Find requirements for a provisional psychologist certificate

The Registrar of Psychologists has approved a pathway for the provisional class of psychologists.

The provisional class of registration exists for new graduate psychologists who:

• have not completed a period of supervised and evaluated practice; and
• are not fully licensed elsewhere.

Doctoral level psychologists may have completed this as part of a post-degree residency.

A provisional certificate allows you to:

• hold a certificate if you have not completed an exam or assessment deemed to be equivalent to the clinical component of the Examination for Professional Practice of Psychology (EPPP);
• work under supervision; and
• use the title of a provisional psychologist.

Key components of provisional registrations

You must:

• Complete1,600 hours of evaluated practice under a supervisor who is a registered Yukon psychologist, of which:
• 107 hours are directly supervised; and
• 400 hours are dedicated to each competency under each branch of psychology you have chosen.
• choose a branch of psychology to develop competencies;
• complete the Examination for Professional Practice of Psychology (EPPP);
• complete a midterm evaluation every 6 months; and
• have your supervisor perform a final evaluation upon completion of the required 1,600 hours.

Educational requirements

All degree programs must be offered by either:

• a legally authorized degree granting institution in Canada;  
• an accredited degree-granting institution from the USA; or
• a degree-granting institution from another country that has been evaluated by an acceptable foreign credential evaluation service, as being equivalent to Canada.

Undergraduate (Bachelor’s) degrees

You must have completed:

• an undergraduate degree majoring in psychology; or
• 4 years of undergraduate instruction with 12 courses (3 credits each) that provided a broad foundation for advanced psychology study, including:
• introduction to psychology;
• research methods in psychology;
• biological bases of behaviour;
• cognitive or affective bases of behaviour; and
• individual differences and lifespan development.

Graduate (Master’s) degrees

• Your degree includes the word “psychology” or was granted upon completion of a program which has the distinguishable purpose of educating psychologists.
• Your program included some in-person courses.
  • You must meet the in-person requirements for the practicum.
• You have completed courses at the graduate level that satisfy each core competencies.
• You have completed courses to satisfy each of the Foundational Knowledge Competencies at the senior undergraduate level (3xx or 4xx) or graduate level.
• A majority of your program’s faculty were PhD-level psychologists or registered psychologists responsible for cohesive program delivery.
• Your program included one or more practicum placements. They must satisfy these requirements:
  • At least 500 hours in practicum placement
  • At least 150 direct hours in intervention with no more than 37.5 hours being virtual
  • At least 100 hours in assessment and no more than 25 of those hours being virtual
    • Level C testing must be included
  • At least 25 per cent of the clinical supervision of the student involved direct review of client interaction
  • At least 2 people made a significant contribution to the student’s training including 1 primary supervisor

Core competencies

• Assessment and evaluation
  • 2 courses required for a minimum of 6 credits at the graduate level
  • 1 course (3 credits) must be in formal assessment
  • At least one course included a component of level C testing
• Intervention and consultation
  • 2 courses required for a minimum of 6 semester credits at the graduate level
• Research
• Ethics standards

Foundational Knowledge competencies

• Knowledge of the biological bases of behaviour
• Knowledge of the cognitive-affective bases of behaviour
• Knowledge of the social bases of behaviour
• Knowledge of the psychology of the individual

Supervised hours

You must complete 1,600 supervised hours.

As a provisional applicant, you’re responsible for finding a supervisor who’s willing and able to supervise your practice in the Yukon.

You are required to meet these ratios for provisional practice:

• Complete 400 supervised hours per competency under each branch of psychology you have chosen
• 1 out of every 15 hours of clinical practice must be under direct supervision
• 75 per cent of your evaluated practice hours must be in service delivery
• At least 75 per cent of your total supervision hours must be individual supervision as opposed to group supervision
• At least 1 supervisor (primary or secondary) must provide a minimum of 25 per cent of the total evaluated hours
• At least 50 per cent of the supervision hours must be onsite, person-to-person, or virtual face-to-face interaction between you and your supervisor

Supervisors must:

• be registered in the Yukon; and
• eligible to train in the areas of practice the applicant plans to practice.

You can have a secondary supervisor to allow for a breadth of training.

Evaluated hours

All hours of your 1,600 provisional practice are called “evaluated hours”. That’s because your supervisor evaluates your entire provisional practice.

Direct supervision

Direct supervision is a person-to-person, onsite or virtual face-to-face interaction between you and your supervisor.

Indirect supervision

Indirect supervision can include things like a supervisor’s review of:

• case files;
• reports; and
• test scores.

Group supervision

Group supervision is when you’re providing psychological care to a group of people while being supervised. The group must not have more than 6 members.

Evaluation

Your supervisor must:

• complete midterm evaluations every 6 months until you complete your 1,600 hours; and
• complete a final evaluation when you complete your hours.

Your supervisor will evaluate each competency in terms of “effective” for independent practice or “ineffective” for independent practice.

Effective means you:

• demonstrate competence for safe practice;
• can practice independently; and
• can consult as necessary.

Ineffective means you:

• do not meet minimum standards for an independent practitioner in psychology.

At midterm evaluation points, a provisional psychologist will still have areas evaluated as “ineffective” to indicate an individual is not yet ready to practice the competency under an independent practice. This is not a negative mark.

Become a supervisor

If you’re interested in providing supervision to a provisional psychologist, email [email protected] to get the supervision guide.

Before you become a supervisor, consider:

• the scope of practice you can offer supervision in;
• the scope of training and clients you can offer; and
• the time required to provide acceptable supervision.

Branches of psychology

You must choose a branch of psychology to develop your competencies.

There are 7 branches of psychology:

• Educational or school
• Clinical or counselling
• Forensic
• Neuropsychology
• Health
• Rehabilitation
• Industrial or organizational

For each branch of psychology you choose, you must develop:

• interventions;
• formal assessment;
• general assessment;
• research (less than 400 hours);
• consultation (less than 400 hours);
• teaching (less than 400 hours); and
• supervision (less than 400 hours).

Formal assessment and interventions are mandatory competencies that must receive a minimum of 400 hours of the 1,600 hours of provisional practice.

Apply

To apply to register as a provisional psychologist, you must:

• meet the educational requirements;
• find an approved primary supervisor;
• submit a completed application package; and
• pay the registration and licensing fees.

We’ll assess your eligibility on a case-by-case basis. We may not approve your registration.

Learn how to apply for a provisional psychologist certificate.

Once you have an approved supervision plan and have received a certificate to practice as a provisional registrant, you may begin your evaluated or supervised practice hours.

Fees

• Registration (one-time fee): $50
• Annual certificate fee: $100

Renewal

You can renew a provisional certificate twice with a possibility for a 3rd term if approved by the registrar.

To renew your provisional certificate, you must submit:

• a completed application form;
• proof of continuing education – per the Standards of Practice; and
• proof of liability insurance.

Learn how to renew a provisional psychologist certificate.

Fees

• Application fee: $50
• Annual certificate fee: $100
• Late renewal (applications sent after December 31): $200