Frequently Asked Questions

Government regulation occurs when government grants certain rights and responsibilities to a profession through legislation in exchange for the profession regulating its members in the public interest. This is commonly referred to as the social contract of professional regulation.

Once a provincial government regulates a profession, the College for that profession becomes the regulatory body that oversees the following professional functions:

• Setting entry-to-practice requirements that applicants must meet to become eligible for registration, competency-based examinations, supervision reports, and evidence of training and practical (practicum, internship) experience in the profession;
• Establishing an ethical code and practice standards to regulate how registrants conduct themselves in their practice;
• Requiring that registrants hold appropriate professional liability insurance;
• Providing for the fair and timely investigation and resolution of public complaints, including procedures for formal disciplinary hearings;
• Encouraging registrants to participate in their own professional development by requiring ongoing evidence of professional activities such as continuing education, in-service supervision, and upgrades;
• Supporting the designated protected title(s) granted to registrants to ensure that all users of the title have the designated competencies. Thus, the public can rely on the title to indicate both competency and accountability.

The goal of regulation is to reduce the risk of harm to the public while maximizing the well-being of the client. Provincial or territorial governments grant professional self-regulation to a profession as a privilege which requires the profession to act in the public interest.

Historically, national and provincial professional associations have held a dual mandate: serving both a self-regulatory function (i.e. certification, standards of education, standards of practice, code of ethics, and complaint investigations) and a member service function (i.e. promoting the profession, negotiating fees and benefits, advertising and public relations, offering liability and benefits insurance, conferences, journals, newsletters, and continuing education).

A Credential is evidence of a qualification, competence or authority issued to an individual by a third party who is assumed by practice, by assumed competence or by law to have authority to do so. This is usually in the form of an educational achievement (degree, diploma) or a professional designation or license.

Competency means the demonstrated possession of the knowledge, skills and behaviour required for an individual to properly perform a specific professional job or a specific role. More generally, competence is the state or quality of meeting or exceeding the standard for entry to practice in a profession. Competencies can be gained through formal and informal learning and are fully integrated in the actual practice of a profession, each competency informing the others.

FACTBC acknowledges that there is a lot of confusion around the term “psychotherapy”. That is why the competency profile does not use the term.

In British Columbia the term psychotherapist is not a protected title and the practice of psychotherapy is not a reserved act. This was tested before the courts in the Uttendale case (2007) and “psychotherapy” as a term was removed from the regulations in the professions, notably psychology. Neither the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) nor the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) distinguish between psychotherapy and counseling – rather, they define it as the same activity.

The Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) does not distinguish between psychotherapy and counseling and rather, define it as the same activity. The BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) takes the same position.

In contrast, both Ontario and Quebec define psychotherapy as a treatment for a diagnosable disorder of substantial severity and treat it as a reserved act requiring distinct professional specialization.

In Ontario, the protected title for a counsellor with access to the reserved act is “Registered Psychotherapist.” This title was chosen when it was discovered that “counsellor” and “counselling” had many legal definitions in Ontario statutes and that using “counsellor” as part of a restricted title” would create legal problems. See www.crpo.ca for further information on the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario.

In Quebec, access to the reserved act of psychotherapy is controlled through the Psychologists Ordre (equivalent to a College). For further information on the Ordre des Psychologues deu Quebec, visit www.ordrepsy.qc.ca.

Much more generic terms for the same activity as psychotherapy would be “clinical counselling” “mental health counselling” or “counselling therapy”. Counselling therapy is the term that FACTBC commonly uses to include any counsellors and therapists who meet the requirements of the competency profile.