US psychologists need an accreditation system that verifies their science acumen, according to the US Association for Psychological Science (APS).

A report by the association says that clinical psychologists too often are unaware of validated treatment methods. It assails the American Psychological Association's current accreditation system as a “one size fits all” approach that lumps together disparate subfields. The APS advocates an accreditation system that, for instance, gauges whether incoming students have science and maths skills, whether faculty members have published science-based research and whether students apply clinical knowledge in presentations and publications.