The Chicago School Of Professional Psychology

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, known as "The Chicago School," is a graduate university specializing in psychology. With over 4,500 students, The Chicago School offers more than 20 degree programs related exclusively to psychology and related behavioral sciences. The school is an active member of the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology, which has recognized the school for its distinguished service and outstanding contributions to cultural diversity.

§Accreditation

• The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is accredited by WASC.
• The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is approved to operate and grant degrees in the State of Illinois by the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
• The Chicago School Clinical Psychology doctoral program, in Chicago, Illinois, is accredited by The American Psychological Association. The Los Angeles Campus, is not APA accredited and students have filed a lawsuit against the Chicago School for failing to take the proper steps in order to get the Los Angeles campus APA accredited.
• The School Psychology Ed.S. program is accredited by the Illinois State Board of Education

TCSPP was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission North Central Association of Colleges and Schools from 1982 to 2012 when, on July 20, it revoked its affiliation. In TCSPP's accreditation package for WASC enrollment projections and shift of the "decision-making infrastructure" to California were cited as the reasons for seeking accreditation with WASC. Consequently, the LA campus is listed as the main campus and Chicago is now considered a branch. Accreditation information is located on the TCSPP website.

§Affiliation

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is an affiliate of the nonprofit TCS Education System (TCS ES).

§History

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology was established by practicing psychologists with the goal of providing high-quality professional psychology training in a not-for-profit setting. Initial plans for the school were made in 1977 and realized in January 1979 by the nonprofit Midwestern Psychology Development Foundation.

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology began its first classes at temporary quarters located at 30 West Chicago Avenue before moving to the Fine Arts Building on Michigan Avenue in 1980. In 1986, following an extensive search, The Chicago School moved to its next location, the historic Dearborn Station in Chicago’s South Loop. In 2004, the school found a new downtown home at 325 N. Wells Street. The school expanded to the west coast in 2008 with three campuses in Southern California. It opened its first out-of-state location in downtown Los Angeles, Calif., in the summer. The school announced a formal affiliation in fall 2008 with the California Graduate Institute and its campuses in Westwood and Irvine. The Los Angeles Campus has yet to become APA accredited and former students of TCSPP in Los Angeles have filed a lawsuit claiming that TCSPP has not taken the proper steps to get APA accreditation at the Los Angeles campus.

From its early days the school began to earn a reputation for being a leader in diversity and multicultural training. Classes such as Cultural Issues in Assessment and Intercultural Psychotherapy Laboratory began to appear in the school’s bulletin in the 1980s. In 1988, the school opened its first institute for diversity-related training, research, and events: the Center for Inter-Cultural Clinical Psychology. One of its original initiatives was a Cultural Impact Conference, which remains an annual fixture on campus. The center eventually evolved in 2005 to become the Center for Multicultural and Diversity Studies. The Chicago School’s innovative approach to diversity received recognition in 1998 with an Institutional Diversity Award bestowed by the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology (NCSPP). NCSPP would again honor the school in 2005 with its Advocacy Award “in recognition of its outstanding commitment to advancing the attitude, skills, and knowledge of professional advocacy and public policy.”

§Campuses

East Coast

• Washington, D.C., Campus: The Chicago School's east coast campus in Washington, D.C., opened in summer 2010 three blocks from the White House at McPherson Square.

Midwest

• Chicago Campus: The Chicago School’s downtown campus is located at 325 North Wells St. Chicago, IL 60654 - in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. The building itself opened in 1914 as a Chase and Sanborn Coffee warehouse and is one of the few remaining relics on the Chicago River of the city’s industrial era. The school expanded in early 2007 with new space opening across the street in the Merchandise Mart.

West Coast

• Irvine Campus:In addition to Westwood, The Chicago School's affiliation with CGI also incorporates a campus in Irvine, California. The California Graduate Institute of The Chicago School, at Irvine, is located next to UC Irvine.

• Los Angeles Campus: Located at 617 W. 7th St., the L.A. Campus site is located four blocks north of the Staples Center, near Pasadena, Santa Ana, and Santa Monica freeways, and one block from the 7th Street Metro Center. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is currently being sued by students for failing to take the proper steps to get APA accreditation.

§Fall 2013 Student Profile

• Total students: more than 4,300
• Average age: 31 years old

§Ethnicity

• 52.4% White/Caucasian

§Gender

• Male: 20%
• Female: 80%

§Notes

§External links

• School website
• The Chicago School Reviews at ChicagoSchoolReviews.com
• The Chicago School Reviews at Indeed
• The Chicago School Reviews at Yelp
• 4ICU Profile of The Chicago School
• The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Reviews LA