some say of what is covered because they are asked to identify the type of program they are (scientist-practitioner, practitioner-scholar, etc) and then they must support their assertion. Overall, I found the site visit for the program acred. to be much more focused on the administration and faculty, and then some time towards the end to get our opinion. The questions didn't seem nearly as particular as the ones for the internship re-acred. process. It may be a style thing, as there seems to be some flexibility in how each "chair"/lead handles the visit, but I felt like the program re-acred. was much more general and focused on covering all of the req. points set by the APA. They asked about what we thought were "core areas" covered, did what they tell you match up with what you are experiencing, etc.

 

[O Gurl]

My program is up for reaccreditation next year, so APA is going to be visiting and
"checking in" with us students. Our DCT warned us that we might be asked questions
not only about our program, but also things like major names and trends in psych
current events. Is this really how it goes? Has anyone been in this situation
before?

I've been through site visits at my grad program and internship and encountered nothing like this. I agree with JockNerd and T4C that the focus will be on the training faculty and how well the program delivers on it's stated goals.

 

[krisrox]

Thanks for the reassurance. What you guys are saying sounds more like what I'd expect.

Also, sorry about the formatting of my original post.

 

[InYourHead]

This just got me thinking- it would be really cool to be able to travel around and see different programs at different universities. I still have a looooong time to go (this post is yet another distraction from my dissertation), but what path would one take in order to be a part of the APA Accreditation Committee?

 

[cara susanna]

IMO the whole interviewing students thing doesn't really work because they have a vested interest in keeping accreditation. So, even if they do have issues, they probably won't voice them.

 

[haner2]

My experience with this may be more limited than others, but overall I've noticed that the site visitors are interested in making sure students are being required to have certain classes and training, and are less interested in quizzing you on what you have actually learned or retained because they do not know about what individually differences may influence that acquisition.

 

[aagman01]

Yeah, same here. I was surprised at how informal the whole experience was. To be honest, the whole experience was pretty interesting and fun.

I've been through site visits at my grad program and internship and encountered nothing like this. I agree with JockNerd and T4C that the focus will be on the training faculty and how well the program delivers on it's stated goals.

 

[futureapppsy2]

IMO the whole interviewing students thing doesn't really work because they have a vested interest in keeping accreditation. So, even if they do have issues, they probably won't voice them.

ITA with this. If the program looses accred or goes on probation, the students immediately suffer significantly, and they know this.

 

[Shatani]

???

I was at multiple meetings for my site's accreditation and they never asked us anything even remotely like that. It was focused exclusively on how we thought we were being treated by the dept.

same here. they asked us about the program and thats it.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Yeah, same here. I was surprised at how informal the whole experience was. To be honest, the whole experience was pretty interesting and fun.

The site review may have seemed informal, but the paperwork side before the site review is ridiculously detailed and time consuming...both for a program re-acred and an internship re-acred.

 

[G Costanza]

IMO the whole interviewing students thing doesn't really work because they have a vested interest in keeping accreditation. So, even if they do have issues, they probably won't voice them.

Is that a reason not to do it? A lot of people tell the truth...good and bad.

 

[Shatani]

Is that a reason not to do it? A lot of people tell the truth...good and bad.

i think thats true. i dont think anyone will stay at a school that they feel shouldnt be accredited, so even the bad stuff they may say is not about tanking the program and probably wouldnt be severe enough to do that....

 

[aagman01]

Ahhh....I was just addressing the student side of an APA training program visit. I thought that was what the posting discussed/referenced. Faculty/TD experience is obviously quite different.

The site review may have seemed informal, but the paperwork side before the site review is ridiculously detailed and time consuming...both for a program re-acred and an internship re-acred.

 

[Duck Duck Goose]

i think thats true. i dont think anyone will stay at a school that they feel shouldnt be accredited, so even the bad stuff they may say is not about tanking the program and probably wouldnt be severe enough to do that....

I think most people will stay at a school that probably shouldn't be accredited but in which they've invested about $120,000 (+/- $70,000) for training (self-reported debt load of Psy.D. students applying for internship, due solely to graduate training).

I wasn't near campus when the APA visited my program and I couldn't find an email address to alert them to my concerns (and I wasn't comfortable asking faculty for such an address because I feared repercussions). Only students in the first couple years were guaranteed to be within driving distance and most of those students (at least most of the first years) aren't aware of the program's problems yet.

Cognitive dissonance, right? My program sucks but it can't be that bad because I wouldn't have paid enough to buy a house in tuition if it were that bad.

 

[Neuro-Dr]

The CoA team is not as interested in your opinion of the program unless you give a negative voice to something. They interview students because they are a source of information about whether the faculty adequately prepare students consistent with their model. You should know you model, the outcomes of the program and how you are assessed and evaluated in terms of competencies. Further, students are a good source of info on course content, program policies, program outcomes, diversity training, evaluation methods, etc. basically your committe chair can use student knowledge or lack there of to evaluate how the program evaluates the students, the program itself and the like. They can ask how you receive feedback on yearly and course progress, how you file greivances, where you go to get program info, how often you meet with faculty. I have seen CoA members pull students based on diversity in to groups and ask them how they are treated, how diversity is integrated into course, etc. it really depends on what axe the member wants to grind or where they see the program weaknesses. As to how critical your role is in the process, that is less clear.