USM Counseling Psychology Ph.D. Program Re-Accredited for 10 Years

Wed, 09/06/2023 - 11:10am | By: Karelia Pitts

The American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation (APA-CoA) granted re-accreditation to the counseling psychology Ph.D. program in The University of Southern Mississippi’s (USM) School of Psychology through 2033, the maximum period allowed.

“We are extremely proud of the faculty in our counseling psychology program who achieved this wonderful accomplishment. These outstanding professionals have continued to develop, nurture and implement an excellent training program that prepares graduates to provide quality psychological services to the public,” said Dr. Sara Jordan, director of the USM School of Psychology. “With the demand for mental health services at an all-time high, we remain dedicated to educating psychologists who will use their degrees to make a difference locally and nationally. APA accreditation demonstrates that our program is maintaining the highest standards of excellence in this pursuit.”

Established in 1940, the USM School of Psychology’s mission is to educate the public through the discovery and creation of psychological knowledge and the dissemination of that knowledge through scholarship, teaching, professional service and evidence-based psychological practice. The school has a strong history of supporting the University and surrounding communities through research and psychological service in schools and businesses, in addition to providing low-cost mental health services to residents of South Mississippi. The school’s three applied programs in school, clinical and counseling psychology are all fully accredited by the APA.

“This was our school’s first program to undergo re-accreditation since the APA implemented new accreditation guidelines back in 2017,” said Dr. Emily Yowell, professor and training director for the counseling psychology doctoral program. “We were overjoyed to learn that our program was so well regarded that it received re-accreditation for 10 years!”

With a focus on continuous improvement, the counseling psychology faculty have already begun reviewing feedback gained from the re-accreditation process to further strengthen the program.

“After reviewing the self-study we submitted, three psychology faculty from across the U.S. visited our program on behalf of APA-CoA to meet with students, faculty and administrators,” said Dr. Melanie Leuty, professor of counseling psychology and director of the Center for Faculty Development at USM. “We gained some valuable impressions and recommendations from the site visit, which will guide advances for our program during our next 10-year accreditation cycle.”

There are currently 25 students enrolled in the counseling psychology Ph.D. program at USM, and maintaining accreditation is crucial to providing these students with a path to licensure and job security.

“Completing a comprehensive self-study and undergoing a thorough site visit as part of the APA accreditation process ensures that our counseling psychology doctoral program provides the professional and scientific skills and context graduates need to effectively serve others through a career in psychology,” said Dr. Trent Gould, dean of USM’s College of Education and Human Sciences. “In addition to successful re-accreditation, our program also boasts a 100 percent pre-doctoral internship match rate for many years. These achievements confirm that the Southern Miss School of Psychology’s faculty and programs are of the highest quality.”

Learn more about the USM School of Psychology and their counseling psychology doctoral program.