After years of preparation and anticipation, by Jan. 1, 2017, all accredited programs must be adherent with the Standards of Accreditation in Health Service Psychologyopens in new window (SoA) (PDF, 217KB). The SoA were reviewed and approved by APA’s Council of Representatives in 2015 and will replace the Guidelines and Principles for Accreditation in Professional Psychology (G&P). The SoA will look familiar to those who have been through the accreditation process before, and there are also areas where noteworthy policy modifications have been made:
- Direct Observation : At all levels of training, trainees must be directly observed by supervisors while performing clinical work. Implementing Regulations (IRs) C-14 D, C-17 I, and C-17 P provide more information about the specific direct observation requirements for each level of training.
- Profession-Wide Competencies : The commission has articulated a series of nine (9) profession-wide competencies that doctoral students and interns must demonstrate by the completion of training at a level sufficient for entry-level practice. These include research, ethical and legal standards, individual and cultural diversity, professional values and attitudes, communication and interpersonal skills, assessment, intervention, supervision, and consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills. Postdoctoral residencies must ensure that residents demonstrate appropriate competence science-practice integration, ethical and legal standards, and individual and cultural diversity. Programs must articulate each profession-wide competency in terms of specific, operationalized elements that dictate the specific set(s) of knowledge or skills that demonstrate appropriate levels of competency attainment. IRs C-7 D, C-8 I, and C-9 P further describe the requirements in this area.
- Program-Specific Competencies : In addition to the profession-wide competencies, programs may articulate their own program-specific competencies that represent areas of focus. Only those additional competencies that are required of all trainees must be described.
- Discipline-Specific Knowledge (doctoral programs only): Doctoral programs will be responsible for ensuring that students possess knowledge in the discipline of psychology, including the areas of history and systems of psychology; affective, biological, cognitive, developmental, and social aspects of behavior; advanced integrative knowledge of basic discipline-specific content areas; research methods; quantitative methods; and psychometrics. IR C-7 D includes more detailed information about the requirements for discipline-specific knowledge.
- Public Disclosure : Under the SoA, all programs must display public disclosure data on their websites or other public materials (e.g., brochures). Descriptions of required content and templates for each level of training are available in IRs C-26 D, C-27 I, and C-23 P.
The new SoA will also be accompanied by a revised Accreditation Operating Proceduresopens in new window (AOP) (PDF, 524KB) which governs the commission’s administrative processes. Similar to the SoA, much of the AOP looks the same as it did under the G&P with some notable exceptions:
- Number of years between periodic reviews : Under the revised AOP, there is a provision that allows for a length of up to 10 years between periodic reviews (AOP Sections 8.2 D, 8.2 I, and 8.4 P). Under the G&P, the maximum number of years between reviews was seven.
- “Intent to Apply” : Under the SoA, programs at all levels of training that are not yet accredited may submit a paper application for “Intent to Apply” status. While not an accredited status, “Intent to Apply” provides an opportunity for first-time applicants to publicly state their intention to apply for either “Accredited, on contingency” status or full accreditation in the future. Seeking this status also provides an opportunity for programs to receive formal feedback from the commission prior to an initial accreditation application. “Intent to Apply” status is granted for a period of two years and cannot be renewed.
- “Accredited, on contingency” : Under the SoA, first-time applicants at all levels of training may seek “accredited, on contingency” status. An application for this status requires the submission of a complete self-study with the exception that proximal and distal outcome data need not be provided at the time of submission. Applicant programs that do not possess both proximal and distal outcome data at the time of self-study submission are eligible only for “contingent” status.
Another significant shift that has recently taken place is the introduction of the CoA Portalopens in new window – an online environment in which the application and review process occurs. Each part of the accreditation process will take place in the portal including self-study submission, site visit report completion, the commission’s review of programs’ records, and the follow-up process after the commission’s decisions are rendered.
As programs make final preparations for SoA implementation, the following resources will be valuable sources of guidance:
- Transitioning from G&P to SoA FAQ: This document answers some of the most frequently-asked questions regarding the transition to the SoA, including how and when programs are expected to begin collecting outcome data related to SoA-based requirements.
- Narrative preparation sheets and table templates : Narrative preparation sheets are available on the commission’s website that can be used to draft the self-study prior to online submission in the CoA Portal. There are also templates for all required tables, including those for descriptions of programs’ coverage of the profession-wide and program-specific competencies.
- Online self-study tutorial videos: Also available on the commission’s website are a number of video tutorials to help prepare programs for submission of SoA-based self-studies in the CoA Portal.
The commission recognizes the opportunities and challenges that programs face as they come into compliance with the standards. In addition to the resources named above, programs are encouraged to contact the Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation for assistance with any and all implementation-related questions.