Apa Accreditation of Doctoral Psychology Programs in Christian Universities

There has been a history of suspicion and distrust between organized psychology and religion for more than a century. The nexus of this strained relationship is played out in the context of accreditation, in which doctoral programs in Christian institutions have faced challenges in obtaining accreditation. Some of these challenges have related to freedom of religion, academic freedom, non-discrimination policies, and diversity training. Footnote 4 in the APA Accreditation Guidelines and Principles is designed to address these challenges, yet there is ongoing discussion about the implementation and use of this footnote. The relationship between the accrediting body and Christian programs has developed from deep suspicion to a working, but cautious relationship; yet, the future of this relationship remains uncertain. Over the past 40 years several doctoral programs in overtly Christian universities (mostly members of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities--CCCU) have sought accreditation from the American Psychological Association (APA) for their doctoral programs in professional or clinical psychology. Although it is stigmatizing and rarely completely accurate to categorize institutions, for the most part these institutions could be described as evangelical Protestant in their theological orientation. These institutions include: Azusa Pacific University, Fuller School of Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary, George Fox University, Regent University, Rosemead School of Psychology at Biola University, Seattle Pacific University, and Wheaton College. As a secular organization, the American Psychological Association (APA) has been accrediting doctoral programs for more than 60 years, and currently does so through their Commission on Accreditation (CoA). Achieving and maintaining accreditation for the doctoral programs in Christian universities has been strenuous, and this paper is an attempt to articulate some of the past, current, and possible future difficulties in the accreditation process. There are two disclaimers that need to he made early in this article. First, I suggest that there is evidence of bias against religion on the part of psychology as a discipline. Similarly and perhaps consequently, I believe there has been some subtle bias in the accreditation process against programs based in Christian universities. I do not mean to imply that anyone in particular has been biased nor that the current CoA is biased. In fact, my personal experience with the CoA and leaders within APA over the years has been mostly positive and certainly constructive. I have been treated respectfully and have tried to be respectful in my dealings with the CoA. I appreciate the work that commission members do and believe that professional psychology and our programs are better because of the standards that they uphold. Yet, I think there have been some indications of subtle bias, particularly in the early days of accrediting doctoral programs in Christian universities. Second, this article is based on my personal experiences and observations as a faculty member and administrator in two Christian universities over the past 20 years. In this article, I speak for myself and do not represent leaders from other programs. Admittedly, it is largely subjective and anecdotal. Yet, I have had several interactions within APA Boards and Committees and other related professional organizations such as the National Council of Schools and Programs in Professional Psychology (NCSPP), interacted with several members of the CoA, been trained as an accreditation site visitor, participated in several accreditation site visits, written accreditation self-studies, and interacted with leaders in each of the other APA accredited doctoral programs in Christian universities. Thus, I believe those experiences provide a perspective that is valuable in understanding accreditation of Christian programs. The context for this discussion is that of a personal relationship. …