APPIC Policy on Doctoral Program Associates
Established May, 2013
Effective June 1, 2013
Revised November 13, 2015
- Doctoral programs must meet ALL of the following requirements in order to be eligible to have students participate in the APPIC Match and/or Post-Match Vacancy Service (PMVS), have students accepted by APPIC-member internship programs, and/or become Doctoral Program Associates:
- Be a doctoral program in Professional Psychology, defined as a program in the areas of (a) clinical, (b) counseling, (c) school, (d) other developed practice areas, and (e) combinations of two or three of the above areas, consistent with the standards of an eligible accrediting organization (as defined below). Respecialization programs in Professional Psychology for which internship is an essential and required component of the doctoral training are also eligible.
An "eligible accrediting organization" is one that accredits doctoral programs in Health Service Psychology and/or Professional Psychology and is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for programs located in the U.S. or by the Canadian equivalent (where one exists) for programs located in Canada. The accrediting organizations that currently meet these criteria are the American Psychological Association (APA) Commission on Accreditation and the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Accreditation Panel.
- Require practicum experience as part of the curriculum and ensure that supervision is provided by appropriately credentialed, registered, or licensed supervisors.
- Require the completion of a one-year, full-time (or two-year, half-time) internship of all students. School Psychology doctoral programs may require internships that are nine or ten months (on a full-time basis) in duration.
- Effective with the 2018 APPIC Match (i.e., the 2017-18 application cycle) for internship positions beginning in 2018 or after: Doctoral programs must also meet one of the following criteria:
- The doctoral program is accredited by an eligible accrediting organization. Regional or state accreditation or designation by any other entity is insufficient to meet this criterion; or
- The doctoral program is not accredited but has been granted an initial accreditation site visit by an eligible accrediting organization. Students enrolled in such programs may only participate in the next two Match / PMVS cycles immediately following the date that the program is notified of the site visit, and are only eligible for placement at APPIC-member internship programs during this period, unless and until the program achieves accreditation; or
- Is a re-specialization program in which the underlying doctoral program is accredited by an eligible accrediting organization or in the process of gaining accreditation, as outlined in the preceding two paragraphs.
NOTE: It must be stressed that taking an internship, or acquiring experience in a practicum setting, is not sufficient preparation for becoming a clinical, counseling, or school psychologist without prior training in the relevant specialty area. The internship experience is properly seen as only one element in the change of specialty. Thus, doctoral psychologists who are attempting to qualify as practitioners in an area different from that emphasized in their original training must be certified in writing by a director of a doctoral-level professional psychology training program in the new specialty, as having completed an organized program of didactic and practicum work which is the equivalent of the usual pre-internship preparation in the specialty area. APPIC members will not, therefore, accept applicants who do not meet these and other current policies regarding re-specialization in professional psychology.
- Effective with the 2018 APPIC Match (i.e., the 2017-18 application cycle) for internship positions beginning in 2018 or after: All doctoral programs, including re-specialization programs, that have students who wish to participate in the APPIC Match and/or PMVS and be eligible for acceptance at APPIC-member internship programs must become "Doctoral Program Associates" (DPAs) and pay the appropriate annual fee. DPA status provides a package of services to doctoral programs and students, including lower Match registration fees for students and tools that allow programs to monitor student participation and receive students' Match results.
Frequently Asked Questions
The APPIC Board of Directors has received inquiries requesting clarification of the revised policies for Doctoral Program Associates (DPA) status and eligibility for doctoral programs to enroll their students in the Match process. The Board offers the following clarifications:
Question: Does a currently non-accredited doctoral program have sufficient time to either obtain accreditation or to schedule their site visit?
The APPIC Board reviewed this question with a variety of stakeholders prior to the initial implementation of this policy in May of 2013, and concluded that existing, non-accredited doctoral programs should be able to attain accreditation from an eligible accrediting body in time for their students to be eligible to participate in the 2018 APPIC Match (for positions beginning in 2018). The APA Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation and CPA Accreditation Panel are both available to answer specific questions and to provide information about the accreditation process, and current, non-accredited programs are encouraged to contact them with any questions or concerns.
Question: Will new doctoral programs be able to enroll their students in the Match process if not accredited by the 2018 APPIC Match?
The only doctoral programs that will be allowed to send their students into the 2018 APPIC Match are those that are either accredited or have been granted a site visit by an eligible accrediting body, as described in the policy. Newly-emerging doctoral programs that seek to enroll students into the 2018 APPIC Match and beyond should consult with the appropriate eligible accrediting body about the required steps for accreditation.
Question: Will students in re-specialization programs be allowed to participate in the 2018 APPIC Match and be eligible for internships beginning in 2018?
Students participating in re-specialization programs in professional psychology sponsored by accredited doctoral programs (or doctoral programs that have been granted a site visit, as described in the policy above) will be eligible to participate in the 2018 APPIC Match.
Question: Is the revision of the DPA and Match eligibility criteria meant to address the internship imbalance by reducing the number of programs that can enroll students in the Match?
The issue of revising the eligibility criteria for participation in the APPIC Match has been part of a recurring discussion among the members of the Council of Chairs of Training Councils (CCTC). APPIC, APAGS, APA, and the various participating training councils discussed these changes in the context of quality assurance within the profession, the important role that APA- and CPA-accreditation plays in that process for the public, and the increasing focus on systematic review procedures for educational and training outcomes of the professional workforce in the emerging healthcare marketplace. These revisions were not directly resulting from the separate discussions about the imbalance, which is seen as a product of multiple forces that both impinge upon and contribute to the challenges within the psychology training and education community. The APPIC Board participated in these discussions with the desire to establish internship programs that are available to all eligible candidates as well as the expectation that psychology affirm its commitment to quality training and education. As such, the revised policies were carefully developed and reviewed with the training councils and APAGS prior to their formal approval and implementation.
APPIC is committed to monitoring developments in quality training and education in psychology and will review its policies as needed.