Key Points
What you need to know - and why it's important
Minimum Training Standards Cut by 75%
Psychologists diagnose complex mental-health conditions and make recommendations that affect legal, medical, educational and funding outcomes. There is no shortcut to experience. Recently, the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO) approved changes to training requirements for new psychologists, reducing hands-on clinical training from roughly 6,000 hours (about 4 years) to as little as 1,900 hours (about 1 year). These changes would place Ontario’s standards among the lowest in the country.
Fewer Checks, More Risk
The CPBAO is removing critical safeguards designed to identify underprepared practitioners.
The current exam on ethical decision-making and the legal framework for practising psychology in Ontario will be replaced with an online module.
The general-psychology knowledge exam — currently limited to four attempts per year — will be allowed unlimited attempts.
The oral exam, which currently serves as a final checkpoint of clinical judgment, will be eliminated.
Less training and fewer safeguards means Ontarians may face a greater risk of receiving unsafe or unqualified care.
Confusing Job Titles for Psychologists
Under the approved changes, the CPBAO will no longer review credentials to recognize competenies such as neuropsychology or forensic psychology, instead grouping all categories under one umbrella: “Health Service Psychologists”. The distinction between clinical, counselling, health, forensic, school and neuropsychologists will be removed.
The public already finds it difficult to differentiate among types of mental-health providers; with these changes it will become even harder to determine who is qualified to do what.
Lowering Standards Doesn't Improve Equity
Systems of oppression shape both who enters psychology training and who receives culturally-relevant care: Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) are under-represented in the field. Suggesting that increasing diversity requires lowering training standards ignores the real structural barriers.
A recent report from the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) shows accredited graduate programs across Canada are increasing representation by: removing the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) requirement; eliminating application fees; providing targeted outreach for BIPOC students; and adopting holistic admissions that value lived experience alongside academic achievement. True equity means expanding access to high-quality education and ensuring culturally-responsive care — not reducing standards.
These Changes Won't Improve Access
The CPBAO claims the changes will enhance access. But there is no evidence that reducing training and removing safeguards will actually lead to a higher number of psychologists. What it does create is inconsistency, confusion and greater risk. Psychologists with 75% less training may lack competence to diagnose or treat complex conditions, and access in hospitals, communities or forensic settings would not improve without more publicly-funded positions.
Hospital psychology leaders across Canada have published research indicating psychologists are leaving public-health care because of low pay, reduced autonomy and inability to practice to full capacity. The lack of publicly-funded psychologists is due to systemic issues and defunding, not high training standards. Lowering standards won’t shorten wait-lists, won't create jobs for psychologists in hospitals, and won't make it more affordable to see a psychologist in private practice.
References:
Canadian Psychological Association, Ontario Psychological Association, & Canadian Academy of Psychologists in Disability Assessment. (2019, March 28). Letter to Dr. Rick Morris, Registrar, College of Psychologists of Ontario [Letter]. Retrieved from https://cpa.ca/docs/File/LettertoCPO_From_CPA_OPA_CAPDA_March282019.pdf
Costigan, C. L., Stanley, G., Ortiz, D., & Romero, K. (2023, June). Increasing the diversity of psychology trainees: A national review of graduate program admissions processes. CCPPP Anti-Racism Working Group, presented at the CPA Convention, Toronto, ON.
Council of Chairs of Training Councils (2021). CCTC 2020: Social Responsiveness in Health Service Psychology Education and Training Toolkit. Retrieved from https://www.cctcpsychology.org
CPBAO Council. (2025, September 26). Meeting Minutes. Retrieved from [https://cpbao.ca/wp-content/uploads/Materials-Council-Meeting-2025.03-September-26-2025-V4-4.pdf]
CPBAO Council. (2025, June 20). Meeting Minutes. Retrieved from [https://cpbao.ca/wp-content/uploads/Meeting-Materials-Council-Meeting-2025.01-March-21-2025.pdf]
CPBAO Council. (2025, March 21). Meeting Minutes. Retrieved from [https://cpbao.ca/wp-content/uploads/Materials-Council-Meeting-2025.01-March-21-2025-Updated-1.pdf]
CPBAO Council. (2024, December 13). Meeting Minutes. Retrieved from [https://cpbao.ca/wp-content/uploads/Materials-Council-Meeting-2025.01-March-21-2025-Updated-1.pdf]
Faber, S. C., Strauss, D., Dasgupta, A., & Williams, M. T. (2025). Out of sight, out of mind: underrepresentation of racialized faculty in Canadian psychology. Academia Mental Health and Well-Being, 2(2).
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