Accreditation Readiness Project for Canadian Programs (ARP-C)

Last Updated August 30, 2022

APPIC is pleased to announce that the Accreditation Readiness Project for Canadian Programs (ARP-C) is recruiting programs for its third iteration, which will begin in November 2022.

APPIC encourages all internship programs to seek accreditation. The Policy on Full Member Internship Accreditation Requirement for APPIC Match Eligibility comes into effect in July 2023 (Policy on Full Member Internship Accreditation Requirement for APPIC Match Eligibility).This means that APPIC Full Member internship programs that have had at least three cycles of access to the Match must be accredited by the American Psychological Association or the Canadian Psychological Association (or have an accreditation site visit authorized by one of those bodies) to retain eligibility to participate in the 2024 APPIC Match. 

To support internship programs as they move toward accreditation, APPIC provides hands-on support and consultation through the Accreditation Readiness Project (ARP) for U.S.-based programs and the ARP-C for Canadian programs.

The ARP-C provides FREE monthly consultation and individualized support to help Directors of Training develop program materials and write their self-study for submission to the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Accreditation Panel. Participants are representatives of internship programs that are committed to writing a self-study consistent with CPA’s Accreditation Standards and Procedures (see Accreditation Forms and Resources - Canadian Psychological Association (cpa.ca)) with the goal of submitting their self-study by July 2023.

For a third year, APPIC has contracted Drs. Susan Vandermorris and Jacquie Cohen, both of whom are former Directors of Training of CPA-accredited internship programs and have long histories of involvement in internship training. Drs. Vandermorris and Cohen assess programs’ readiness to participate in the ARP-C, deliver the curriculum, and provide individualized consultation. Selected programs participate in small group sessions in which Drs. Vandermorris and Cohen outline the accreditation process, identify pain points and discuss how to navigate them, answer questions, and provide program-specific consultation. The sessions are two hours in length and will take place monthly from November 2022 to June 2023. Previous participants have described the program as practical, supportive, and important for keeping them on track and motivated to complete their self-study. The encouragement, enthusiasm, and helpfulness of the facilitators and the entire group have also been highlighted.

Note that to be selected to take part in the ARP-C, participants must be committed to completing monthly homework assignments that involve completing components of the self-study. Programs are selected based on a number of criteria and applying for the ARP-C does not guarantee admission.  

Directors of Training that are committed to working on their self-study and taking part in the ARP-C, are invited to contact Dr. Susan Vandermorris at svandermorris@baycrest.org. Please direct questions regarding APPIC’s involvement in this program to Dr. Daniel Hurley at daniel.hurley@easternhealth.ca.  

Daniel B. Hurley, Ph.D.
APPIC Board Member