On Friday September 26, 2025, the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO) passed a proposal to make sweeping changes to registration requirements for psychologists and psychological associates. These proposals, developed in response to the Office of the Fairness Commissioner’s push for inclusion and diversity as well as accessibility to the profession, include eliminating the doctoral requirement, reducing supervised practice, and replacing rigorous ethics assessments with online modules.

While the goal of increasing diversity and access is important, the proposed changes fail to achieve these outcomes and pose serious risks to public safety. See the position from the Canadian Psychological Association and the Ontario Psychological Association here.

What the Proposed Changes Include

Under the current proposals, prospective psychologists could:

• Complete only one practicum instead of multiple supervised placements including a predoctoral residency.
• Register without a doctoral degree, removing the Ph.D. or Psy.D. requirement.
• Skip the four-year supervised work period after a Master’s degree.
• Replace the ethics exam with a no-fail online module.
• Have international credentials accepted without local oversight.

This could allow someone to register as a psychologist with minimal training, no extended supervision, and no meaningful examination to enter the profession.

Imagine solving the shortage of medical doctors by saying: “No residency. One rotation is enough. Exams? Too hard. Ethics? Just watch a video.” Unthinkable in medicine—yet it’s being considered for psychology.

Why Public Safety is at Stake

Psychologists carry out complex assessments, diagnose and treat high-stakes conditions like eating disorders, psychosis, personality disorders and high suicidality, neurodevelopmental disorders and their related challenges like ADHD and autism, and more. When training is insufficient, the consequences of misdiagnosis or improper treatment can be devastating.

For example, misdiagnosis of autism can result in children missing years of early intervention, with long-term developmental consequences. Inadequate assessment can miss life-threatening eating disorders, increasing risk of hospitalization and cardiac arrest. Poorly trained clinicians may miss signs of suicidality and fail to put in place a proper suicide risk assessment and safety plan, ending in a tragedy. 

Psychology is specialized healthcare requiring rigor, ethics, and clinical judgment. Cutting corners doesn’t just water down the profession—it puts lives at risk.

What makes this even more concerning is that these sweeping changes have been put forward without a proper, evidence-based examination of risks and outcomes. No impact analysis has been published, no meaningful data has been shared, and registrants or community stakeholders have not been adequately consulted. 

Meaningful Changes for Accessibility

True accessibility in psychology doesn’t come from lowering standards — it comes from removing systemic barriers that prevent qualified, diverse candidates from entering and thriving in the field, and from making psychological services more affordable and available to the public.

Meaningful reforms could include:

• Expanding training opportunities – Increase the number of clinical Psy.D. programs in Canada, modelled after the U.S., to create a more direct path to practice for students focused on clinical care.

• Funding and financial support – Provide grants, bursaries, and loan forgiveness for trainees from underrepresented and marginalized communities.

• Accessible supervision – Offer funded supervision placements, especially in rural and underserved regions, so trainees can gain high-quality experience without financial strain.

• Pipeline programs – Invest in outreach to underrepresented youth at the undergraduate level, encouraging and preparing them for advanced psychology training.

• OHIP coverage – Include psychological services under OHIP to remove cost barriers for the public and ensure care is accessible regardless of income.

• Public-sector positions – Create more psychologist roles within hospitals, schools, and community mental health programs to ensure timely access to evidence-based care.

• Scope expansion – Empower psychologists with additional responsibilities (e.g., limited prescribing rights with additional training, hospital admission authority) to maximize the impact of their training on the mental health system.

These are equity-driven solutions based that improve access to care while preserving the rigor and safeguards that protect the public.

Our Stance as a Practice

At Uprise Psychology & Wellness, our values are psychological safety, curiosity, compassion, professionalism and evidence-based practice. Our priority is protecting the public and ensuring clients receive the highest standard of care. As a team, we are deeply concerned that the CPBAO’s proposed changes would compromise client safety and undermine trust in the profession of psychologist.

What Can You Do?

The CPBAO proposals are moving quickly—and they will affect the safety and quality of mental health care across Ontario. If you are a client, caregiver, or community member, your voice matters.

👉 Contact your MPP and urge them to advocate for public safety in mental health. You can use the following template if you wish. A french template is available here. 
👉 Write to the CPBAO to express concern about lowering standards.
👉 Share this information with friends and family, colleagues, and community organizations so they understand what’s at stake and support advocacy groups. The Ontario Psychological Association and allied groups are mobilizing.

Ontario deserves psychologists who are highly trained, ethical, and prepared to meet the most complex mental health needs. We must advocate for reforms that expand access without compromising safety or quality of care.