Career Map: Psychologist

This document was updated in collaboration with the Labour Market Integration Unit, Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, in February 2007. Requirements may have changed by the time you apply. Please contact the College of Psychologists of Ontario before you complete your application.

Copyright in this career map is held jointly by the Queen's Printer for Ontario and the College of Psychologists of Ontario, © 2007. This career map may be used or reproduced by any third party for non-commercial, not-for-profit purposes, provided that no fee, payment or royalty of any kind shall be charged by the third party for any further use or reproduction of the career map by any person. Any proposed commercial or for-profit use or reproduction of this career map requires a written license from the Queen's Printer for Ontario and the College of Psychologists of Ontario.

Psychologists and psychological associates in Ontario are regulated by the College of Psychologists of Ontario (the College). You cannot call yourself a ‘psychologist’ or ‘psychological associate’; use the terms ‘psychology’ or ‘psychological’ in any description of services offered or provided, or hold yourself out to be a psychologist or psychological associate unless you are registered with the College.

Psychologists and psychological associates are trained in the assessment, treatment and prevention of behavioural and mental conditions. They diagnose neuropsychological disorders and dysfunctions as well as psychotic, neurotic and personality disorders and dysfunctions. In addition, psychologists and psychological associates use a variety of approaches directed toward the maintenance and enhancement of physical, intellectual, emotional, social and interpersonal functioning.

Psychologists and psychological associates usually focus their practice in specific areas such as clinical psychology, counselling psychology, clinical neuropsychology; school psychology; correctional/forensic psychology; health psychology; rehabilitation psychology; or industrial/organizational psychology. Within these areas a psychologist or psychological associate may work with a variety of individual client populations such as children, adolescents, or adults, or may focus their attention on families, couples or organizations. They work in a range of settings including schools, hospitals, industry, social service agencies, rehabilitation facilities and correctional facilities. Many psychologists and psychological associates have their own private practice.

Registration Requirements In Ontario

To practise psychology in Ontario, you must be a registered member of the College of Psychologists of Ontario (the College).

A Psychologist must:

• Hold a doctoral degree from a program of study with content that is primarily psychological in nature as required in the guidelines published by the College.

A Psychological Associate must:

• Hold a master’s degree from a program of study with content that is primarily psychological in nature as required in the guidelines published by the College
• Complete four or more years of full-time (1500 hours/year), or equivalent part-time, post-master’s degree experience

In addition, all applicants applying for registration as either psychologist or psychological associate must meet the following requirements:

• be legally entitled to work in Canada
• be fluent in English or French
• meet the current supervised practice hours required by the College
• complete any further professional training or experience that the College requires
• pass the examinations approved by the College (see Step 3 below)
• have professional liability insurance

Registration Application Process

Step 1 - Send Application Documents to the College

Contact the College of Psychologists for the Application for Certificate of Registration Authorizing Supervised Practice form. You can find the form on-line on the College’s web site (www.cpo.on.ca) or you can purchase a printed copy from the College. Complete this form and pay the required fees. Fees are listed at the end of this document. You will also need to include the following with your application:

Psychologist

• Official transcripts of a doctoral level program of study with content that is primarily psychological in nature from your educational institution. You must arrange for all institutions to send the transcripts directly to the College. For degrees taken outside of Canada or the United States, you must have the credential evaluated by University of Toronto’s Comparative Education Service or World Education Services. The credential evaluation must show that the degree is equivalent in level to a Canadian doctoral degree.

Psychological Associate

• Official transcripts of a master’s level program of study with content that is primarily psychological in nature from your educational institution. You must arrange for all institutions to send the transcripts directly to the College. For degrees taken outside of Canada or the United States, you must have the credential evaluated by University of Toronto’s Comparative Education Service or World Education Services. The credential evaluation must show that the degree is equivalent in level to a Canadian master’s degree.

In addition, all applicants must include:

• Three references from three members of the profession. Referees may reside within or outside of Canada. Forms are available on-line.
• Assessment of credentials from credential evaluation service.

The College of Psychologists requires an external credential assessment for all applicants who obtained their university degree(s) outside of Canada. You will need to provide the College with valid course descriptions including the course titles, contents and hours of the courses in addition to transcripts.

The College will inform you in writing whether your application has met the initial registration requirements. This will confirm whether your academic credentials have been accepted and whether you have been approved to proceed either to 1) supervised practice for psychologists, or 2) the work experience portion for psychological associates, followed by supervised practice. If the College advises you that your application is refused, then you may appeal to the Health Professions Appeals and Review Board.

Step 2 – Supervised Practice

All candidates must complete a minimum of 1500 hours (12 months) of supervised practice under the supervision of two members of the College. A certificate of supervised practice may be held for only two years. During supervised practice you are considered a member of the College and may hold yourself out as a psychologist or psychological associate, as defined by the College’s requirements.

You must be issued a certificate for supervised practice by the College. This certificate is the normal prerequisite in order to be eligible for a certificate for autonomous practice.

Psychologist

In order to receive a certificate for supervised practice as a psychologist, you must:

• Have an acceptable doctoral degree as described in Step 1; and
• Name two members who agree to supervise your practice for the required term, using a signed agreement form supplied by the College.

Psychological Associate

In order to receive a certificate for supervised practice as a psychological associate, you must:

• Have an acceptable master’s degree as described in Step 1;
• Completed four or more years of experience as required by the College; and
• Name two members who agree to supervise your practice for the required term, using a signed agreement form supplied by the College.

Additional Training or Experience Requirements

You may be required to take additional professional training or obtain further experience during your supervised practice and before qualifying for a specific area of practice. During the initial review of your registration package, the Registrar may identify areas where your training does not appear to support your declared practice area. In these cases, your training and experience in relation to your declared practice area will be reviewed by the Registration Committee. In cases where the College feels an applicant’s training or experience should be enhanced, the College will work with the individual to identify an appropriate training plan.

Written Examinations

You may take up to two of the required written examinations while under supervised practice. You may take either of the written examinations up to four times as long as they are completed within a two-year period.

The written examinations the College requires you to pass are:

1. The Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) is a computer administered test which can be written at any of approximately 300 testing centres within Canada and the United States. The EPPP consists of 200 multiple choice questions. The examination tests your core knowledge of psychology. The examination is four hours and 15 minutes long. It is available in an English or in a bilingual French/English version.
2. The Jurisprudence and Ethics Examination (JEE) is administered by the College. It can be written at several sites across Ontario, and is offered twice a year. It is a paper and pencil test that consists of 60 multiple choice questions. The JEE tests your knowledge of: legislation relevant to the practice of psychology in Ontario; standards of professional conduct; and ethical principles of the profession. The examination is two hours long. It is in a bilingual English/French format.
   
   The Ontario Psychological Association in association with York University offers a course to assist individuals to prepare for registration as regulated members of the psychology profession.

Step 3 - Take the Oral Examination

All candidates who want to become authorized for autonomous practice as psychologists or psychological associates in Ontario must pass two written examinations and one oral examination. You must complete your supervised practice before taking the final oral examination.

The Oral Examination (OE) is administered in Toronto twice a year by the College. You are invited to take the oral examination once you have completed all the other College requirements.

The examination is intended to ensure candidates are ready and able to enter autonomous practice. It is administered by a panel made up of three members of the profession. You can expect to address your area of intended practice, and demonstrate your knowledge of assessment, diagnosis and treatment. The examination also requires you to demonstrate your interpersonal skills and apply your knowledge of the profession’s ethics and standards.

Labour Market Information

There is a continuing demand for psychologists, particularly in the areas of education, social services and corrections. Areas of employment include education, hospitals, industry, social service agencies, rehabilitation facilities and correctional facilities. There is a trend away from permanent full-time positions toward short-term contract positions. A growing number of psychologists and psychological associates are working in private practice.

For information about working conditions, wages and job descriptions for psychologists and psychological associates see Ontario Job Futures on the Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) web site, www.hrsdc.gc.ca. This information is also available at public libraries or HRDC Employment Resource Centres in Ontario.

College Fees

(in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated)

Application for Certificate of Registration fee	$230
Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP)	USD $450
Jurisprudence and Ethics Examination (JEE)	$270
Oral Examination (OE)	$740
Autonomous Practice members – annual fee	$795
Supervised Practice members – annual fee	$795

Additional Fees:

External Credential assessment report

fee may vary

For More Information

For further information about applying to register as a psychologist or psychological associate in Ontario, please contact:

The Registrar
College of Psychologists of Ontario
110 Eglinton Ave. W. Ste. 500
Toronto, ON
Canada
M4R 1A3
Telephone: (416) 961-8817
Toll Free: 1-800-489-8388 ( N. America)
Fax: (416) 961-2635
E-mail: cpo@cpo.on.ca
Website: www.cpo.on.ca

For information on obtaining an assessment report of your academic credential, please contact:

Comparative Education Service
University of Toronto
315 Bloor St West
Toronto, ON
Canada
M5S 1A3 Telephone: (416) 978-2185
E-mail: learn@utoronto.ca
Website: learn.utoronto.ca/ces.htm

OR

World Education Services (WES)
2 Carlton Street, Suite 1400
Toronto ON M5B 1J3
Tel: 416-972-0070 or 1-866-343-0070
Fax: 416-972-9004
Email: inquiry@wes.org
www.wes.org/ca

For information on examinations, please contact:

College of Psychologists of Ontario
110 Eglinton Ave. W. Ste. 500
Toronto, ON
Canada
M4R 1A3
Telephone: (416) 961-8817
Toll Free: 1-800-489-8388 ( N. America)
Fax: (416) 961-2635
E-mail: cpo@cpo.on.ca
Website: www.cpo.on.ca

For professional liability insurance and examination preparation courses, please contact:

Ontario Psychological Association
730 Yonge St, Suite 221
Toronto, ON
Canada
M4Y 2B7
Telephone: (416) 961-0069
Toll Free: 1-800-268-0069
Fax: (416) 961-5516
E-mail: opa@psych.on.ca
Website: www.psych.on.ca

For information or resources on psychological associates, please contact:

Ontario Association of Psychological Associates
Box 27080 – 1980 Ogilvie Road
Gloucester, ON
Canada
K1J 9L9
E-mail: oapa@oapa.on.ca
Website: www.oapa.on.ca

For a government contact about accessing professions in Ontario please contact:

HealthForceOntario
Access Centre for Internationally
Educated Professionals
163 Queen Street East, 2nd Floor
Toronto, ON M5A 1S1
Tel. 416-862-2200 or 1-800-596-4046
TTY: 416-862-4817
Fax: 416-862-4818
Email: accesscentre@healthforceontario.ca
Website: www.healthforceontario.ca

For information on where and how to get help with settlement in Ontario:

Visit www.settlement.org, or contact:
Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI)
110 Eglinton Avenue West, Suite 200
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
M4R 1A3
Telephone: (416) 322-4950, ext. 227
Fax: (416) 322-8084
E-mail: ocasi@web.net
Website: www.ocasi.org