Accreditation of Canadian Psychology Programs: Obstacles and Opportunities

There has been substantial debate over the value of concurrent accreditation of doctoral training programs and internships in Canada, both from the Canadian and the American psychological communities. Proponents of concurrent accreditation have argued that concurrent accreditation increases mobility for students and attracts foreign applicants to Canadian graduate programs. Advocates of sole accreditation by the Canadian Psychological Association have argued that there are substantial drawbacks in terms of divergent models, national differences in diversity, and the investment of time and money to maintain cross-national accreditation. In light of the recent decision by the Committee on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association to stop accrediting Canadian programs, this article reviews the past, present, and future state of accreditation in Canada.