D2D: Earn Your Second Doctorate Degree with Just 27 Credits

A book I read the other day referenced a woman, Nancy Vanderheide, Psy.D., Psy.D. Her first PsyD is from Ryokan College in Counseling and Clinical Psychology (1987-1991), the second in psychodynamic therapy, 1997-2002 from the Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis.

 

Thanks for sharing this, Dustin. I'd not heard of ICP. Taking a quick glance through their site, I stumbled upon this pretty early on:

"The Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis (ICP) is approved by the Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) to operate as an Institution Non-Accredited."

I wonder what that means for the value of a PsyD from this institute and how it can be used in a clinical setting.

 

It doesn't matter because they've suspended new admissions. They've also removed any mention of offering degrees. It looks like they did offer a PsyD in the past.

I have to think this is due to California's requirement that unaccredited schools get on an accreditation track or shut down. This looks like their way of staying open while they pursue accreditation (or sale, or merger). I'm not sure what the value would be to future students if they cannot pursue a degree and cannot pursue licensure. This looks like an interim status.

 

Psychoanalytic training institutes are typically non-degree. This is probably its permanent status, having temporarily expanded into offering a degree in the past.

 

A reasonable hypothesis, except....

They suspended enrollments in the program until 2026-27. It seems unusual for a school to decide not to enroll students...permanently.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2024/02/05/number-of-doctoral-degrees-awarded-in-us-rebounds-to-all-time-high/

Maybe not a dime a dozen but losing value.

 

What value precisely? Those research skills are useful in a variety of occupations. Many people lose money earning a PhD but gain things in brain health, usefulness to employers, ability to contribute to the scientific literature, etc. Those things are the same if you have one PhD or 50,000 awarded each year.