Clinical supervision for BC counsellors and therapists.

BCACC requires 100 hours of clinical supervision from one or more qualified supervisors, completed during or after your master's program. At least 25 of those hours must be directly observed, through live observation, recorded session review or co-counselling. The rest can be indirect supervision, meaning case discussion with your supervisor. Confirm the current requirements with BCACC before you apply.

Yes. BC counsellors can complete clinical supervision virtually through OntarioSupervision.ca, including direct supervision for the 25 observed hours and individual or dyadic sessions for the indirect hours. Supervisors are Registered Psychotherapists with at least five years of clinical experience, and each session is documented so your supervisor can complete BCACC's clinical reference form.

Yes. OntarioSupervision.ca offers direct supervision for BC counsellors, so your supervisor observes your clinical work rather than only discussing it. That covers the 25 directly observed hours BCACC requires, alongside individual or dyadic sessions for the remaining indirect hours. Ask about how observation works during your free consult.

BCACC's criteria are about the supervisor's qualifications, not their province. A supervisor with at least five years of clinical experience who is registered in good standing with a mental health profession that has third-party accountability, such as Registered Psychotherapists regulated by CRPO, fits one of BCACC's qualified supervisor routes. BCACC's registration committee makes the final decision on each application.

November 29, 2027. Under B.C. Reg. 131/2025, psychotherapy becomes a regulated profession under CHCPBC on that date. From then on, anyone who wants to practise as a psychotherapist or use that title must hold a CHCPBC licence.

CHCPBC expects the application process for experienced practitioners to open in summer 2027. Before that, it plans to publish its proposed eligibility standards for consultation in fall 2026. Subscribing to CHCPBC's psychotherapy email updates is the most reliable way to hear when each step opens.

No. Association designations are memberships, not licences, and there is no automatic transfer. Every practitioner will apply individually against CHCPBC's eligibility standards. You can keep your association membership after you are licensed if you want to.

Yes. The Ministry has confirmed that "psychotherapist" is the protected title, and practitioners who are not licensed may continue to use titles such as "counsellor" or "counselling therapist."

The bigger open question is what you can do, not what you can be called. If the Ministry creates a restricted activity for the highest-risk psychotherapeutic interventions, unlicensed practitioners may not be able to provide those interventions. The Ministry has said it does not intend to limit clinicians who support clients using counselling approaches more generally.

The Ministry is considering a new restricted activity for the highest-risk psychotherapeutic interventions used to treat people with significant mental health disorders or conditions and associated impairments. Public consultation closed on August 5, 2026. The Ministry is reviewing the feedback and has not announced a decision or published a final definition.

According to the Ministry, no. Regulated professionals who are already authorized to provide psychotherapy within their scope, including those regulated under a different Act such as the Social Workers Act, are not meant to need an additional licence. Social workers with scope questions are directed to the Ministry of Children and Family Development or the BC College of Social Workers.

CHCPBC has not said yet. Supervised practice is part of entry to practice in every Canadian jurisdiction that regulates psychotherapy or counselling therapy, and BCACC already requires it for the RCC. Ontario, for comparison, requires 100 supervision hours and 450 client contact hours to move to full RP status, and 150 and 1,000 for independent practice.

Yes. BC therapists can build a documented supervision record now through OntarioSupervision.ca, with fully virtual individual, dyadic and group options. How CHCPBC will count supervision completed before regulation has not been decided, but a signed, dated record with a qualified supervisor is the strongest evidence you can have ready.

For the RCC, BCACC recognizes supervisors who were university-appointed to supervise a master's practicum, or who have at least five years of clinical experience along with qualifications such as registration in a regulated mental health profession or a relevant master's degree. Check BCACC's current criteria before counting hours toward the RCC. CHCPBC's supervisor standards for psychotherapy have not been set.

Clinical supervision is an ongoing, contracted relationship with defined responsibilities, a written agreement and session records, where the supervisor takes professional responsibility for overseeing the supervisee's clinical work. Consultation is informal, occasional advice between peers, without oversight responsibility. Consultation is unlikely to count toward any supervision requirement.

Ontario (Registered Psychotherapist), Quebec (psychotherapist permit through the Ordre des psychologues), Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island already regulate the profession. Alberta announced in 2024 that counselling therapists would be regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists, but as of 2026 no implementation date has been set. BC is the next province with a fixed date.

Keep careful records of client contact and supervision hours going back as far as you can. Keep your RCC, CCC or other designation in good standing. Have your transcripts and practicum documentation ready. Read and respond to CHCPBC's bylaw consultation when it opens in fall 2026. Attend the October 14, 2026 CHCPBC webinar, and subscribe to CHCPBC's psychotherapy updates.