University Is In Progress Of Being WASC Accredited

[smalltownpsych]

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I think this is absolutely true. Some of the responses seem more rude becuase this is the main question asked ad nauseum on this forum. " How can I get to be, like a psychologist despite it looking so daunting" and everyone wants a shortcut. The shortcuts honestly suck.

I've now been in private practice for a mere 4 months. I'm here to say I'm blown away by how much this stuff actually matters. I honestly didnt consider this before, but patients read my bio on the web and come in knowing where I did my undergrad, ma, phd, etc. Patient told me last week that one of the reasons she chose me is because where I did my masters and she is from that region so she thought I'd understand her a little better + she knows its a good school. If you dont have that, that's a potential patient you're missing out on without even knowing it.

Making it even more important is that people who are researching a psychologist and selecting you because of solid CV are also going to be more likely to show up. It is much better to hear that type of response as to why they are here as opposed to "I don't know. They told me I had to come." Is it just me or does anyone else want to end the intake right at that point? Ultimately it seems that motivated patients pick the good practitioners who tend to keep their schedule full and make more money. I see this play out every day in head to head comparisons.

 

[deleted343839]

I think the OP left this conversation a while back, but this will be a good thread to link back to the next time...

 

[psych.meout]

I think the OP left this conversation a while back, but this will be a good thread to link back to the next time...

You mean two days from now?

 

[Istilldontknow]

I've never even heard of the accreditation that you're talking about. Like everyone else said, you need an APA accredited program to be a licensed psychologist. If you're faith is important to you, look at Regent University. It's very Christian based but still accredited. IMO, I would never recommend attending any faith based program that results in treating clients due to the enormous bias you'll have as a clinician. But, Regent would be a better choice than the school you mentioned.

 

[cara susanna]

I did part of my training in California and I completely agree with the other posters. The other thing I'd mention is that California has a TON of hurdles for licensure. It isn't super easy even if you attend an APA accredited program. I can't imagine how difficult it would be if you attended a program that wasn't accredited.

Also, why not leave California for your training? A lot of people do that and then come back later. It's much easier to train elsewhere and get solid credentials, than to attend a sketchy school and try to stay there for all the different stages of grad school, internship, and post doc. California has jobs for people with good training, you just need to get it first. And southern California is SUPER expensive, as you yourself mentioned, so you might save some money in the long run.