SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS FAQs

These FAQs are intended to be useful in understanding the College’s mandate, policies, and procedures. Readers are advised that policies and procedures change. The College endeavours to update its FAQs and the website as efficiently as possible. The application of some procedures may depend upon the circumstances of a matter and therefore, may not occur the same way in every instance. The FAQs are for information purposes only and may not be relied upon as legal advice. To the extent that there are any inconsistencies between these FAQs and the provisions of the Health Professions Act or Part 4 of the College’s Bylaws, the provisions of the Act and Bylaws take precedence.

GENERAL

The College of Psychologists of BC (CPBC) began accepting applications in April 2023, and only school psychologists registered with the College can practise school psychology after May 1, 2024.

School psychologists currently certified through the British Columbia Association of School Psychologists (BCASP) are eligible for expedited registration with the CPBC provided they meet other requirements to be established by the CPBC in its bylaws, including fitness to practise and good character requirements, criminal record checks, attending a virtual orientation workshop and successful completion of the online Written Jurisprudence Examination. Former CPBC registrants are encouraged to contact the College before making an application.

The expedited registration stream for BCASP members is now closed.

It is recommended that school psychologists become familiar with the Psychologists Regulation, the College’s Code of Conduct as well as the bylaws and policies of the CPBC, which can be found on the website (https://collegeofpsychologists.bc.ca/about-the-college/laws-legislation/).

In addition to the requirements set out by the College for BCASP members, school psychologists who are not members of BCASP (or are not already registrants of CPBC) and were educated in Canada or the USA are required to meet education, training, examination and supervised practice requirements and other application requirements as described on the CPBC website here: https://collegeofpsychologists.bc.ca/applicants/educated-in-canadausa-sp/. School Psychologists educated outside of Canada or the USA are required to meet education, training, examination and supervised practice requirements and other application requirements as described here: https://collegeofpsychologists.bc.ca/applicants/educated-outside-canadausa-sp/.

The CPBC collects fees to cover the costs of regulating the profession in the public interest. For school psychologists employed in public schools, the  employer has agreed to cover the costs of CPBC annual renewal fees in the most recent collective agreement. School psychologists with questions about fees should contact their employer/district.

School psychologists employed in independent schools should contact their employer for further clarification on payment of CPBC fees.

It is our understanding these fees are outside of the annual renewal fees the employer (for school psychologists employed in public schools) has agreed to pay in the most recent collective agreement. It will be up to applicants to cover this expense or seek for these fees to be reimbursed by their employer.

All school psychologists are required to be registrants of the College of Psychologists after May 1, 2024.

As registrants, school psychologists will be required to meet continuing competence requirements as established by the CPBC in its bylaws. The Continuing Competency Program (CCP) is a program for ongoing self-directed learning with which all registrants of the CPBC are required to comply. Continuing competency requirements are established by the CPBC Board. Continuing competency activities include attending events such as annual and special meetings of the CPBC or learning opportunities such as conferences, courses, and workshops that meet the program criteria. For more information about the CCP visit the College website: https://collegeofpsychologists.bc.ca/registrants/continuing- competency-program/).

Liability coverage requirements are set out in the College bylaws. The CPBC currently requires registrants (or their employers) to have professional liability coverage of no less than $1,000,000 per occurrence. School Psychologists working independently and in circumstances not covered by their employer’s liability coverage will be responsible for obtaining their own adequate liability insurance coverage.

Requirements for program of study will be included in Schedule H of the bylaws.  The College has and will continue to engage with Canadian school psychology masters training programs to ensure that programs meet the requirements or that their graduates’ knowledge, skills and abilities are substantially equivalent to the established standards of academic or technical achievement and competencies set out in the bylaws.

The College does not pre-approve degrees, programs, internships, or applications.  Education, training and experience are carefully reviewed once a completed formal application has been received. We receive many queries asking questions like those above.  These are good questions and the answers can be found by a careful review of the bylaws  (including Schedule H)  which list the registration requirements.

The College has and will continue to engage with Canadian school psychology masters training programs to ensure that programs meet the requirements or that their graduates’ knowledge, skills and abilities are substantially equivalent to the established standards of academic or technical achievement and competencies set out in the bylaws.

 

APPLICANTS

The applicant portal is presently set up to accept applications for BCASP members going through the expedited registration process, only. All other applicants will need to download and complete the application form found on our website and submit documentation via post.

We hope to have all of our applications online within the year.

 

 

The deadline for application was November 1, 2023.  This application stream is now closed.

You should include a letter explaining your particular circumstance and provide rationale as to how the referees identified are able to speak to your competence to practice in the area of school psychology.  It will be reviewed.

It depends.  If you are making application through the expedited registration period for BCASP members, you will take one examination (the Written Jurisprudence Examination).  All other applicants will be required to take three examinations: the Praxis Exam, Written Jurisprudence Examination and the Readiness for Practice Examination.  Please see the applicant’s section for more information.

The orientation sessions will be held virtually, multiple times throughout the coming year.  Dates and times are posted in the Exams and Workshops section.

Applicants going through the expedited registration period for BCASP members do not require a supervision plan.  All other applicants require a supervision plan as described in the applicant section.

This requirement is in place to ensure that services provided during the application period are supervised by either a Registered Psychologist or Certified School Psychologist.  Note that for those in need of a supervision plan there is not a set number of hours required for either direct contact or supervision.  The onus is on the supervisor to determine the appropriate amount and type of supervision required in order to ensure that services are provided in accordance with the standards of the Code of Conduct.

The plan does not require approval by the College but the required supervision plan form, signed by both applicant and supervisor, will be reviewed for completeness when it is submitted along with the application.

The examination is delivered online.  Once you are approved to take the examination and have paid the fee, you will be given access credentials.  Applicants may take it at any time of day and any time before their application expiry date.

School psychologist applicants who have completed all requirements for registration by April 30, 2024 will become registrants of the College on May 1, 2024.  After this date, applicants will be added to the register as they become eligible.

You only need one registration, R.Psych. or L.Sch.Psych., in order to continue your work as a school psychologist as of May 1, 2024.

It will be up to you to determine whether you can complete the registered psychologist registration process by that date. Please be advised that the College is not obligated to ensure that you meet this deadline. The onus is on the individual applicant.

If you determine that you will not finish the registered psychologist registration process by May 1, 2024, you should initiate an application as a school psychologist through one of the available application pathways now. Once you meet the registration requirements for registered psychologist registration, you will be moved to that class.

Applicants who are making application through the portal may use their applicant number to pay the application fee using their online banking system. Follow this link for instructions.

If you are not making application through the portal (or you do not wish to make an online payment), you will need to submit your application fee by cheque or money order. The College does not accept credit cards. After you apply you will be assigned an applicant number and you will then be able to make examination and registration fee payments using your online banking system if you wish.

As an applicant making registration on the basis of certification by the British Columbia Association of School Psychologists (BCASP), we remind applicants that per Bylaw s.46(3)(a) in order to be eligible for registration, they must maintain their membership with BCASP while they are an applicant up to the point of being granted registration with the College.

Referees must be able to provide an objective, neutral opinion about the applicant’s current professional competence.  These referees must be familiar with the applicant’s work within the last 10 years.

Referees will be asked to complete a series of “effective / ineffective” and “yes / no” questions regarding various competencies in the practice area of school psychology as well as various questions regarding an applicant’s character and fitness to practice.

Referees will be asked to declare that they are sufficiently knowledgeable of the applicant’s professional work to assess their competence in the practice area of school psychology; that they have no dual relationships or conflicts of interest with the applicant; and that they have noted any condition or event which would bring into question the applicant`s fitness to practice as a psychology practitioner, of which the referee is aware.

Required transcripts, verifications, certifications, police checks and other third-party documentation must be sent directly to the College by the third party. In circumstances where the third party does not provide paper records, the College will accept required documentation in an electronic format directly from third parties via email. This email address may only be used by third parties for the purpose of submitting required documentation: records@collegeofpsychologists.bc.ca The FBI and some police detachments will mail paper record checks directly to the College when the applicant requests that the check is sent to them “c/o CPBC” and uses the College mailing address. In circumstances where the police will only send paper copies to the applicant, applicants should forward the unopened envelope to the College when they receive it.

The application process for school psychologists is outlined here on our website:
Please note that the College receives hundreds of pieces of application related information and documentation each week.  It is not possible for us to personally confirm each item with applicants as documentation comes in.
As outlined in our process, once an applicant submits an application form, required enclosures and fee, the College does an initial review of the documentation to determine whether any immediate clarification is needed or if there is anything missing.  All applicants will receive an initial letter to acknowledge their application, any clarification required, outstanding items and the expiry date of their application.
The College will advise applicants of outstanding information where possible however, the onus is on applicants to ensure that all required documentation is sent to the College.

Receipts will be emailed within 5 to 10 business days of receipt of funds.  If you have not received your receipt in that time frame, please contact the College office 604-736-6164.

This is the deadline for making a streamlined application on the basis of BCASP certification obtained on or before August 1, 2023.

To take advantage of this expedited registration stream, BCASP members must have applied for registration no later than November 1, 2023.  This requires a completed application form and submission of application fee.  Only BCASP members who were certified on or before August 1, 2023 were eligible for this registration stream.  The stream is now closed.


Now that this date has passed, ALL applicants (including BCASP certified applicants) must make a regular application which will require additional documentation, a review of education and training as well as three examinations.  This will mean a longer application period and will not guarantee registration by the May 1, 2024 regulation change.