Registration Guidelines
UPDATED: April 2019
Required Documents in the Application Process
The forms needed to apply for a Certificate of Registration Authorizing Supervised Practice as a Psychological Associate are found on the College’s web site in the Applicants Section, these include:
- Application for Certificate of Registration Authorizing Supervised Practice (the application form);
- Primary and Alternate Supervisor’s Agreement forms.
The application form is completed online and may be printed for your records. The application fee of $230 CAD may be paid online.
The Primary and Alternate Supervisor’s Agreement forms must be filled out by the applicant and their prospective supervisors, and may be submitted along with the supervised practice application form or submitted separately either by email or regular mail.
In addition to the application form and the Supervisor’s Agreement forms the following table lists other required documents in the application process where original documentation is required:
|
Document |
Description |
Original Documentation Required |
| Academic transcript | Applicants must submit an academic transcript from each degree in psychology they have received. | The College requires an original transcript, and the transcript must to be sent directly to the College by the university. Visit this FAQ for more details on submitting transcripts.
*If a university outside Canada or the United States is unable to send a transcript directly to the College, the College may accept a certified copy of the transcript the university issued to the applicant. Applicants should contact the College in advance if they find that their university will not issue an original transcript. If the transcript and official university documents are in a language other than English or French, the applicant must arrange to have these documents translated by an official translator. Applicants are responsible for any fees associated with the translation of these documents. |
| Academic credential assessment | Applicants whose degrees are from an institution outside Canada or the United States must have their credentials evaluated by either Comparative Education Service (CES) or World Education Services (WES). |
The College requires an original credential assessment report to be sent directly to the College by CES or WES. |
| Post-Master’s Work Confirmation Form | To document the applicant’s 4 years and 6000 hours of supervised post-master’s work experience, a report from the applicant’s former supervisor(s) is required. |
Applicants must arrange to have their former supervisor(s) complete the Post-Master’s Work Confirmation Form and submit it directly to the College. |
| Confirmation of EPPP results | Applicants who took the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) as part of the registration/licensure requirements in another jurisdiction must provide their EPPP results to the College. |
Applicants must arrange to have their EPPP results forwarded directly to the College by contacting the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) at the following link: https://www.asppb.net/?page=ScoreTransfer |
| Confirmation of registration from other regulatory authorities | Applicants who are or who have been registered to practice a profession in another Canadian jurisdiction or in another country must provide the College with a confirmation of their registration. | Applicants must arrange to have an original confirmation of their current or past registration to be sent directly to the College by the other regulatory authority. |
When an applicant is unable to obtain original documentation
An applicant who is unable to obtain required original documents must advise the College in writing, identifying which documents they are unable to obtain, and detailing the reason for this. The Alternative Documentation Policy found in Appendix H of the Registration Guidelines details the College’s process for determining whether alternative documentation may be accepted.
When an application is considered to be complete and ready for review by the Registrar
An application is complete and ready for review by the Registrar when the application form, application fee, and all supporting documents specified in the application form have been received by the College. It is the responsibility of the applicant to contact the College to confirm the status of their application. A review cannot take place before all of the required documents have been received.
Applicants with degrees granted by universities outside Canada or the U.S.
If the applicant’s degrees are from an institution outside Canada or the United States the degrees must be validated and assessed to determine if they are comparable in level to degrees from a Canadian university. Applicants are responsible for any fees associated with these evaluations. An academic credential assessment may be arranged through either Comparative Education Service (CES) or World Education Services (WES):
| Comparative Education Service (CES)
E-mail: ces.info@utoronto.ca Website: https://learn.utoronto.ca/comparative-education-service Tel.: (416) 978-0393 Fax: (416) 978-2185 Address: University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies 158 St. George Street Toronto ON M5S 2V8 |
World Education Services (WES)
E-mail: ontario@wes.org Website: www.wes.org/ca Tel.: (416) 972-0070 Tel. (Toll free): 1-866-343-0070 Fax: (416) 972-9004 Address: 2 Carlton Street, Suite 1400 Toronto, Ontario M5B 1J3 |
The academic credential assessment report from CES or WES must confirm that the applicant’s academic credentials are comparable in level to a master’s degree granted by a Canadian university. While the report from CES or WES will indicate to the College whether the applicant’s academic credentials are comparable in level to a master’s degree granted by a Canadian university, the College reserves the right to make a final determination of the content of the degree(s), and will evaluate, in accordance with the requirements outlined in Section E of these guidelines to determine, whether the applicant has an acceptable master’s degree in psychology.
Steps in the College’s application process that can be completed outside of Canada
Applicants educated outside of Canada or the United States who are currently living outside of Canada, can complete part of the application process before moving to Canada or wait until they arrive to do so.
The following application steps may be completed before moving to Canada:
- Submission of the College’s application for registration as Psychological Associate (Supervised Practice) along with the application fee;
- Submission of an academic credential assessment report sent directly to the College by either Comparative Education Service (CES) or World Education Services (WES);
- Submission of the university transcript(s) sent directly to the College by the university;
- Submission of post-master’s work confirmation form(s) sent directly to the College by the applicant’s former supervisor(s); and
- Evidence of English or French language fluency.
If a university outside Canada or the U.S. is unable to send a transcript directly to the College, the College may accept an alternate form of documentation such as a certified copy of the transcript the university issued to the applicant. Applicants should review the College’s Alternative Documentation Policy and contact the College in advance if they find that their university will not issue an original transcript. If the transcript and official university documents are in a language other than English or French, the applicant must arrange to have these documents translated by an official translator. Applicants are responsible for any fees associated with the translation of these documents.
Applicants who are not yet working in Ontario
In circumstances where the applicant is out-of-province or unemployed, the Registrar can consider the application to be complete except for the supervisor’s agreement forms and details of the intended Ontario work setting. In such cases, upon favourable review, the Registrar will issue a letter of eligibility only, deferring a decision on the issuance of a certificate for supervised practice. An eligibility letter may be used by the applicant to indicate their intent to become registered to prospective employers and/or supervisors.
Applicants who have not yet completed the required post-master’s degree work experience
Applicants who have obtained a master’s degree but who have not yet completed the required post-master’s degree work experience may submit an application for registration along with all the supporting documentation, including the application fee, with the exception of the supervisors’ agreement forms. The applicant’s academic credentials will be reviewed but further consideration of their application will be deferred until the College receives documentation showing completion of the required work experience. Upon favourable review, the Registrar will issue a letter of eligibility only, deferring a decision on the issuance of a certificate for supervised practice. An eligibility letter may be used by the applicant to indicate their intent to become registered to prospective employers and/or supervisors.
Additionally, the Registrar’s letter of eligibility will indicate the applicant’s eligibility to take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) and the Jurisprudence and Ethics Examination (JEE).
Issuance of a Certificate Authorizing Supervised Practice
After initial review, where it is determined the applicant meets the non-exemptible registration requirements of an acceptable master’s degree, acceptable work experience, and specified supervisors (Section 23. (1) and (2) of the Registration Regulation) the Registrar will proceed to issue a certificate of registration authorizing supervised practice. Supervised practice is a time limited period in which the applicant prepares for the autonomous practice of psychology. The overall focus of post-degree supervision is to ensure that, by the end of the period under supervision, the supervised member is able to provide competent and ethical professional services, autonomously, within their limits of competence.
Once the certificate has been issued by the Registrar, the new supervised member receives the certificate, a letter outlining the decision of the Registrar, a memo indicating important dates and summarizing the information about their supervision, and documents concerning the period of authorized supervised practice. The supervisors will receive a copy of that letter, documents relevant to the supervision of members, and work appraisals for the period of authorized supervised practice.
Referral to the Registration Committee
Where there is doubt, on reasonable grounds, as to whether the applicant has an acceptable master’s degree, has acceptable work experience, or has training congruent with their proposed area(s) of practice, the Registrar will refer such applications to the Registration Committee under Section 15(2)(a) of the RHPA Code. The applicant will be given notice of a thirty day period in which written submissions may be sent to the Committee prior to their review. A certificate authorizing supervised practice will not be issued in cases of doubt.
In such cases the Registration Committee, which meets approximately every 6 to 8 weeks throughout the year, will review the application file. The Committee can make one of the following decisions:
- Agree that the academic credentials and work experience meet the requirements of the College. In this case, if the candidate has named acceptable supervisors and work setting, then the Committee will direct the Registrar to issue a certificate for supervised practice to the applicant;
- Direct the Registrar to refuse registration to the applicant. In this case, the applicant will receive a written decision and the reasons for the decision. According to the RHPA (Code) Section 21 this decision may be appealed to the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board (HPARB).
Should the Registrar have doubts that an applicant’s training is congruent with the proposed area of practice, pursuant to Sections 16. (1) 7. and 16. (3) (b) of the Registration Regulation, a certificate of registration for supervised practice will be issued, along with a notice letter advising of the Registrar’s referral of the application to the Registration Committee for a review of their training in relation to their Declaration of Competence. The supervised member will then have a thirty day period to make a written submission to the Committee outlining how the incongruence may be resolved, either by a revision in the declaration of competence, or by means of a formal training plan (see guidelines in Section K).
Application Expiry
It is the responsibility of the applicant to check with the College on the status of their application.
Applications are not kept by the College indefinitely. An application for registration as a Psychological Associate (Supervised Practice) that has not resulted in either the issuance of a certificate of registration or a statement of eligibility from the Registrar will expire 24 months after the date of the application (entered on Box A1 of the application form). The College will make reasonable efforts to contact the applicant prior to the date of application expiry.
The College will scan and save electronically an applicant’s application form and any supporting documents for 5 years from the date of application expiry. At the end of the 5 year period, the scanned information will be securely destroyed.
Should the applicant re-apply for registration before the end of the 5 year period, he/she must submit a new application form and application fee to the College, and the College will endeavour to use whatever of the scanned original documentation that is appropriate. For example, a confirmation of registration from another regulatory authority may need to be re-submitted.
In all cases, an applicant would be required to meet the College’s requirements in effect at the time of their re-application.