Complaint - Frequently Asked Questions

The APA-CoA reviews complaints regarding program compliance with accreditation standards. These reviews examine program consistency with the policies of the APA-CoA and are not ways for an individual to change their status with a program or directly affect their situation. To review a complaint, the APA-CoA must receive a completed and signed accreditation complaint form. The APA Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation has staff who are available to discuss the process and answer questions that you may have; OPCA staff may be contacted by calling 202.336.5979 or sending an email to apaaccred@apa.org.

The APA-CoA is not an investigative body. The APA-CoA reviews all complaint materials and the program’s response materials to decide if a program is complying with the accreditation standards.

If you have a complaint, you can complete the online complaint submission form. You can also request a Microsoft Word version of the complaint form and send it by electronic mail to apaaccred@apa.org. The complaint can also be submitted in hard copy to the Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation (OPCA), APA, 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002. On the form, you must provide details about your complaint and list the accreditation standards that you find apply to the complaint. You may provide documents that demonstrate the program’s non-compliance with the standards. If you have questions about submitting a complaint, please contact the APA Office of Accreditation by calling 202.336.5979 or sending an email to apaaccred@apa.org.

You will find an online complaint form for each level of training (master’s, doctoral, internship, and postdoctoral residency) and a form for submitting a complaint about the APA-CoA on the APA accreditation website. If you need assistance finding the online form or have questions about how to complete it, please contact the APA Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation by calling 202.336.5979 or sending an email to apaaccred@apa.org.

Only the accreditation standards you have concerns about should be identified. 

Providing a non-repetitive single-email string as a PDF is the best way to provide this form of documentation.

Yes.

The APA-CoA reviews complaints against APA accredited programs. The Commission will consider a complaint against a program faculty member, staff member, or supervisor if their actions raise concerns about the program’s compliance with the accreditation standards.

No, anonymous complaints are not accepted. However, you can choose to file a confidential complaint. This means that the APA-CoA will not provide your name or contact information to the program. If you choose to submit a confidential complaint, it is important that you remove any information from your complaint materials that you think might identify you. The APA-CoA will not make changes to complaint materials it receives. 

Yes. Your complaint form and supporting material will be provided to the program within 30 days after the accreditation office receives the completed materials. If you choose to file a confidential complaint, your name and contact information will not be provided to the program.

The APA-CoA provides the complaint to the program within 30 days after it is received by the APA office of accreditation. The program has 30 days to respond to the complaint. The APA-CoA then reviews the complaint and material submitted with it and the program’s response to the complaint at its next regularly scheduled meeting. The schedule of APA-CoA meetings is located on the APA Accreditation website: Important APA Accreditation Dates. The APA accreditation office will send a letter to the person filing the complaint (i.e., complainant) and to the program (i.e., respondent) when it completes its review. 

Retaliation means taking an adverse action against someone because they raised a concern about a program’s compliance with the Commission on Accreditation’s Standards of Accreditation, took part in the Commission’s complaint process, or provided third-party testimony to the Commission about a program’s compliance with the Commission’s Standards of Accreditation. An adverse action includes denying an opportunity, giving an unfair evaluation, removing someone from a role, excluding them, threatening them, or harassing them.  

The ban on retaliation covers:

• any person who files a complaint;
• any person who assists or participates in any matter under the Commission’s complaint process, such as a witness or a person who answers questions from the Commission in connection with a review;
• any person who provides third-party testimony to the Commission regarding a program’s compliance with the Commission’s Standards of Accreditation; or
• any person who raises concern about a program’s compliance with the Commission’s Standards of Accreditation directly with a program.

• To be protected, a person must act in good faith. That means they honestly believe the information they give is true. Someone who acts in good faith is protected even if the Commission’s review does not find a violation.
• A person acts in bad faith if, for example, they knowingly give false or misleading information. The Commission’s prohibition on retaliation—and its attached protections—does not protect bad-faith conduct. Conduct is not bad faith just because the Commission’s review does not find a violation.

A program engaging in retaliation—whether the person retaliated against is a student, faculty member, staff, or anyone else—constitutes a violation of the Commission’s applicable accreditation standards, which include, but are not necessarily limited to, the program’s obligation to create a supportive learning environment (Master’s III.B, Doctoral III.B, Internship I.D.2, and Postdoctoral Residency, I.D.2) and the Commission’s anti-discrimination standard (Master’s I.D.1, Doctoral, I.D.1, Doctoral Internship, I.C.1, Postdoctoral Residency, I.C.1).   

Complaints are accepted from students, interns, and residents up to 18 months (about 1 and a half years) after they’ve left a program. A complaint filed during this 18-month time period will meet the timeframe established by the APA-CoA.

No. The APA-CoA reviews the program’s consistency with accreditation standards. This review is not a way for an individual to be reinstated, rehired, or to have a personal dispute resolved.

Upon its review of a complaint, the CoA may: 

(a) Request an invitation from the program for a special site visit to investigate the complaint;

(b) Request additional information from the program; 

(c) Send an informative letter to the program, the person(s) filing the complaint, or both

parties;

(d) Notify the program that no action is required by the program; or

(e) Take other action that the APA-CoA considers appropriate following their review given the circumstances of the complaint.

No, but you will receive a letter from the APA-CoA after it reviews and makes a decision about the complaint.

You may submit a single complaint if multiple persons have the same concern. 

The APA-CoA only reviews complaints against programs that it accredits. It may be helpful to review policy for complaints, which may be termed due process and grievance procedures from the non-accredited program. You can also review policies from the institution where the programis  located to identify your options.

Your program may file a complaint against a site visitor. Concerns about an APA-CoA site visitor should be shared with the leadership of your program, ideally during the site visit. The Accreditation Operating Procedures (AOP) provides the process for a program to file a complaint against a site visitor. For more information, see AOP Section 3.2.

Please contact the Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation (OPCA) at apaaccred@apa.org or 202.336.5979.