Per the Standards of Accreditation (SoA), the Commission on Accreditation (CoA) requires that all trainees who complete accredited training programs, regardless of substantive practice area, degree type, or level of training, develop certain competencies as part of their preparation for practice in health service psychology (HSP). The CoA evaluates a program’s adherence to this standard in the context of the SoA sections that articulate competencies at each training level. The Implementing Regulations (IRs) that correspond with demonstration of these profession-wide competencies are IRs: C-8 D, C-8 I, and C-9 P. An update on each of these follows:
Doctoral
After review and revision that followed public comment in summer of 2020, the CoA has put forth a revised IR C-8 D that include defining “minimal level of achievement” (MLA) and further clarification in competency language.
Internship
A revised version of IR C-8 I was approved for implementation by the CoA on October 25, 2020 after review and consideration of public comment. A public notice about this revised IR went out in December 2020. Internship programs will be expected to incorporate the changes in this IR no later than September 1, 2021. Programs that are scheduled for periodic review and a 2022 site visit are expected to demonstrate adherence to this revised version of IR C-8 I in their self-study materials.
Postdoctoral Residency
The CoA is continuing to have discussions about potential impending updates to IR C-9 P.
