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If you’re wondering how to become a counselling psychologist in Canada, you’ve come to the right place.
This article will give you a step-by-step guide to becoming a counselling psychologist in Canada. It will also answer common questions about this career path and why it’s a great choice for anyone who wants to help others find their way through life’s challenges.
Before we get started, let’s talk about what a counselling psychologist does and why it can be so rewarding.
How To Become A Counselling Psychologist In Canada
The competition for jobs in counselling psychology is tough. To land a job as a counseling psychologist, you will have to stand out from the crowd. There are many ways that you can prepare yourself for this field and some of them include:
- Make sure you have your basics covered. If you’re looking to become a part of this career field, it’s important that you have your academic fundamentals down pat. This means taking courses in college or university that help build up foundational skills such as research methods and statistics. As well as having strong technical knowledge; keep an eye on growth opportunities within both clinical psychology programs and community-based agencies where potential clients can benefit from your services.—This is where learning how much time each requires before deciding which route works best for one’s lifestyle choices might come into play (or both).
If you want to be a counselling psychologist, you’ll need to take the right courses to get there.
If you want to become a counselling psychologist, you’ll need to take some courses that will help you get there. The following courses are among those that are most relevant:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Statistics and research methods (how do psychologists gather data about the world around them?)
It’s important for any student pursuing a degree in psychology or sociology to get a good foundation in their chosen field before taking on more advanced topics. Taking these three classes is an excellent way to do this. They also provide some of the skills necessary for later work as a counseling psychologist, such as communication and empathy skills — but not all of them! That’s why it’s crucial to aim for entry into specific programs after completing your undergraduate education. In order to do this, you’ll need another course:
Finding a job with a bachelor’s degree in counselling psychology is rare.
You will need a master’s degree in counselling psychology to work as a psychologist in Canada. The undergraduate programs do not lead to licensure. Therefore, a bachelor’s degree is insufficient for becoming a Counselling Psychologist. You cannot become licensed with only an undergraduate degree in counselling psychology.
The reason for this is that there are several requirements that must be met before you can practice as a psychologist in Canada and the United States, even with your bachelor’s degree from an accredited school of counseling psychology (if it exists). These include coursework, supervised practicum experience, passing scores on standardized exams such as the MPRE or Praxis Series tests and necessary coursework prerequisites at graduate level (i.e., statistics) or post baccalaureate studies after receiving your bachelor’s degree—all of which make up what is commonly known as “terminal degrees.”
If you want to work toward becoming licensed by those boards responsible for regulating health professionals then you should consider enrolling into an accredited program leading up towards earning either:
- A Master of Arts/Science Degree where students earn approximately two years worth of advanced coursework required before qualifying them for licensure; OR – 2) A PhD program where students could expect seven years worth of college-level studies before qualifying them
To become a registered psychologist, you will have to have an advanced psychology degree.
To become a registered psychologist, you will have to have an advanced psychology degree. A PhD or PsyD is required for this profession. If you want to become a clinical psychologist and work in the healthcare field, then having a PhD is necessary.
A counselling psychologist works with clients and uses their knowledge of how people think, feel and behave to help them overcome their issues. They also often work closely with other professionals such as social workers or doctors in order to provide the best care possible for their patients.
Once you’ve completed your master’s degree, it’s time to look for jobs.
After you’ve completed your master’s degree, it’s time to look for jobs. Some of the most common careers in counselling psychology include:
- Clinical counsellor
- School counsellor
- Marriage and family therapist
How much do people earn? Unfortunately, the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have data on this topic specifically (the closest category is “counselors, social workers and other human service specialists”). However, based on salary ranges available online I can provide some information about what kind of money you can expect to make as a psychologist working in Canada. The average salary range is $48-66 per hour ($97K-$130K/year), but according to PayScale’s data on psychotherapists’ salaries (which includes marriage and family therapists), they tend to make less than clinical psychologists: $41K-$60K/year vs $54K-$78K/year.
It’s time for more schooling—a PhD or PsyD is the next step.
The next step is to earn a PhD or PsyD. While these two degrees are very similar and both require supervised practicum experience, there are some key differences you should be aware of.
A PhD in counselling psychology requires more coursework than a PsyD and it also requires extensive research experience. A PhD may also involve teaching at a university level, while a PsyD does not require any teaching responsibilities. Some programs offer both options (i.e., the ability to earn either one), but it depends on which school you attend and what program type you choose (PhD or PsyD).
You will be able to find various types of counseling psychology programs across Canada: online programs, on campus programs, joint degree programs where your master’s degree is in another field but your clinical training takes place at the counseling psychology university (e.g., social work). There are many other options out there besides these three main types mentioned here; just do your research so that you can find something that fits well with your interests as well as meets all relevant accreditation/licensing requirements for practising professionally after graduating from whichever type of program best suits those needs!
Do your research on potential graduate schools.
You should begin your search for an accredited graduate school by looking at the different programs available. There are a variety of ways to become a counselling psychologist, and this will affect what kind of graduate school you need to attend. If you’re interested in becoming a clinical psychologist, then you’ll likely have to attend a PhD program with clinical training and specialization in research methods (which is often called “clinical science”). On the other hand, if you’re more interested in becoming an industrial-organizational psychologist or educational therapist, then many master’s degree programs offer those types of courses while also preparing students for licensure as counselors or therapists in their respective fields (for example: social work).
Regardless of which type of programme interests you most, make sure that any institution offering these programmes has been accredited by one of Canada’s accrediting bodies. These include: Council on Accreditation (COA) – formerly Canadian Association for Pastoral Education; Association for Theological Schools International Commission on Accreditation; Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) – formerly Canadian Counselling Association National Committee on Accreditation; National Board for Certified Counselors Inc.; The Canadian Psychological Association Division 30 Committee on Educational Programs; Canadian College Personnel Association National Accreditation Advisory Group or National Council for Accreditation through Cooperative Agreement among its member institutions
Once you’ve completed the requirements for your doctorate, start specializing further.
Once you’ve completed the requirements for your doctorate, start specializing further. Some of the areas of specialization that are available to counselling psychologists include:
- Counselling psychology – if you want to work with individual clients or groups who are experiencing emotional issues and difficulties
- Clinical psychology – if you want to work in hospitals, clinics, or private practice settings treating mental health problems
- Psychotherapy – if you want to provide therapy through talk therapy (e.g., psychoanalytic) or other forms of treatment based on talking (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy)
- Forensic psychology – if you want to work with criminal offenders or victims as well as law enforcement officials investigating crimes
- Health psychology – if you want to treat people suffering from chronic physical illnesses such as cancer and heart disease, among others
- Neuropsychology – this field combines neuroscience knowledge with clinical training and is used primarily by neurosurgeons when planning surgery on brain tumors
With your specialized doctorate and years of clinical experience, it’s time to get licensed.
After you’ve completed your doctorate and years of clinical experience, it’s time to get licensed. To become licensed as a psychologist in Canada, you must complete a specific series of steps that include:
- Being awarded any given degree from an accredited university or college in Canada (see our list below)
- Passing the APA Examination-in-Training (EIT) or ExCPP Exam – see below for more details on these exams
- Adhering to the standards set forth by your provincial regulatory body for holding a license
Counselling psychology is a difficult field to get into, but the right training could lead to a rewarding career.
Counselling psychology is a field where you can have a positive impact on people’s lives. However, it is also a challenging career path that requires extra training before you can become fully qualified. If you are passionate about this field and willing to do some extra hard work, there is no doubt that counselling psychology will be rewarding for you in the long run.
The demand for counselling psychologists is always high because they help people overcome many problems in life. In addition, counseling psychologists are needed in many different settings such as hospitals and schools because they often work directly with patients or students who need their expertise.
