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:
- complete 1,600 hours of evaluated practice under a supervisor who's 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've 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.
- The 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're 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.
Find the provisional psychologist supervision plan.
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, refer to the supervision guide.
Before you become a supervisor, consider the:
- scope of practice you can offer supervision in;
- scope of training and clients you can offer; and
- 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
- Non-refundable registration (one-time fee): $250
- Non-refundable application 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
- Non-refundable application fee: $50
- Annual certificate fee: $100
- Late renewal (applications sent after December 31): $200
For questions, email [email protected].