What is Accreditation?

CPA and APA launch the First Street Accord, a mutual agreement on accreditation

Please click here for more information.  

What is Accreditation?

Whereas individual practitioners of psychology are licensed, training programmes in professional psychology can be accredited.  The CPA accredits such training programmes but CPA does not accredit, register, license, or certify individuals to practice psychology in Canada. The latter mandate falls under the purview of the provincial regulatory bodies. Click here to obtain more information on the provincial and territorial associations, regulatory bodies and licensing requirements.

It is the doctoral or internship programme (not its students) that must voluntarily apply for and undergo accreditation.  A student can claim to have graduated from an accredited programme, if the programme was accredited at the time of the student’s graduation.

Accreditation is a voluntary process but allows doctoral and internship programmes to demonstrate that they have met a community standard of training.

Although graduation from an accredited doctoral programme is not a requirement for registration as a psychologist or always a requirement of employers, it can be an advantage.  Applicants for registration or licensure who have graduated from accredited programmes often receive ‘fast-track’ credential reviews by regulatory bodies.  Furthermore, accredited programmes are encouraged to hire faculty and staff who themselves have graduated from either a CPA- or APA-accredited programme.

The CPA accredits doctoral programmes and internships in professional areas of psychology. An up-to-date listing of all CPA-accredited programmes can be found on our website here. A pdf version of the CPA Accreditation Manual is available here.

The CPA Accreditation Panel is a member of the Association of Accrediting Agencies of Canada (AAAC):  www.aaac.ca

Questions about CPA Accreditation?

Please check out our FAQ page for any questions regarding accreditation, studying abroad, working in Canada as a psychologist, and more.

For any other information not covered on our FAQ page, please contact Dr. Stewart Madon at accreditation@cpa.ca or Ms. Krista Hembruff at accreditationoffice@cpa.ca.