**NEW**
The CPA's recently revised Accreditation Standards and Procedures for Doctoral Programmes and Internships in Professional Psychology (2011, Fifth revision) is now available in PDF format; click here to access the document.
Bound copies of the new Standards and Procedures are also available from the Accreditation Office, and have been sent out to programmes, along with a summary guide to help programmes navigate the new standards; click here to access a quick guide comparison, and click here to access a pdf with changes to the text highlighted. Stay tuned for more information on upcoming site visitor training workshops, as well as a French translation of the Standards and Procedures, which is currently being completed.
Programmes are advised that these new standards are now in effect, and will be used to evaluate programmes' annual reports for 2011-2012, as well as self-studies for 2012-2013.
For any programme completing a self-study for submission in 2011-2012, use of the 2011 OR 2002 standards is acceptable, however future annual reports will be evaluated against the 2011 standards. The 2002 Standards and Procedures are also available in PDF format; click here to access the document.
Accreditation: What is it?
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.
Contact the CPA Accreditation Staff
For information about accreditation, contact Dr. Melissa Tiessen at accreditation@cpa.ca or Ms. Ann Marie Plante at accreditationoffice@cpa.ca.