Licensure & registration

The same title does not mean the same thing in two provinces, and this is the topic where that bites hardest. A clinician who moves — or who sees a client across a provincial line — can find that the credential they hold maps onto a different class, a different title, or no eligibility at all.

Three things vary independently, and reading only one of them will mislead you. The degree that opens the door is not the same everywhere. The supervised-hour requirement attached to it varies far more than the degree does, and sometimes moves in the opposite direction — a lower degree requirement can carry a substantially heavier experience requirement, not a lighter one. And the class structure itself differs: some regulators issue one general certificate, others build a matrix of registrant type against practice authorization, and at least one province treats the central activity as a reserved act attached to a permit rather than as a profession with a title.

That last difference is the one most likely to catch someone out. Where a jurisdiction regulates an act rather than a title, holding the right credential in your own province tells you very little about whether you may do the work in theirs.

The matrix below gives each regulator’s classes and entry requirements, with the verbatim regulation or standard behind each row and the date we last checked it. Where the operative rule sits in a government regulation rather than a college standard — or the reverse — the row says so, because that decides who can change it and how quickly.

8 records traced and verified for Licensure, across 3 jurisdictions. Every row below carries its own source and last-verified date.

Licensure — obligations by jurisdiction and profession, each sourced to its primary text and dated to the last check against it.
Jurisdiction	Applies to	The rule	Status	Last verified	Source & citation
Nova Scotia	Counselling therapist	Hold a licence from the Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists (NSCCT) to use the protected titles 'Counselling Therapist', 'Registered Counselling Therapist' / 'RCT', or 'Registered Counselling Therapist - Candidate' / 'RCT-C', or to describe services as 'counselling therapy'. Licence categories under s. 5: active-practising; active-practising with conditions or restrictions; active-practising candidate; temporary; temporary with conditions or restrictions. Registration criteria (s. 6(2)) include a recognised counselling-therapy education programme, any registration examinations approved by the Board, no outstanding complaints in previous jurisdictions, English-language proficiency, an ethics course, workshop or exam, and a supervised practicum or internship with a minimum of 120 direct-contact practice hours. Entry to active-practising (s. 7(2)) additionally requires at least two years of supervised experience, and s. 8 sets that at a minimum of 2,000 hours including 50 direct-contact hours with a supervisor.	In Force	2026-08-17	Counselling Therapists Regulations (Nova Scotia), N.S. Reg. 287/2011, ss. 5-8 (O.I.C. 2011-368) Show statutory text "5 The categories of licence are (a) active-practising; (b) active-practising with conditions or restrictions; (c) active-practising candidate; (d) temporary; (e) temporary with conditions or restrictions." / "7(2) ... the member has completed at least 2 years of supervised experience in the practice of counselling therapy" — Counselling Therapists Regulations, N.S. Reg. 287/2011 Regulatory model clinician_restriction Authority basis licensure Enforcement body Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists Enactment date not traced Effective date 2011-10-11 Penalties — Consent required No Documentation required Yes Confidence high Regulation made under the Counselling Therapists Act, S.N.S. 2008, c. 6 Record ID ca-ns-licensure-counselling-therapy
Nova Scotia	Psychologist	Hold a licence from the Nova Scotia Regulator of Psychology (NSRP) to practise psychology. Practising licence categories are set by s. 8 (psychologist practising licence, plus any further category established in the bylaws); conditional licences by s. 9 (candidate psychologist conditional licence, psychologist conditional licence, plus bylaw categories). Registration criteria under s. 10(2)(a) require graduation from an approved master's, PhD or PsyD programme, passing the required examinations, English-language proficiency, Canadian citizenship or legal entitlement to work in Canada, and the capacity, competence and character to practise safely and ethically. Supervised-experience baseline per NSRP: two years post-doctoral, or four years at the master's level.	In Force	2026-08-17	Psychology Regulations (Nova Scotia), N.S. Reg. 252/2025, ss. 8-10 (O.I.C. 2025-337) Show statutory text "8 The categories of practising licence are (a) psychologist practising licence; (b) any other category of practising licence established in the bylaws." / "10(2)(a) ... capacity, competence and character to safely and ethically engage in the practice of the profession." — Psychology Regulations, N.S. Reg. 252/2025 (O.I.C. 2025-337), in force 2025-11-24 Regulatory model clinician_restriction Authority basis licensure Enforcement body Nova Scotia Regulator of Psychology Enactment date not traced Effective date 2025-11-24 Penalties — Consent required No Documentation required Yes Confidence high Regulation made under the Regulated Health Professions Act, S.N.S. 2021, c. 8 Record ID ca-ns-licensure-psychology
Nova Scotia	Clinical social worker	Register with the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers (NSCSW). Registered Social Worker (RSW) requires a CASWE-accredited BSW or MSW plus 2,500 hours of post-graduation practice experience within the scope of practice. Applicants without those hours are placed on the Social Worker Candidate registry and must complete all or part of the Candidacy Mentorship Programme based on prior experience. Providing CLINICAL social work services in a private setting requires an additional level of registration — Registered Social Worker-Clinical Specialist — applied for through the Board of Examiners, and members in private practice must provide evidence of that status.	In Force	2026-08-17	Social Workers Act (Nova Scotia), S.N.S. 1993, c. 12, s. 22 (registration); private practice defined at s. 2(j) Show statutory text "5.5.2 securing registration with the College as a Clinical Specialist when they are providing clinical social work services in a private setting and providing evidence of their status" [footnote: "In Nova Scotia, providing clinical services in a private practice requires an additional level of registration."] — NSCSW Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, s. 5.5.2, effective 2026-02-01 Regulatory model clinician_restriction Authority basis licensure Enforcement body Nova Scotia College of Social Workers Enactment date not traced Effective date not traced Penalties — Consent required No Documentation required Yes Confidence medium Regulation Social Worker Regulations made under the Social Workers Act, s. 8 (updated November 2021) Record ID ca-ns-licensure-social-work
Ontario	Psychologist	Hold a certificate of registration from the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO). The regulation prescribes TWELVE classes (s. 1), built from three registrant types — psychologist, psychological associate, behaviour analyst — each crossed with a practice authorization (autonomous, interim autonomous, supervised; behaviour analysts have autonomous and supervised only), plus Academic, Inactive, Retired and a temporary emergency class. PSYCHOLOGIST, AUTONOMOUS PRACTICE (s. 5(1)) — non-exemptible requirements: a DOCTORAL degree from a psychology programme accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association (or one a Registration Committee panel considers equivalent, or a substantially similar programme outside Canada/the USA); a minimum of 1,500 hours of postdoctoral supervised practice performed while holding a supervised-practice certificate; the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) administered by ASPPB or an approved alternative; an oral examination; the Jurisprudence and Ethics Examination; and any further training a panel considers necessary for competence in the intended area of practice. PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATE, AUTONOMOUS PRACTICE (s. 16(1)) — a MASTER'S degree in psychology from a qualifying institution, where the programme required at least 576 hours of undergraduate psychology instruction for admission (including at least 36 hours in each of psychological assessment, psychological intervention, professional ethics and standards, research design/methodology/statistics, and the biological and social bases of behaviour); then at least 6,000 HOURS of practice over at least FOUR YEARS post-degree under the supervision of an autonomous-practice psychologist or psychological associate; plus at least 1,500 hours performed while holding a psychological-associate supervised-practice certificate; plus the EPPP, the oral examination, and the Jurisprudence and Ethics Examination.	In Force	2026-08-17	Psychology and Applied Behaviour Analysis Act, 2021, S.O. 2021, c. 27, Sched. 4 Show statutory text "5. (1) Subject to subsections (2) to (6), to qualify for a certificate of registration for a psychologist authorizing autonomous practice, an applicant must comply with the following non-exemptible registration requirements: 1. The applicant must have obtained a doctoral degree, i. from a psychology program that is accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association or by another accrediting body that has been approved by Council for that purpose [...] 2. The applicant must have completed a minimum of 1,500 hours of postdoctoral supervised practice [...]" / "16. (1) [...] 1. The applicant must have obtained a master's degree from a psychology program [...] 2. Following the awarding of the degree described in paragraph 1, the applicant must have performed at least 6,000 hours of practice of the profession over at least four years [...]" — O. Reg. 193/23 (Registration), Psychology and Applied Behaviour Analysis Act, 2021 (consolidation period July 1, 2024; e-Laws currency date August 12, 2026) Regulatory model clinician_restriction Authority basis licensure Enforcement body College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario Enactment date not traced Effective date 2024-07-01 Penalties — Consent required No Documentation required Yes Confidence high Regulation O. Reg. 193/23 (Registration), ss. 1, 3, 5, 16; last amendment O. Reg. 225/24 Record ID ca-on-licensure-psychology
Ontario	Psychotherapist	Hold a certificate of registration from the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). Five classes are prescribed (s. 2): Registered Psychotherapist, Qualifying, Temporary, Inactive, and Emergency. Only a member holding the Registered Psychotherapist certificate may use the title 'Registered Psychotherapist' or the abbreviation 'RP'; a Qualifying member may use only 'Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)' / 'RP (Qualifying)' (or the French 'Psychothérapeute autorisé (stagiaire)' / 'PA (stagiaire)') — abbreviating '(Qualifying)' to '(Q)' is not acceptable. REGISTERED PSYCHOTHERAPIST (s. 6(1)) — non-exemptible requirements: successful completion of a psychotherapy programme approved by the Registration Committee, OR a master's degree in an approved programme, OR a programme the Committee considers substantially equivalent, OR other education and training that together evidences substantially equivalent completion; the registration examinations; clinical experience in psychotherapy including AT LEAST 450 HOURS OF DIRECT PATIENT CONTACT and AT LEAST 100 HOURS OF CLINICAL SUPERVISION relating to those contact hours; and the jurisprudence course, completed no earlier than TWO YEARS before the application. CURRENCY (s. 6(2)): where the education or clinical-experience requirements were not completed within the one-year period immediately before applying, the applicant must additionally have completed at least 750 currency hours in the preceding three years, or upgrading activities approved by a Registration Committee panel. No programme may be approved unless one of its CORE COMPONENTS is designed to develop competency in the safe and effective use of self in a psychotherapeutic relationship (s. 6(3)).	In Force	2026-08-17	Psychotherapy Act, 2007, S.O. 2007, c. 10, Sched. R Show statutory text "6. (1) Subject to section 7 and subsection 13 (2), the following are non-exemptible registration requirements for a Registered Psychotherapist certificate of registration: [...] 3. The applicant must have successfully completed clinical experience in psychotherapy that includes at least 450 hours of direct patient contact and at least 100 hours of clinical supervision where that clinical supervision relates to those hours of direct patient contact." ... "(3) No program may be approved under paragraph 1 of subsection (1) unless one of the core components of the program is designed to develop competency in the safe and effective use of self in a psychotherapeutic relationship." — O. Reg. 67/15 (Registration), Psychotherapy Act, 2007 (consolidation period May 16, 2025; e-Laws currency date August 12, 2026) Regulatory model clinician_restriction Authority basis licensure Enforcement body College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario Enactment date not traced Effective date 2025-05-16 Penalties — Consent required No Documentation required Yes Confidence high Regulation O. Reg. 67/15 (Registration), ss. 2, 6; last amendment O. Reg. 63/25 Record ID ca-on-licensure-psychotherapy
Ontario	Clinical social worker	Hold a certificate of registration from the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW). Three classes are prescribed for social work — General, Inactive, Retired — and three separately for SOCIAL SERVICE WORK, which is a distinct regulated profession under the same college (s. 1). GENERAL CERTIFICATE, SOCIAL WORK (s. 7(1)) — the applicant must produce documentation satisfactory to the Registrar showing either: a degree in social work from a programme accredited by the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE), or a Canadian programme Council has approved as equivalent; or a degree from a social work or equivalent programme offered OUTSIDE Canada that Council has approved as equivalent to a CASWE-accredited programme; or a COMBINATION of academic qualifications and experience performing the role of a social worker that the Registrar determines is substantially equivalent to the qualifications required for a CASWE-accredited degree. The applicant must also have passed any social work examinations set or approved by Council. ALL CLASSES (s. 5(2)) additionally require: disclosure — at application and at issuance — of every finding of professional misconduct, incompetence or incapacity and every current such proceeding, in any jurisdiction and including findings by non-statutory professional bodies; disclosure of every finding of guilt for a criminal offence, an offence under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act or the Food and Drugs Act, or any other offence relevant to suitability to practise; past and present conduct affording reasonable grounds to believe the applicant has no physical or mental condition affecting safe practice, will practise with decency, integrity and honesty and in accordance with the law, and has sufficient knowledge, skill and judgment; reasonable fluency in speaking and writing English or French; and Canadian citizenship, permanent residence, or authorization under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to practise. A General certificate holder must, whenever the College requires, provide evidence satisfactory to the College of continuing competence to practise (s. 9).	In Force	2026-08-17	Social Work and Social Service Work Act, 1998, S.O. 1998, c. 31, s. 18(1) Show statutory text "7. (1) In addition to the requirements set out in sections 4 and 5, the following are registration requirements for a general certificate of registration for social work to be issued under subsection 18 (1) of the Act: 1. The applicant must produce documentation satisfactory to the Registrar that shows that the applicant, i. has obtained a degree in social work from a social work program accredited by the Canadian Association for Social Work Education [...] iii. has a combination of academic qualifications and experience performing the role of a social worker that the Registrar determines is substantially equivalent to the qualifications required for a degree in social work from a social work program accredited by the Canadian Association for Social Work Education." — O. Reg. 383/00 (Registration), Social Work and Social Service Work Act, 1998 (consolidation period December 17, 2025; e-Laws currency date August 12, 2026) Regulatory model clinician_restriction Authority basis licensure Enforcement body Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers Enactment date not traced Effective date 2025-12-17 Penalties — Consent required No Documentation required Yes Confidence high Regulation O. Reg. 383/00 (Registration), ss. 1, 5(2), 7, 9; last amendment O. Reg. 382/25 Record ID ca-on-licensure-social-work
Quebec	Psychologist	Hold a permit from the Ordre des psychologues du Québec (OPQ) and be entered on its roll (tableau) to use the reserved title of psychologist. The permit opens on a DOCTORATE in psychology — Ph.D. (recherche et intervention) or D.Psy. — from a designated Quebec university, listed exhaustively at s. 1.24 of the diploma regulation. Quebec has required a doctorate for the psychologist permit since 2006; a master's degree no longer opens the permit. Candidates holding a diploma from outside Quebec proceed by equivalence through the OPQ's admissions process. Practice is also subject to the Code des professions, the Code de déontologie des psychologues (RLRQ c. C-26, r. 212), and the record-keeping regulation (RLRQ c. C-26, r. 221).	In Force	2026-08-17	Code des professions / Règlement sur les diplômes délivrés par les établissements d'enseignement désignés, RLRQ c. C-26 (Code des professions) Show statutory text "1.24. Donnent ouverture au permis délivré par l'Ordre des psychologues du Québec, les diplômes suivants décernés par les établissements d'enseignement suivants: 1° Doctorat en psychologie, recherche et intervention (Ph.D.) ou Doctorat en psychologie (D.Psy.) de l'Université de Montréal; [...]" — Règlement sur les diplômes délivrés par les établissements d'enseignement désignés qui donnent droit aux permis et aux certificats de spécialistes des ordres professionnels, RLRQ c. C-26, r. 2, a. 1.24 (à jour au 1er avril 2026) Regulatory model clinician_restriction Authority basis licensure Enforcement body Ordre des psychologues du Québec Enactment date not traced Effective date not traced Penalties — Consent required No Documentation required Yes Confidence high Regulation RLRQ c. C-26, r. 2, a. 1.24 Record ID ca-qc-licensure-psychology
Quebec	Clinical social worker	Hold a permit from the Ordre des travailleurs sociaux et des thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Québec (OTSTCFQ) and be entered on its roll to use the reserved title of travailleur social / social worker. The social worker permit opens on a Baccalauréat en service social or Baccalauréat en travail social from a designated Quebec university, or in some cases a Maîtrise en travail social, listed exhaustively at s. 1.15 of the diploma regulation. The same Ordre separately issues the thérapeute conjugal et familial permit under the same section. Holders of a related-field or out-of-province diploma proceed by equivalence. A social worker who wishes to practise psychotherapy must additionally hold the psychotherapist permit issued by the Ordre des psychologues du Québec — see ca-qc-scope-psychotherapy-permit-loi-21.	In Force	2026-08-17	Code des professions / Règlement sur les diplômes délivrés par les établissements d'enseignement désignés, RLRQ c. C-26 (Code des professions) Show statutory text "1.15. Donnent ouverture aux permis ci-après mentionnés, délivrés par l'Ordre professionnel des travailleurs sociaux et des thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Québec, les diplômes suivants décernés par les établissements d'enseignement ci-après désignés: 1° le permis de travailleur social: a) Baccalauréat en service social (B.Serv.Soc.) de l'Université Laval; [...]" — Règlement sur les diplômes délivrés par les établissements d'enseignement désignés qui donnent droit aux permis et aux certificats de spécialistes des ordres professionnels, RLRQ c. C-26, r. 2, a. 1.15 (à jour au 1er avril 2026) Regulatory model clinician_restriction Authority basis licensure Enforcement body Ordre des travailleurs sociaux et des thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Québec Enactment date not traced Effective date not traced Penalties — Consent required No Documentation required Yes Confidence high Regulation RLRQ c. C-26, r. 2, a. 1.15 Record ID ca-qc-licensure-social-work

Not legal advice. This page states rules and quotes their sources; it does not apply them to your situation. Confirm anything that matters with your college or regulator, your accountant, or your insurer before acting on it.