Does GAAP Ph.Ds meet APA & ACAs Standards

According to the code of ethics of the American Psychological Association and the American Counseling Association, any professional Psychologist or Counselor advertising that they possess a doctorate muct have one that is regionally accredited. No addendum is noted pertaining to foreign degrees. Does a doctorate from a GAAP university definitely meet this criteria?

 

Sam asks, According to the code of ethics of the American Psychological Association and the American Counseling Association, any professional Psychologist or Counselor advertising that they possess a doctorate muct have one that is regionally accredited. No addendum is noted pertaining to foreign degrees. Does a doctorate from a GAAP university definitely meet this criteria?

This would be valuable information, and surely must be knowable (but not by me). It seems logical psych doctorate from Oxford or the Sorbonne would be usable for licensing in the US. But then it seems logical that a Harvard Ph.D. in psych would be as well, but since Harvard's psych department is not APA-accredited, there are situations where their degree is not acceptable.

 

Months ago there was a whole thread on this subject back on AED. Unfortunately now that deja.com is out of action, I'm not sure how you would find it.

I'm not a psychologist, but my personal opinion is that foreign degrees that are RA-equivalent are fine, for purposes of complying with the APA code of ethics.

My reasons for saying that are twofold:

1. APA *membership* requirements do explicitly accept foreign RA-equivalent degrees. Graduates of foreign universities are eligible for full membership in he APA, including the right to hold office. I find it incomprehensible that someone would be allowed to hold the presidency of the APA, but could not ethically call him or herself a "psychologist".

2. I believe that there are lots of foreign educated psychologists practicing in the US, aren't there?

Of course, the best way to answer this question would be to contact the APA and ask them.

 

My (admittedly inadaquate) understanding is that this whole 'APA' thing involves those psychologists involved, quasi-medical fashion, in treating people. As opposed to the sort of scientific psychologist that is concerned with understanding cognition, perception or animal behavior.

Harvard did not have APA accreditation because Harvard had a scientific psychology department and did not train clinicians. Although I seem to remember reading somewhere that Harvard has recently put in a clinical program and has applied to the APA for accreditation.

This does raise a question about the APA code of ethics. The APA says that only people that meet its requirements may ethically call themselves "psychologists". I can certainly see the value of that if a person is presenting his or her services to patients.

But does anyone really think that it is unethical for scientists that study memory and perception in university psychology departments to call themselves "psychologists" as well? Despite the fact that they lack clinical licenses and may not meet other APA code of ethics requrements?

The only ethics violation that I can see would be for one of these experimental research psychologists to mislead patients by posing as a clinical psychologist.

 

This is a very interesting question. I am a graduate of an APA-approved program and while we covered all manner of information regarding licensure and credentialling I never recall addressing the question of foreign degrees. Of course, that was like 20 years ago and the issue at the time was "going through the back door" which referred to graduates of other than applied programs (clinical, counseling, school, I/O) like developmental or experimentalists seeking clinical licensure.

So I poked around my office today and I came up with an appropriate reference in the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. In brief, the Register along with the APA and association of State Psychology Boards developed the 'Guidelines for Defining Doctoral Degree in Psychology.' The abridged version is that as long as the program meets the standard of an institution in the respective country which is roughly equivalent to regional accreditation bodies and the program contains the necessary content it is OK. My edition of the Register (1997) includes a list of schools from which registrants were graduated which includes universities from all over the globe.

I would like to add that it is the state, by way of licensure, and not the APA that provides endorsement. And, some states endorse clinical practice while other states endorse the use of the title. But that's fodder for another thread.

Finally, I would like to add that at this time I do not encourage people to enter this saturated field.

 

David, thanks for the info. I am aware of your advice regarding the saturation of the field of Psychology and that you discourage others from entering the field. However, I disagree on a number of levels.

Primarily, as I am sure you are aware, exhorting others not to do something has very little impact on their behavior. Secondly, if a young person has an interest in Psychology and wishes to pursue graduate education in this area by all means an exploration of the employment outlook would be advised. However, after conducting a thorough search of the pros and cons of entering the field, I believe that they should pursue an occupational choice which is congruent with their values, interests and preferences.

Please don't take this personally David but I have always questioned the motivations of others who are engaged in a specific profession or business and advise others not to pursue the same field. The fact is that there are a number of Psychologists with clinical training who are doing very well in the areas of organizational, industria, consultation and in certain areas of marketing research. The field may be saturated but this does not negate the desire of young people to pursue their dreams.

 

David Williams, very helpfully, posted (9in part) The abridged version is that as long as the program meets the standard of an institution in the respective country which is roughly equivalent to regional accreditation bodies and the program contains the necessary content it is OK.

And so we have the situation in which there are 50 states and 200 or so countries with universities, thus 10,000 possible outcomes -- not to mention the range of universities within a given country.

So here's a prospective student writing to the appropriate licensing agency in Nebraska or Idaho saying that she is thinking of doing this particular PhD offered by a university "in" St. Kitts and Nevis, or Turks and Caicos, or Norfolk Island or Liberia (to name four genuine options). I can hear the eyes rolling all the way from Boise or Lincoln to here.

 

So here's a prospective student writing to the appropriate licensing agency in Nebraska or Idaho saying that she is thinking of doing this particular PhD offered by a university "in" St. Kitts and Nevis, or Turks and Caicos, or Norfolk Island or Liberia (to name four genuine options). I can hear the eyes rolling all the way from Boise or Lincoln to here.

[/B][/QUOTE]
Gee whiz, John, do you want to put a bureaucrat in Boise out of a job? Enough applicants and there might be a rationale for a field trip. Its been pretty cold in Illinois lately I wonder what the weather is like in the Turks and Caicos in February. Hmm, I wonder it that agency is looking for a temp?