Update
CoA reviewed public comment collected on the proposed draft Standards of Accreditation in Health Service Psychology (SoA) prior to its October meeting and revised the SoA based on the feedback received. The updated version of the SoA was approved at the October meeting.
Next steps
Consistent with the “Policies for Accreditation Governance,” the SoA must be approved by APA governance before the standards are officially approved. CoA anticipates that this approval process will be complete by late February 2015.
Impact on programs
With CoA approval, the SoA is one step closer to official approval. As a program director, site visitor or student, you may be asking yourself, “What does this mean for me?”
Immediate impact: CoA approval of the SoA does not immediately impact programs. All accredited programs and those seeking accreditation at this time should adhere to the current Guidelines and Principles for Accreditation and not the proposed SoA. This includes:
- Programs that have a site visit scheduled for 2015 and 2016.
- Applicant programs applying for accreditation.
- Programs deferred for information.
- Programs listed as “accredited, on probation.”
Future impact: If the SoA is approved by APA governance early in 2015, the earliest it would take effect would be for programs assigned to the 2017 site visit cycle, including those with self-studies due Sept. 1, 2016. Prior to implementation, CoA will:
- Provide increased communication to education the public.
- Revise and create new Implementing Regulations (IRs).
- Release a series of IRs that will go out for public comment in 2015 and 2016.
- Develop an online self-study module for the SoA.
- Train site visitors in the new standards.
- Provide workshops on how to apply the SoA.
If you have questions about the anticipated transition to the SoA, please contact OPCA.