ISU Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program receives reaccreditation by American Psychological Association; remains only accredited clinical psychology Ph.D. program in Idaho

The APA states that “accreditation is a process that assures the educational community and the general public that an institution or a program has clearly defined and appropriate objectives and maintains conditions under which their achievement can reasonably be expected.”

“Being an accredited program shows that we operate within a set of guidelines and principles outlined by the APA,” said Steve Lawyer, ISU professor of clinical psychology and director of clinical training. “It shows that our training program meets and exceeds professional standards.”

The Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program trains students to pursue careers in clinical psychology in medical centers, as professors or in private practice. The program of study is four years of academic training, followed by a one-year pre-doctoral internship.

The accreditation process included Lawyer submitting a self-study that demonstrated how the program was meeting standards including its graduation rates, nature of training opportunities, graduate match rate and the professional trajectories of program graduates.

The APA then conducted a site visit, which included a review of the program and interviews with faculty members, students and administrators. After reviewing the program in light of accreditation standards and content contained in the self-study, they submitted a report to the APA Commission on Accreditation, who then reviewed all materials and reaccredited the program for the max allotted time, seven years.

“Being accredited for the maximum time is a big deal,” Lawyer said. “This shows that our program has clearly exceeded the threshold for quality training for clinical psychology students. It’s a major feather in the cap for our program, department, college and university.”

This spring, all seven clinical psychology Ph.D. students received pre-doctoral internships with their first or second choice organizations including Emory School of Medicine, Rogers Memorial Hospital, University of Washington School of Medicine, Fargo VA Health Care System and more, all of which are APA-accredited systems. The program also has a 100 percent rate of students receiving their clinical psychology licenses.