Navigating Certification, Licensure, Accreditation

A quick guide to how we approach certification, licensure, and accreditation.

Confused about certification and licensure? You’re not alone…

If you want to become a therapist, understanding accreditation and licensure is essential.

Accreditation matters in choosing a psych degree program for two reasons…

  1. To be eligible for a therapy license, you first must graduate from a master’s degree program from an *institutionally accredited university.

  2. To be eligible for federal student loans (FAFSA), the institution must be institutionally accredited.

As a new degree-granting institution, we are entering the rigorous 4-year accreditation through a Department of Education-approved institutional accreditor. We are working with them to ensure that our students from the master’s degree program graduate with an accredited degree, enabling them to pursue licensure as therapists in 47/50 states. See our full report on licensure here.

Accreditation vs. Certification

Accreditation can be confusing because we also offer professional certifications. While there are accreditors for professional certifications (like ICF, ISMETA), professional certification accreditors don’t offer the benefits of the DOE-approved institutional accreditors. They do not allow you to seek a license or receive student aid. They are valuable insofar as they are recognized by clients, which, in our experience, are rarely, if ever, recognized.

Nonetheless, we continue to evaluate and seek accreditation for our professional certifications, as many of our students still request professional accreditation.

To Summarize:

If you are seeking a master’s degree to pursue a license, accreditation is essential. It must be from one of the 7 institutional accreditors in the US. We are currently working with one of these institutional accreditors and expect the process to be complete when our first cohort graduates in 2028, allowing them to seek licensure.

Professional certifications accreditors like ICF don’t offer tangible benefits to students/institutions and are entirely optional.

FAQs

  • You will receive a professional certification as a Psychosomatic Practitioner or Parts Therapy Practitioner from the Integrative Psychology Institute. While these certification is professionally recognized, it is not a license to practice therapy. To obtain a therapy license, you must complete our Master's program and then apply for licensure in your state.

  • We constantly seek new, valuable accreditations for our students. Each of our programs is accredited individually, as there are different considerations for professional trainings vs. degree granting programs.

    We have designed our Masters Degree to meet the strict standards of the Higher Learning Commission, a regional accreditor in the United States, and will enter the Accreditation process in 2025. This is important for students who want to seek licensure, as this accreditation is required in all states to pursue licensure.

    Additionally, we are in the process of seeking accreditation through the ICF and NBC-HWC for our professional trainings.

  • We have designed our coursework to meet the strict educational requirements in California for licensure as an LPCC, which is recognized in most states. However, every state is unique and you must understand the licensure requirements in your state.

    You can access our full report on licensure here.

  • Every Canadian province has unique requirements for licensure. We’ve designed our curriculum to meet the educational requirements for licensure in Canada, including Ontario, BC, Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and PEI.