Ontario psychologists warn new licensing rules will put vulnerable patients at risk

Ontario is preparing to lower the training and licensing requirements for psychologists drastically, a move the Ford government says will improve “fairness,” “equity” and “access.”

Source: Rawpixel

Ontario is preparing to lower the training and licensing requirements for psychologists drastically, a move the Ford government says will improve “fairness,” “equity” and “access.” However, many psychologists say the plan will put vulnerable patients at risk.

The College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario, the province’s regulator, has proposed cutting training requirements by roughly 75 per cent. Under the new model, anyone with a two-year master’s degree and one year of supervised practice could register as a psychologist.

Becoming a psychologist currently requires undergraduate study, a master’s degree, a full-year internship, a year of supervised practice and multiple examinations — an eight-year training process.

The college is proposing to eliminate the oral exam, introduce a no-fail ethics exam and accept graduates from unaccredited or online programs.

It also proposed to eliminate expert titles. This means a new graduate with a master’s degree could call themselves a “psychologist” with expertise in complex areas such as child, neuropsychology, forensic or clinical specializations.

Not everyone supports the changes. The Ontario Psychological Association warned that these changes would leave Ontario with “the lowest standards of training” in Canada, falling below the U.S., the U.K. and most of Europe.

Two licensed psychologists contacted True North deeply concerned about what these changes will mean for patient safety. Their names have been changed to protect their identities because, as one put it, “we don’t feel safe speaking publicly.”

Nadia, who works with high-risk children and youth, said lowering training standards will expose patients to unqualified practitioners. She currently treats a child with PTSD who was “tied up for days, unfed, beaten,” and is developing symptoms linked to necrophilic behaviour. She is also treating a young adult with a complex mix of OCD, tic disorder, major depression, anorexia and emerging psychosis. “She is suicidal,” Nadia said.

“These are the cases—complex cases— where we require knowledge of brain and personality development, interacting conditions, multiple forms of psychological treatment and understanding research,” she explained.

Nadia is especially alarmed that the CPBAO wants to abolish areas of competence. “They’re getting rid of specializations,” she said. “So a forensic psychologist, neuropsychologist — all of that would be gone. Any person can declare and work in any area they wish.”

Nadia says the changes will lead to misdiagnosis and poor treatment. “Without proper training, people will make errors. Serious errors.”

“This is not talk therapy learned in one year. People will die,” she said.

Another psychologist, Elizabeth, says the college isn’t necessarily to blame. “They are being strong-armed by the government,” she said. “This is the government forcing this and the college has to comply.”

The Office of the Fairness Commissioner, the agency that oversees licensing barriers in regulated professions, has repeatedly pressured colleges to “increase access.” The new reforms are framed in the language of “fairness,” “equity” and “access.”

Elizabeth says the DEI-style language masks the real problem. “The government is insisting upon this to try and flood the market with psychologists, even if they are very poorly trained,” she said. “They simply want to look good by saying ‘we know there’s a mental health problem and we’re going to fix it by giving you so many more psychologists.’ It’s all smoke and mirrors.”

She argues that chronic underfunding of public mental-health services created the shortage. “The government has slashed mental health funding for psychology in the public sector for years,” she said. “Psychologists have been leaving the public sector because there aren’t any jobs. The available jobs are so poorly paid and overworked that they go into the private sector.”

In September, several members of the college’s council were clearly upset by the reforms, calling the proposals dangerous. Multiple psychologists raised concerns about public safety, training quality and government pressure.

Elizabeth says many in the profession are afraid to push back. “If they don’t do what the government wants, the government will dismantle them,” she said. “Everyone’s afraid and there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes chatter because there’s all sorts of stuff going on that people don’t truly understand with respect to the government.”

Both Nadia and Elizabeth fear the province’s most marginalized patients will bear the consequences.

As the consultation period nears its conclusion on Dec. 9, many psychologists are urging the public to pay attention. For now, Ontario appears poised to celebrate “increased access,” even if that access comes at the cost of patient safety and expertise.