Canadian Council of Psychotherapeutic Examiners

01. Can you compare the colleges? Which one is best?

We treat as confidential the information we receive from psychotherapy  programs. All accredited programs have our recommendation, but we do not rank them. Each psychotherapeutic college has unique qualities. We encourage prospective students to visit the campuses and to participate in the schools' student-for-a-day programs.

02. Does CCPE recognize home-study schools or external-degree programs?

Many correspondence schools offer psychotherapy degrees or diplomas. Some are exempt from provincial regulations because they claim a religious purpose or they do not recruit students from their home province. Not all correspondence programs prepare students for practice as licensed psychotherapist, not all programs are eligible for affiliation with our agency. It is not illegal for those who obtain psychotherapy degrees from correspondence schools to use the initials after their names; they may not, however, legally represent themselves as psychologists, psychiatrists or engage in the practice of medicine unless they are otherwise licensed as medical practitioners. Although correspondence courses can be effective in many disciplines, psychotherapy licensing agencies believe they are effective in many disciplines of Psychotherapy for preparing students as Psychotherapists. The Alternative Medicine Examiners Council of Canada (AMECC) consider those who obtain psychotherapy degrees from correspondence schools to be part of the psychotherapeutic profession providing the candidate passes the CCPEX exams in person.

03. What does "candidate for accreditation" mean?

Candidacy is a status of affiliation with us that indicates a psychotherapy program satisfies our agency's  eligibility requirements — e.g., that it is properly organized, is adequately supported financially, has good facilities and a qualified faculty, offers an appropriate curriculum, and accurately represents itself to prospective students. Candidacy, however, is not accreditation and does not ensure eventual accreditation. We grant candidacy when a program meets our eligibility requirements, complies with our standards to the degree expected for its stage of development, and is progressing toward accreditation. If it does not achieve accreditation within five years, the program loses affiliation with us for at least one year and until deficiencies are corrected. A new program may apply for candidacy at any time, but CCPE will not grant candidacy until after at least its first academic year with students enrolled full time. A psychotherapy program may not be accredited until it has graduated its first class. Students and graduates of candidate programs are eligible to apply for the Alternative Medicine Examiners Council of Canada (AMECC)  licensing examinations, administered by the Canadian Council of Psychotherapeutic Examiners CCPE’s branch of each province.

04. What criteria does CCPE use in evaluating psychotherapy programs?

The evaluation process involves a comprehensive self-study by the program, periodic visits to the campus by CCPE teams, and ongoing monitoring. Evaluation teams have three or more trained members, with at least one a practicing psychotherapist, another a member of the Council, and another not affiliated with the psychotherapy, its colleges, or CCPE. Our Handbook of Accreditation for Psychotherapeutic Programs , contains our objectives, eligibility requirements, standards, policies, procedures, Articles of Incorporation, and Bylaws. The handbook is available for on-site review and photocopying (no permission needed) at the library or an administrative office of each program affiliated with us, or it may be ordered for $20, prepaid: free by e-mail upon request.

05. Where may Psychotherapists practice?

Four provinces allow the practice of naturopathic medicine: British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Oregon, Saskatchewan,  have licensing laws for psychotherapy. The scope of practice varies from province to province. In provinces without psychotherapy licensing laws, many who hold the psychotherapy. degree also hold other degrees, such as the Doctor of Osteopathy, Doctor of Chiropractic, Doctor of Naturopathy or Masters in Oriental Medicine degree, and they practice under licenses for those professions. Others offer services that do not violate their provinces medical practice acts. Most psychotherapists are not in the provinces that regulate the profession.

06. How is CCPE organized?

CCPE was incorporated in August 1991 under the Nonprofit Corporation Act and is recognized by the Canadian Internal Revenue Service as a Professional Syndicate nonprofit organization. Board members are elected by the board itself, who are also the organization's only voting members. Presently, two of CCPE's eleven board members are public members; a public member is not affiliated in any way with the psychotherapeutic profession. The board has three positions for institutional member representatives, who are elected rotationally for three-year terms from among administrators and faculty members at the five accredited and candidate psychotherapeutic programs. Our Articles of  Incorporation also require from four to six profession members, who must be licensed psychotherapist. Six profession members currently serve on the board.

07. How does someone start a new psychotherapeutic college?

To site a psychotherapeutic program within an existing college or university is preferable to beginning a freestanding psychotherapeutic college, unless the organizing group has the necessary assets and extensive experience in higher education administration. CCPE can refer organizations with the potential for developing a new program to consultants. Any new program, to qualify for accreditation, would likely need to be in a state or province that licenses psychotherapists, because students do their clinical training primarily under practicing psychotherapists. Additionally, provincial authorities probably would not approve a college's request to grant the psychotherapist degree in a province that does not allow the practice of psychotherapeutic medicine.

08. May I be licensed in the Canada if I attend an overseas psychotherapeutic college?

Because international standards for psychotherapy education exists other than in Canada, students who graduate from psychotherapy colleges in other countries are eligible to apply for the Canadian Council of Psychotherapeutic Examiners CCPE, examinations. The exams are administered twice a year at the provincial level by the branch of it’s Province. Students who attend an overseas school may have some course credits accepted for transfer to a Canadian school if the foreign school is a graduate-level institution and governmentally recognized. If you plan to spend the first year or two of psychotherapy studies at a foreign school, you should first check with one of the Canadian psychotherapeutic colleges to learn if any credits may be transferred later.

09. May I be licensed in the United States if I attend psychotherapists college in Canada, and vice versa?

If you graduate from a CCPE-recognized college in Canada, some states will accept your licensing application, but several will not. If you intend to attend a psychotherapeutic college in Canada you should first check with the psychotherapists licensing agencies in the states where they will practice to make sure they can apply for a license with a Canadian diploma.

10. What is the difference between CCPE and the other organizations that accredit psychotherapeutic programs?

CCPE is the organization that accredits programs which prepare students to become licensed psychotherapists. It is the accrediting agency accepted by the Canadian Professional Syndicates for licensed psychotherapists, and it is the agency recognized by the Alternative Medicine Examiners Council of Canada (AMECC). CCPE is also the only Psychotherapeutic accreditor with membership in the Alternative Medicine Examiners Council of Canada (AMECC). Other psychotherapeutic accrediting agencies accredit schools that do not prepare students to practice as licensed psychotherapists. None is recognized by the AMECC, and none of the schools or programs they accredit has institutional accreditation from a recognized regional accrediting agency. Comparing the published standards, policies, procedures, and bylaws of accrediting agencies is one way to determine their differences. For CCPE, these documents are in its Handbook.