Article archive / December 1, 2016
Originally published: . Volume 7, No. 12. Source pages: 1, 5.
The Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at Louisiana State University has been taken off probation and placed back on full accredited status by the American Psychological Association (APA). The program was placed on "accredited, on probation" status at the Fall 2014, noted APA, and restored to "accredited" status for Fall 2016.
Dr. Mary Lou Kelley, Professor at the LSU Psychology Department, took on the Director of Clinical Training position in December 2014. “Two years ago we were placed on probation for failure to address programmatic concerns,” Dr. Kelley said. “The concerns primarily focused on how we measure student performance and whether they have met minimal levels of achievement,” she said.
“There were other concerns such as how we recruit and retain diverse students and faculty, updating syllabi to be aligned with our training goals, and adding two classes,” Kelley said.
Dr. Kelley accepted the position of Director of Clinical Training and was charged with the task of addressing these issues and regaining accreditation. “The clinical faculty along with Department Chair Jason Hicks, Director of Graduate Training Emily Elliot, and the entire department worked diligently to address APA’s concerns,” she said.
“Overall, we believed the changes in the program were long overdue,” Kelley said. “We knew we were providing excellent training but our policies and procedures in the past didn’t measure our training accomplishments adequately.”
“With the goal of APA accreditation achieved, we are very proud of the changes we made to achieve consistency in training goals, competencies, and the measurement of the competencies.”
“Through everyone’s determined and united efforts, we have opened a new chapter and look forward to our future as an exemplar of excellence in clinical training,” said Kelley.
Dr. Kelley said that the “clinical faculty are rejuvenated and feel that we have a dynamic program that will remain under self-scrutiny and be revised on an as needed basis. We are excited about our program and the changes that we have made.”
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