What if I have questions regarding a possible conflict of interest with the program or another member of the Site Visit team?
View examples of potential conflicts of interest. If there is still question with regard to a specific relationship, please consult the Office of Accreditation.
Is there a limit to the number of site visits I can agree to?
You can accept or decline as many site visit requests as you wish. Ideally, no site visitor will participate in more then two site visits per year, but this limit is merely a suggestion and should not limit you from doing additional visits if your schedule allows.
What travel plans will I be responsible for? How will I be reimbursed for these expenses?
Transportation: Site visitors are responsible for arranging their own transportation. You are strongly encouraged to use the APA Travel Office to book your flight. If you choose to make your own flight arrangements, be sure to report travel costs on your expense report. If you wish to use any other means of transportation (rental car, etc.) you must receive prior approval from the Accreditation Office.
Hotel: The chair of the site visit team is encouraged to ask the program to suggest a convenient and affordable hotel, and communicate this to the rest of the team. Indicate hotel costs on your expense report and submit it to the Accreditation Office for reimbursement with the paid hotel receipt (zero balance).
Will APA reimburse me for an extra night at the hotel?
APA will reimburse you for an additional night if you can save substantially on airfare by staying over at a location. Please notify the Accreditation Office ahead of time so that you will be reimbursed for your hotel accommodations for that evening.
All other requests for the reimbursement of additional nights are only approved under extenuating circumstances and need to be approved by the Accreditation Office prior to the visit.
Is there any set limit for hotel costs?
The Accreditation Office understands that hotel prices vary depending on geographic location, and tend to run very high in urban areas. While there is no set dollar amount, we ask that you seek additional suggestions from the program if the hotel cost seems particularly high for a certain area.
Who makes the Site Visit schedule? Can I get a sample schedule?
The schedule should be developed by the chair of the site visit team and the training director of the program at least two weeks prior to the site visit. Due to the many structural differences among programs, we do not provide a sample schedule.
When should I receive program materials regarding the site visit?
The program is responsible for providing you with a copy of the program's self-study report at least 1 month prior to the visit. If you do not receive these materials, please contact the director of training.
APA will send materials to confirm the visit 6 weeks prior to the visit. In addition to important program-related materials, this packet will include the APA Travel Office Memo and an Expense Report form. If you do not receive this confirmation, please contact the Accreditation Office.
Are my accreditation materials up to date?
The most recent version of the Guidelines and Principles for Accreditation (PDF, 460KB) and the Accreditation Operating Procedures (PDF, 253KB) are available on the accreditation website. Please check the upper right-hand corner of the documents to determine when they were last updated. Hard copies are available from the Accreditation Office upon request.
The most recent version of the Site Visitor Workbook is edition IXc. If you do not have this version, please contact the Accreditation Office and we will forward a copy to you immediately.
Implementing Regulations (PDF, 1.58MB — Note: View in Acrobat Reader 9 or later) — Because the Implementing Regulations are updated frequently, they are not available in print form and must be downloaded from the website. Please check the accreditation website regularly for notices of new or revised policies.
Site Visit Report Templates — Please utilize the appropriate template (Doctoral/Internship/Postdoctoral) to assist you when conducting the site visit and drafting the site visit report. These can be downloaded from the accreditation website.
How should I structure the site visit (SV) report?
Site visitors should structure their reports according to the appropriate Site Visit Report Template. Templates for doctoral, internship and postdoctoral programs are available on the accreditation website and in hard copy by request from the Accreditation Office. Structuring reports according to the SVR template facilitates the review by the Commission and ensures that the information obtained during the site visit addresses all Accreditation Guidelines and Principles.
How many copies of the SV report should I send? When is the report due?
Please mail one copy of the report (with the site visit schedule attached) no later than 30 days following the visit to:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
Attn: Site Visit Report
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
If you prefer, you may also submit the report as a Word document via email.
Once the report is submitted what other responsibilities do I have?
Once the site visit report and schedule are submitted your responsibility for the site visit is complete. Occasionally the Office of Accreditation may need to call a site visitor to clarify information provided in the site visit report.
Will I receive feedback regarding the visit?
Site visitors who go on at least two visits during a year will receive aggregate data on their ratings from the programs they visited. Such data is compiled by the Accreditation Office on an annual basis.
Each member of the site visit team will receive a copy of the program's response to their report and the Commission’s decision letter(s) (see Implementing Regulation D3-3(b)) after the CoA has made a final decision on that program. Please note that this may be several months or longer after the site visit takes place. Site visitors receive these materials only in the interest of providing feedback on their performance with the intent being to improve future reports. The CoA and Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation do not expect, and will not accept, any responses regarding the contents of these materials from site visitors.
When will I find out the outcome of the program’s review? How long do I need to keep the program materials (e.g. self-study, site visit report)?
The accredited program listings are updated 30 days after each Commission meeting. You may consult this list on a periodic basis to find out whether the program has received a final decision and its accredited status has been updated. After final decisions have been publicly posted, site visit teams will be mailed copies of the program’s response to the site visit report and decision letter(s), as described above. Once you receive these materials, this indicates that the review is final and that ALL program material is to be destroyed, including the decision letters.
I have not been invited to participate on a site visit team lately. How can I find out if I am still an active member of the site visitor corps?
Some years you may have many invitations, while other years, you may never receive a call. It is very dependent on your area of expertise and the types of programs up for review. Sometimes this is simply a matter of incorrect information in the site visitor database. The accreditation database is separate from all other APA databases, so please update the Accreditation Office specifically if your contact information changes. If you would like to participate in more visits, please contact the Accreditation Office so that we can confirm your contact information and update the cycles (winter/spring/fall) that are most convenient for you to do visits.
How do I become a site visit team chair?
Once you have participated as the second member on three site visits, you are automatically eligible to serve as the chair of a site visit team and may appear on lists as a potential chair. Chair workshops are offered periodically to aid in the transition to site visitor chair, and provide 4.0 CE credits for licensed psychologists. Attending this workshop is encouraged, but not required, to head a site visit team. All upcoming workshops are listed on the Accreditation Workshop Page. If you would be interested in attending such a workshop, please contact the office.
What if I do not wish to chair a site visit?
If you are asked to chair a team, but do not wish to lead the visit, you are welcome to offer your services as the second member of the team. If you do not wish to appear on further "chair" lists, please contact the office. Your name will remain in the site visitor pool as a "group 2" member only.
When does the Commission on Accreditation meet? How many programs are reviewed each year?
The CoA meets three times per year (Spring/Summer/Fall). Exact dates for the Commission on Accreditation meetings are publicly announced on an annual basis and are available on the "Important Dates" section of the accreditation website. The Commission reviews approximately 70 programs at each meeting for a total of about 210 programs each year.
