Is getting a Psyd from an unaccredited school worth it?

Not in California. At least, not for licensure.

 

I did a job search on monster.com and some of the hospitals hiring in California in addition to licensure indicate they want graduates from an "accredited school." Others just say a license. Does California Government accredit schools or approve schools for licensing purposes? In any case, the original poster has to do his/her due diligence to ascertain if an "unaccredited degree is worth it." My opinion is still no because at the very least, you limit your options even in the State of California!

 

Earlier I brought up the case about a Physician misrepresenting credentials and the court ruling that this was illegal. Let's suppose a licensed counselor or clinical social worker goes to school and and earns a PsyD from an unaccredited school and subsequently fails the California licensing exam. This person still uses the PsyD on his or her credentials because they earned it but are licensed in a lower scope of practice profession. Does this scenario have the potential of misleading patients much like a nurse practitioner that holds a PhD or DNP insisting they be called "doctor" in a clinical setting? Possibly a legal house built on sand...even in California!

 

I'm sure I said in an earlier post that getting hired in a job would be a reason not to pursue an unaccredited doctorate in psychology. But people have been using these degrees for decades to go into private practice. My experience has been--and I've been studying this field since 1978 and have a Ph.D. specializing in it--that these people were usually practicing counselors who wanted to move to being licensed as psychologists. In other words, to enhance the practice they were already in, not to convince some employer to give them a job.

 

Since this thread is about accreditation, the accreditation status of the school awarding the PsyD would be irrelevant in this case. The germane issue is the use of the title "doctor" on the basis of a degree but not a license. And sorry, but the NP example is a non sequitur--it isn't relevant to the question of whether or not to earn a doctorate from an unaccredited school in order to be licensed.

It isn't hard to agree with you that such a degree would be limiting for employment purposes. It also isn't hard to agree that the same degree could be ideal for someone looking for a license so he/she can practice independently. It happens all the time and has been for decades. Both points are right.

 

Why would someone want to earn an unaccredited degree in Psychology for use in clinical practice? Because its cheaper? It's easier? They can? In my mind, it simply diminishes the credibility of your profession!

 

correction

I should say, the profession.

 

I've explained it in a bunch of different ways. Why don't we agree to disagree and move on. (Or you could do some reading about California-Approval and its role in psychology licensure.)

 

Funny you say that, I just read that California Licensing requires a regional or national accredited degree to apply for licensure. Apparently, they will still accept previously "approved" schools prior to July 1, 1999. In addition, they do not require APA.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - California Board of Psychology

BTW, I am not disagreeing with you just discussing an interesting topic.

 

Solution: Fielding.

 

Fielding is expensive and they are on probation with the APA.

 

Doctoral education is expensive and probation comes and goes. A number of short-residency programs suddenly went on probation. Fielding's site visit is upcoming. They've been accredited by APA for more than 20 years. It will be interesting to see what results.

 

Just in case anyone has trouble finding a compiled list of requirements by state/province, I'm posting a link below. For some reason, a link within a link that was posted here wasn't working for me.

http://www.asppb.org/HandbookPublic/Reports/default.aspx?ReportType=InstitutionalAccreditation

 

It's common for PhD in Psychology programs to be fully funded. Everyone is different, but I wouldn't get a doctorate unless it was either extremely cheap, fully funded by the school, fully funded by a scholarship/fellowship program, or fully funded by an employer.

 

One really needs to go to the State Board of licensing for an accurate description of individual State licensing requirements! I noticed some errors on the list above. For example, Wyoming requires regional accreditation among other things!
http://plboards.state.wy.us/psychology/PDF%5Cforms%5CPsychologicalPractitionerApplication.pdf

 

That is true. Nice catch. This is the organization the APA referred to in your link. There could be mistakes on the APA's website too. However, it is true that most states do not require APA-accredited degrees. I've already looked at the website of Texas' board; they don't require APA accreditation.

 

It's a good reference! As we alluded to in previous postings, getting a license and obtaining gainful employment are two different things! Many healthcare organizations require APA accredited graduates as well as board certification and often post graduate fellowship. The Mental health field certainly has a shortage of providers so the job outlook appears to be good especially for those with all the credentials. I recognize the cost of obtaining the education is very high and once employed the earnings are average overall.

I can see the appeal of California approved programs especially if the price is right! I don't have any data but my guess is the board exam for California is one of the most difficult in the nation to pass just as the California law exam is for JD graduates. It would be interesting to find the pass rates and compare APA graduates to unaccredited but California approved program graduates.

 

Or Perhaps California offers a standardized national exam for the practice of psychology?

 

It will incredibly limit out of state opportunity, including teaching, continuing education, journal contributions and membership at professional associations. That being said, if you are really never going to leave CA it won't matter. Oh ya, if you are going to write a textbook ever, you won't get a publisher.

 

A textbook? That's hardly a measure of value for a mid-career mental health professional considering upping his/her career prospects by becoming a licensed psychologist.

California has the largest economy in the U.S., and one of the largest in the world. Let's not push it aside so quickly.

And not so fast on the academic limitations. Take the field of polarity management, for example. This was practically invented by Barry Johnson. His book and model have been cited in many academic journals where other researchers have applied his model and written about the research results. His PhD from International College is mentioned in his biography wherever he speaks.

There are, of course, other opportunities to use a state-approved unaccredited Ph.D. in psychology in California. Not only can you become a licensed psychologist, you can write a best selling book on relationships (John Gray) or a bunch of them (Barbara De Angelis) while using your "PhD" title earned at a state-approved California school.

Yes, earning a degree from an unaccredited school comes with many limitations. But not all of them apply in this unique situation. And those limitations that remain may simply not matter to many thousands of people who have taken this route.