My supervisor went to Walden - I need advice

[bookwormpsych]

Hello all -

I'm not sure why I think about these things, but I do. 2 things:

Thing 1:
I have a boss that graduated from one of Walden's online psych PhD programs. (I'm not looking to say poor things about this person - he's an awesome dude). But, I am concerned for him. I'm mainly concerned that he cannot seek licensure, as this program is not APA accredited. Our state's rules & regs do not say a program has to be APA accredited but says,

"(a) Licensure Requirements. An applicant for licensure as a psychologist must: (1) hold a doctoral degree in psychology from a college or university accredited by a regional accrediting organization; (2) pass all examinations required by the agency; (3) submit documentation of supervised experience from a licensed psychologist which satisfies the requirements of Council rule 463.11; and (4) meet all other requirements of §501.2525 of the Occupations Code."

Meaning, it has to be accredited from somewhere. Now, correct me if I am wrong.... but Walden isn't accredited at all, is it? From anything? I couldn't find that it was...

Thing 2:
As a preface, I've noticed a huge rise in this...

There are TWO, not one... but TWO people (interns) I know of at my other job that are also attending Walden. Do I express my concerns to my supervisor there? Or to the interns? Do I warn these people, or what? I feel put in a spot. I'm worried that these individuals will be in HEAPS of debt for no outcome. I mean, they should have researched that... but I'm soft and I care for these people. I don't know how to approach this, or if I even should. Do I leave them alone and let them go about their business?


As an aside - all over Walden's webpage.... they nowhere mention licensing, or being a clinician whatsoever. So that leads me to believe that I'm correct in my assumptions.


Thanks in advance for any advice.

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[WisNeuro]

"The PhD in Clinical Psychology program is designed to prepare graduates to qualify to sit for psychology licensing exams. This program is designed to meet the academic licensure requirements of many state psychology boards. However, Walden University’s PhD in Clinical Psychology program is not accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) and has not received designation by the Association of State and Provinicial Psychology Boards/National Register (ASPPB/NR), which are requirements for licensure in some states. Because no graduate program can guarantee licensure upon graduation, we encourage students to consult the appropriate agency to determine specific requirements. For more information about licensure, students should visit the Association of Sate and Provincial Psychology Boards at http://www.asppb.net/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3395 and contact the appropriate licensing body. International students are encouraged to identify and contact their appropriate licensing body."
'
Licensure Requirements

Program meets licensure requirements in:

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Program does not meet licensure requirements in:

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wyoming."

 

[WisNeuro]

They will be very limited in where they can practice, and even in the states that they can be licensed in, I imagine many employers will not seriously consider their applications.

 

[Doctor Koala]

Looks like your boss and interns will only be able to teach or perhaps do research that doesn’t involve testing out a therapy intervention.

 

[bookwormpsych]

Licensure Requirements

Program meets licensure requirements in:

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Program does not meet licensure requirements in:

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wyoming."

Ooooooooh, okay! I did not find this. Their website tucked it away at the very bottom. Sneaky. Then you have to follow a separate link to find the states list.
Well, I am glad these people can be come licensed in this state, at the very least. However, I am disappointed in the lax standards here. And, you're right. Getting a job outside of their current circumstances will likely be hard for them. I know the bigger metroplexes in this state would be hard to gain access to, job-wise.
I'm glad I don't need to tell them, though. That would have sucked. Thank you for your help 🙂

 

[Sanman]

For future reference, leave them to their business unless they are asking for your advice. Unsolicited career advice will rarely make you friends. Hell, some of us get yelled at from people that specifically solicited the advice by posting a question here.

 

[bookwormpsych]

For future reference, leave them to their business unless they are asking for your advice. Unsolicited career advice will rarely make you friends. Hell, some of us get yelled at from people that specifically solicited the advice by posting a question here.

Fair enough! I didn't necessarily have any advice to offer anyway lol. Just concerned for them. I wasn't sure if this type of thing is common practice among professionals or not. Also - the boss portion concerns me because if he cannot get licensed then I'll need to find another supervisor permanently (I have one that's "temp" until he gets his license).

 

[theSteppenwolf]

On cursory inspection, Walden is nationally accredited. Despite the way it sounds, national accreditation is lower on the hierarchy than regional accreditation. These accreditations are tied to the school as a whole and not specific programs. Individual professional programs are accredited by professional organizations (e.g., APA, CACREP, CEPH).

Also, I agree with the above comment about not giving unsolicited advice. They are pot committed at this point and likely won't respond well.

 

[ClinicalABA]

Is this just an administrative supervisor, or is he also you clinical supervisor?

 

[PsyDr]

1) Do you really think they don't know? There is never a hint of aggressive tone of speech when the subject comes up? They never try to hide the fact that they are going there?

2) Life advice: it's probably not great to be in a setting where your name gets associated with lackluster credentials.

3) Unrelated: one of the more common ECP mistakes is assuming that behavior is motivated by a lack of information.

 

[bookwormpsych]

Is this just an administrative supervisor, or is he also you clinical supervisor?

He is both. But, due to not being licensed, I have another assigned supervisor that provides weekly supervision and signs hours. He, right now, is mainly the guy I go to with things like "hey, here do I find such and such" or "how do I XYYZ?"


Weirdly, I have 3 supervisors lol. One is for my second part time job (where the interns are at). Then the 2 from my FT job.

 

[bookwormpsych]

1) Do you really think they don't know? There is never a hint of aggressive tone of speech when the subject comes up? They never try to hide the fact that they are going there?

2) Life advice: it's probably not great to be in a setting where your name gets associated with lackluster credentials.

3) Unrelated: one of the more common ECP mistakes is assuming that behavior is motivated by a lack of information.

1) I suppose you're right - they likely know. I just worry that maybe, like me, they didn't research prior to and now are in a bad spot. (by "like me" I mean that a few months ago I almost accepted an acceptance to Adler - before doing my research and figuring out that diploma mills exist). He's never given off a vibe to suggest that he is ashamed, and has not tried to hide it either. Interns, I'm note sure about. I don't talk to them much.

2) You're right here, too. (You're right a lot, I always appreciate your straight forward responses). I am in a small town that does not offer much in the way of jobs in the field. Well, it's so saturated here that the LPCs churned out from the school I went to occupy all the jobs that would be available to me LOL. I was at a different campus of this hospital for a year+ (an hour away) under a psychologist that went to a really good school. This is my first rodeo with someone who chose differently. I just transferred due to that awful commute. I applied to programs this cycle so maybe I won't be here too much longer.

 

[DynamicDidactic]

I am ok with criticizing any of the following;
1. non-accredited by APA or PCSAS programs
2. High-debt programs
3. Large-cohort programs
4. Sub-standard dissertation programs

I think all these types of programs are poor for the field and take advantage of their students. Many of them also produce poor psychologists. Walden goes near the very bottom of the list. I’d be wary working in a place with many psychologists from these types of programs.

 

[foreverbull]

If everything (ie supervision) is done ethically and by the book, there’s nothing to be done or said here...

....except to mentally note which employers on your area hire folks from online schools with a very poor track record, and as @DynamicDidactic mentions, consider steering clear of them in the future if you can.

I will say, I’m also just surprised that an employer wouldn’t see an online doctorate in psychology as a huge red flag. If they are unfamiliar with psychology grad schools, that takes just a second to Google search to correct.

 

[Sanman]

If everything (ie supervision) is done ethically and by the book, there’s nothing to be done or said here...

....except to mentally note which employers on your area hire folks from online schools with a very poor track record, and as @DynamicDidactic mentions, consider steering clear of them in the future if you can.

I will say, I’m also just surprised that an employer wouldn’t see an online doctorate in psychology as a huge red flag. If they are unfamiliar with psychology grad schools, that takes just a second to Google search to correct.

The OP mentioned this was a small town type of area, so slim pickings may be the reason. I know in my catchment areas, if I want to make a community referral to a psychologist, I can't as there are none in the county. A decent number of mid-levels with variable training and maybe one old EdD school psych.

 

[PsyDr]

.... You're right here, too. (You're right a lot, I always appreciate your straight forward responses).

Don’t be fooled. It's not that I am right a lot. It’s that I've learned a lot through the process of frequently being wrong.

Like Mandela said, “I never lose. I either win or learn.”

 

[bookwormpsych]

The OP mentioned this was a small town type of area, so slim pickings may be the reason. I know in my catchment areas, if I want to make a community referral to a psychologist, I can't as there are none in the county. A decent number of mid-levels with variable training and maybe one old EdD school psych.

Oh yeah, slim pickings is definitely the reason I can't be too picky. Luckily, the individuals writing my LORs for this cycle all come from great and reputable schools and I have good professional and academic relationships with. In my area there is 1 major employer (well, 2 - but one campus is an hour away and is why I transferred to where I am now) that hires for our field, then a smattering of small practices that are basically filled up with LPCs. My second job is one of the few places stocked well with good, reputable psychologists who do therapy, testing, etc., and we are backed up for a looooong while due to that fact.

 

[foreverbull]

The OP mentioned this was a small town type of area, so slim pickings may be the reason. I know in my catchment areas, if I want to make a community referral to a psychologist, I can't as there are none in the county. A decent number of mid-levels with variable training and maybe one old EdD school psych.

Very true; depends on the available pool of professionals in any area. Having worked with and supervised some master’s level folks, there are some great midlevel practitioners if you know how to find them, and finding those folks may be a better bet than some of the online doctorate earners.