Initial Accreditation
“Accreditation is an essential function of the covenant community, the means by which we ensure the accountability and quality of training programs, and communicate their effectiveness to the public."
“Full accreditation…validates the existence of the organizational, training, materiel, and environmental resources required to accomplish the objectives of the training program, and the effectiveness of training (Accreditation Manual, §110).”
The Accreditation Manual approaches the accreditation process from a life-cycle perspective, and assigns responsibilities and prescribes procedures for all accreditation-related actions.
The chapter’s responsibilities are detailed in Chapter Two, those of the clinical supervisor in Chapter Three. The functions of the Accreditation Oversight Committee follow in Chapter Four, and the Accreditation Commission in Chapter Five.
The self-study is the central element in the accreditation process – the process that joins the supervisor and chapter, the Committee and Commission – in the primary purpose of CPSP (Accreditation Manual, §100).
The self-study process invites a reflection on the training program’s vision and mission, analysis of resourcing, demonstration of the training program’s compliance with CPSP standards, and its efforts to improve learning outcomes. (See self-study template.) The product – a written document – provides the basis for consultation from the supervisor’s chapter, the Committee, and the Commission.
Programs undergoing initial accreditation or reaccreditation in 2021 (or later) will find that the process itself – now approaching from the perspective of appreciative inquiry – enhances clinical training.