Hi Everyone I have completed my M Phil in Clinical Psychology and I'm currently looking for a PhD course I want to enroll in one of the APA accredited PhD in Psychology course which I can complete via hybrid or distance learning mode while living in another country. I can attend the university few weeks a year or during my final year. If it is a clinical phd, can I complete my clinical hours in another country? Please let me know if any one knows about a program like this Thank you
Hi aaashii, A warm welcome to Degree Info! Here is why there is a delay in your posts showing up: http://www.degreeinfo.com/general-distance-learning-discussions/35100-new-users-ask-where-did-my-posts-go.html I'm not a psych person, but I have heard from a number of other members that Capella offers a great program. I understand that it has all of the proper accreditations, generally speaking, but one must be careful to insure that the degree they earn will be suitable for licensure in the particular location they wish to practice. The only problem is that Capella is pretty expensive.
It's not my thing but I believe that the only DL PhD in Psychology program that is also APA approved is Fielding. You may want to check as to whether you really NEED an APA approved program or whether it's simply preferred. If you don't really need APA accreditation then you options will increase substantially.
Yes, Fielding has the only APA-accredited distance learning, psychology program, and it's on probation. Most states do not require APA accreditation in order to become licensed, but many employers will require an APA-accredited internship. It is very difficult to match with an APA internship when you're coming from a non-APA degree program. But, this is all for the U.S. I don't know what your country requires or if you even plan on staying there. Capella has CACREP accreditation. That's for counseling.
If it turns out that your state does not require APA, there is a sticky thread over in Nursing and Health Related Degrees entitled "PsyD Online?" where you can find out about other options.
I've seen this written on this board but I've never seen it documented in any way. Internships are a standard part of these degree programs but I know of no data that indicates that most employers require APA internships. I'd advise the interested parties to contact local agencies to find their real hiring criteria.
I found this article. It says that an APA internship is required to work for the VA, the largest employer of psychologists. I've seen the ads on USA Jobs that say an APA internship is required. There are a few cases where the VA will grant an exemption. However, the article also says that it's not universally required by employers. http://www.nationalregister.org/internship_pitfals.pdf When you go to a forum filled with psychologists like Student Doctors, they say that not having an APA internship will make it extremely difficult to get a post-doc placement because the market is oversaturated and very competitive. That's where you accumulate the rest of the supervision hours you'll need to become licensed. Some states will require that you provide documentation that your non-accredited internship is the equivalent of an APPIC internship. Most APPIC sites have APA or CPA accreditation. APA did a balanced article on the possibilities with an unaccredited internship. It says that you will be barred from DoD civilian positions, but it also gave a couple of anecdotal experiences where people were able to find employment. What would an unaccredited internship mean for your future? There is also no guarantee that you can be put in the National Register of Health Service Psychologists with an unaccredited internship. This service expedites the licensure mobility process. In other words, it makes it easier to transfer your credentials to another state.
Yes. Fielding is your only choice, and you cannot finish the degree outside of the country. There are required internships you have to personally set up to meet your supervised hour requirements, and you have to attend sessions across the U.S. It's more flexible than other universities (you work with your advisor), but the hours are a requirement for them to maintain their accreditation. There are some other colleges with a blended format such as Alliant University, but most of them require a significant number of courses to be taken on campus. I will also say +1 to sanatone as well. It is extremely hard to get a good job as a doctoral level clinician without one. But OP, you can still become a masters level clinician. If you get a non-accredited Ph.D., there are still opportunities beyond therapy such as administration, teaching, and research though. Some states do not require accreditation, and California has its own system unrelated to the APA. But it is much more beneficial to graduate with the accreditation. There is also the clinical respecialization route. If you get a Ph.D. in an area of psychology other than clinical or counseling, you can go back to get the necessary courses to have what would be a similar degree.
