How important is APA accreditation?

[stigmata]

This is actually common language, "APA/CPA accred or meets the following guidelines".

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[AcronymAllergy]

This is actually common language, "APA/CPA accred or meets the following guidelines".

Yep, I've noticed this while browsing through jurisdicational requirements. From what I could gather, Georgia and possibly Oregon appeared to the only states I could find in my brief search that explicitly required APA accred at the doctoral level.

 

[busybusybusy]

Busybusybusy, I see how you could think that but this is actually what NC's jurisdictional handbook says: The applicant's doctoral program must be accredited by APA or CPA at the time of the applicant's graduation from the program or one which meets all the requirements in 21 NCAC 54 .1803. Link to 21 NCAC 54.1803:http://ncrules.state.nc.us/ncac/tit...chapter 54 - psychology/21 ncac 54 .1803.html. Hope this helps!

Also, aren't you starting an APA-accred program in the fall? If so, you don't need to worry about this because you'll most certainly be eligible for licensure, anywhere 🙂.

Gotcha! Thanks! I am starting an APA-accred. program so I wasn't really worried about that specifically, but being just a *little bit* of an over-planner I research everything to the n-th degree. Thought maybe I missed some website with info I of course need to know well before I actually need it, just didn't fully understand the one I was seeing

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

This is actually common language, "APA/CPA accred or meets the following guidelines".

This is true, though then it is up to the licensing board as to whether they want accept your justification that you meet the alternative guidelines. I wish more states would be more explicit, but that rarely happens.

I do know in states like FL, licensure language for many disciplines is more specific, mostly because there is an oversupply of professionals who are "semi-retired". From a practical standpoint 95% of clinical psychologists are fine, but it can be dicey for the other 5%.

 

[Sandra Linn]

Its more than just for internships. It rules you out of many kinds of post-docs and many, many jobs. Coming from an APA accredited program is a prereq for pretty much everything in this field. Bottom line is, too many hoops to jump through because of it. There are no actual benefits to attending a non-accredited program, so why do it?

Well, I believe most of the people needs certifications and accreditation because this is the way the educational system works and the job market works. In reality, All we nee is the right and accurate information & training, and a brain to perform. Ask Steven Jobs, Bill Gates, Abraham Lincoln, lawyer, U.S. president, he finished barely a year of formal schooling. He self-taught himself trigonometry (for his work as a surveyor) and read Blackstone on his own to become a lawyer, then we have Spielberg and more ... not mentioning many "psychologists" in the ancient Egypt ( they did not had Accreditation at that time LOL ). This APA accreditation started in 1892, years after Wilhelm Wund ! I have been working in High Ed for many years, and I can tell you - Unfortunately our school system is biased and the job market is too. Its all about $$$. There are too many students looking for psychology, when/if it starts declining, then APA will accredit online schools and beyond !

 

[erg923]

Well, I believe most of the people needs certifications and accreditation because this is the way the educational system works and the job market works. In reality, All we nee is the right and accurate information & training, and a brain to perform. Ask Steven Jobs, Bill Gates, Abraham Lincoln, lawyer, U.S. president, he finished barely a year of formal schooling. He self-taught himself trigonometry (for his work as a surveyor) and read Blackstone on his own to become a lawyer, then we have Spielberg and more ... not mentioning many "psychologists" in the ancient Egypt ( they did not had Accreditation at that time LOL ). This APA accreditation started in 1892, years after Wilhelm Wund ! I have been working in High Ed for many years, and I can tell you - Unfortunately our school system is biased and the job market is too. Its all about $$$. There are too many students looking for psychology, when/if it starts declining, then APA will accredit online schools and beyond !

Yes-cry me a river. But it is what it is, right?

You can fight the system, sure. Is it worth it? Not if you actually want to work in the field...

 

[MCParent]

Ask Steven Jobs, Bill Gates, Abraham Lincoln, lawyer, U.S. president, he finished barely a year of formal schooling. He self-taught himself trigonometry (for his work as a surveyor) and read Blackstone on his own to become a lawyer, then we have Spielberg and more

When I was about eight, my friend wanted to drop out of school. I asked why, and he said that it was because he heard that the founder of some fast food restaurant dropped out of school, and he got rich. Ergo, my friend said, he too wanted to drop out of school to become rich. I was unsuccessful in helping him to understand why his reasoning was not sound.

It bears repeating that the people involved in that conversation were, again, eight years old.

 

[WisNeuro]

When I was about eight, my friend wanted to drop out of school. I asked why, and he said that it was because he heard that the founder of some fast food restaurant dropped out of school, and he got rich. Ergo, my friend said, he too wanted to drop out of school to become rich. I was unsuccessful in helping him to understand why his reasoning was not sound.

It bears repeating that the people involved in that conversation were, again, eight years old.

Ah, I love anecdotes. I've treated a guy once who shot himself in the head. Bullet went through his jaw, neck and temporal lobe. He lived. Hence, gsw's to the head are not fatal!

 

[CheetahGirl]

Well, I believe most of the people needs certifications and accreditation because this is the way the educational system works and the job market works. In reality, All we need is the right and accurate information & training, and a brain to perform.

Jumping on this thread too: Hypothetically speaking, what if we do not follow the necessary rules and regulations that govern our profession? How can we hold anyone accountable if you are only banking on your "right and accurate information & training, and a brain to perform?" Well, this might be a tad bit obvious, but if you've earned your license to practice, via programs that are APA-accredited, AMA-accredited, ADA-accredited, American Society of Clinical Pathology-accredited, etc.... AND you f*@% up...Who's going to stop you from practicing? Well, I'll tell ya....your licensing board! [insert dancing banana]

Otherwise, (if you're truly MD/PhD, Sandra Linn, you'll understand) we'd all be practicing with enough brains to operate a scalpel for a quick debridement, and with some hydrogen peroxide, in that case, I would've stitched up my kid's flesh wound myself the other day....rather than taking him to the emergency dept. But, I didn't and wouldn't because I want to know that I am trusting someone with enough credentials to legitimately care for my child in the most ethical and appropriate way. And if that person, screws up (God forbid), I want to know that someone would take measures to remediate the person or situation and/or that person would never be allowed to screw up again on someone else.

That is why accreditation is important. And precisely why "life coaches" are so dangerous to the practice of psychotherapy.

And I happen to be credentialed by American Society of Clinical Pathology and thought it was a fun, irrelevant bragging right to add to my personal anecdote I'm sharing of my kid's ED visit. I have enough brains and skill to suture my kid back up...but I did not renew that license and currently do not have the legal authority to do any wound healing of any sort b/c it is now outside of the scope of what I currently practice. And yes, LAPsychGuy, if you read this, I did go Ad Hominem to stress a point.

 

[CheetahGirl]

 

[2ndTimeHopeful]

Would you consider a school that has a new clinical program, follows the APA guidelines & has Accreditation on contingency for the year you start?

 

[traumamama]

I have personally seen a Psych board meeting in FL where a person who was licensed and practicing for many years in another state was having a hard time getting licensed because their school was not APA accredited. She had to go back and get letters and sylibi and all kinds of stuff. They were not playing around. There is no way in hell I would have considered a non-accredited program, and now it's really extending into internships sites as well.

 

[psych.meout]

Would you consider a school that has a new clinical program, follows the APA guidelines & has Accreditation on contingency for the year you start?

Accredited, on Contingency is comparable to fully accredited.

Decoding Intent to Apply, “Accredited, on Contingency,” and Full Accreditation

Unless something unfortunate happens, you don't really have to worry about the program's accreditation status.

The main the thing you should really question is about internship. Newer programs don't have the same known reputations as well-established programs, which may make them less certain when it comes to getting an internship. This doesn't mean you won't get an accredited internship or shouldn't apply or accept an offer to a program that is accredited, on contingency; you should just be more cautious when evaluating it against other offers.

 

[WisNeuro]

Accredited on contingency is fine, generally speaking. As has been intimated, these schools have already shown APA that they meet the requirements for accreditation, their program is just new. If you start a program that has that status, you'll be considered having graduated from an accredited program. Unless they somehow really screw things up. If it's a university based program, I wouldn't worry.

 

[ClinicalTears]

Does accreditation matter for neuropsychology post-docs?

I’m at an AMC in CA, doing rehab and neuropsychology for two years, but it’s not a “formal” neuropsychology post-doc per-se (not accredited by APA) but we are provided didactic trainings and meet all other Houston guidelines criteria.

Did neuro training at APA school and VA prac/internship

 

[AcronymAllergy]

For neuropsych postdocs, adhering to Houston conference guidelines is more important (presently) than being APA-accredited. Being an APPCN member program is also a plus.

 

[ClinicalTears]

For neuropsych postdocs, adhering to Houston conference guidelines is more important (presently) than being APA-accredited. Being an APPCN member program is also a plus.

Grazie. I thought that was the case.

Hoping if they change the requirement we’d be given the okay tho.

 

[WisNeuro]

Not required, but it does make things a lot easier when it comes time to get boarded. By the real board, anyway.

 

[DynamicDidactic]

By the real board, anyway.

Let me get some aloe cause I can feel that burn.

 

[WisNeuro]

Let me get some aloe cause I can feel that burn.

😉

 

[wtfook]

You have completely missed my point. Some of the worst programs around are APA accredited. APA accreditation is not about quality, but the appearance of prestige. Take Alliant in SF. APA accredited, horrible match rates, horrible EPPP pass rates, but they have a few big names on their faculty who rarely teach to make them look top notch (Morgan Sammons, John Preston). A school in Ca. nobody has ever heard of called Ryokan, has had very high EPPP pass rates and has a solid program, but without big names and $ it will never get APA accreditation.

What other doctoral-level professions require a degree from a program which has accreditation through its primary membership society?

You make an interesting point in your final question. Medical schools in the US has the LCME which accredits them through sponsorship from the American Association of Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association. I wonder if this 3rd party approach makes them less corrupt or biased or if it just hides their tracks. Certainly, quality of medical training varies, even within accredited programs, just like in psychology. Counseling has CACREP. It doesn't seem they're directly affiliated, although they are supported, by the American Counseling Association. I don't have any conclusion to make from this but I did find your question compelling and did a quick google search. Decided to share my results and see what others think.

 

[Parabolas]

Some people go to the extreme and say stuff like "You might as well not go to grad school if you're not going to an APA accredited school"

That really is the best way to look at this. As others have said, some states will not grant you a license if you didn't go to an APA-accredited program. You certainly will not get an APA-accredited internship if you go to such a program, and many (if not most) employers won't hire you. The only situation where this would be a good idea is if 1. you're in a state that doesn't require accreditation for licensure, 2. you already have *a lot* of money to start a private practice, and 3. you won't need anyone to ever hire you because you'll be self-employed (and therefore your internship could be anywhere).

 

[psych.meout]

That really is the best way to look at this. As others have said, some states will not grant you a license if you didn't go to an APA-accredited program. You certainly will not get an APA-accredited internship if you go to such a program, and many (if not most) employers won't hire you. The only situation where this would be a good idea is if 1. you're in a state that doesn't require accreditation for licensure, 2. you already have *a lot* of money to start a private practice, and 3. you won't need anyone to ever hire you because you'll be self-employed (and therefore your internship could be anywhere).

And to go one step further, imagine telling your patients that you attended an unaccredited program. How do you justify to them that you are sufficiently competent if your training couldn't even meet the relatively low bar of attending an accredited program.

Would you choose to receive treatment from a physician who didn't attend an accredited med school?

 

[Prospective2018]

Any thoughts about programs that may not pursue future APA accreditation? This applies to some of the clinical science programs (i.e. Berkeley and other similar programs) who currently have APA and PCSAS accreditation, but may not choose to pursue APA accreditation in the future. Are there any downsides to attending a program like that in regards to APA accreditation being potentially dropped?

 

[WisNeuro]

Any thoughts about programs that may not pursue future APA accreditation? This applies to some of the clinical science programs (i.e. Berkeley and other similar programs) who currently have APA and PCSAS accreditation, but may not choose to pursue APA accreditation in the future. Are there any downsides to attending a program like that in regards to APA accreditation being potentially dropped?

Those programs should only be a consideration once a majority of states accept PCSAS or APA accreditation for licensure. I certainly wouldn't want to be an early test case to later find out I can't get licensed and/or am locked out of 75%+ of the available jobs out there.