July 2026
Dear Colleagues,
When we announced the Canadian Board of Professional Psychology (CBPP) in February, we set out a clear purpose: to offer a voluntary, peer-reviewed, national credential recognizing advanced professional competence among doctoral-level psychologists in Canada. The CBPP operates in a complementary, non-regulatory role. It does not regulate practice, does not replace registration with provincial or territorial regulatory bodies, and does not alter provincial or territorial title protection.
Since February, the CBPP has moved from concept to construction. Our focus has shifted from planning to building the operational foundation that will support a secure, sustainable, and enduring national board certification program. This update shares what we have accomplished to date and what comes next.
Governance and infrastructure. We have established the organizational and administrative foundation of the Board, formalizing the governance and operational structures required to run a national credentialing body to a defensible standard.
Team. The Board and Founders Group, which has developed CBPP’s standards and processes, is composed of experienced Canadian psychologists representing multiple practice areas and specialties, credentialing, and professional practice.
Technology platform. We are building a secure, Canadian-hosted technology platform to manage applications, document submission and storage, and adjudication from end to end. Our technology has been selected with data security and Canadian data sovereignty as core priorities.
Certification standards. We have defined our certification eligibility requirements and the criteria against which applications will be assessed, developed in line with the standards of the recognized national and international bodies.
We are now preparing to test our application and adjudication processes end to end. Pending the results of that testing, we anticipate opening applications in the Fall of 2026. Our planned initial launch includes a streamlined fast-track pathway for doctoral-level psychologists currently registered and in good standing with their provincial or territorial regulatory body.
In the coming months, we will announce our initial specialty certification areas, along with application details and timelines, ahead of opening.
You can look for these updates on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/canadian-board-of-professional-psychology-cbpp/ and on our website https://cbppsychology.ca.
We continue to welcome doctoral-level psychologists across Canada who wish to contribute to the Board's development, including the design of additional specialty certification areas. If you would like to be notified when applications open, or to express interest in getting involved, please write to us at info@cbppsychology.ca.
We are grateful for the engagement we have received since February, and we look forward to sharing further details in the coming months.
Dr. Reena Chopra, Ph.D., C. Psych. (rchopra@cbppsychology.ca)
Dr. Jeremy Frank, Ph.D., C. Psych. (jfrank@cbppsychology.ca)
Co-Presidents, Canadian Board of Professional Psychology (CBPP)
info@cbppsychology.ca
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ABOVE NOTICE IN FRENCH
The Canadian Board of Professional Psychology (CBPP) is a national, voluntary board certification body recognizing advanced, peer-reviewed professional competence among doctoral-level psychologists in Canada. Operating in a non-regulatory, complementary role, it provides nationally consistent standards to enhance transparency and recognition of advanced clinical expertise beyond registration with provincial/territorial regulatory bodies.
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The Canadian Board of Professional Psychology (CBPP) is a national board certification organization for psychologists holding doctoral degrees in psychology.
The CBPP has been developed to offer a voluntary, peer-reviewed, professional credential recognizing advanced competence and specialization for registered psychologists in Canada. It is not intended to replace or override Provincial and/or Territorial regulations. Eligible psychologists will have earned a doctoral degree in a clinically-focussed psychology program with a longitudinal developmental training model. Training must include advanced competency evaluation (e.g., comprehensive examinations), multiple supervised clinical practica, supervised pre- and post-doctoral internship/residency programs, and exposure to multiple clinical settings and supervisors.
In developing its eligibility criteria as a national body, the CBPP has considered, and is in general agreement with, the positions and accreditation standards established by the following national organizations: Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), the American Psychological Association (APA), the Canadian Register of Health Service Psychologists (CRHSP), the National Register of Health Service Psychologists (NRHSP), the Association of Canadian Psychology Regulatory Organizations (ACPRO), and the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). Eligible psychologists must be registered in good standing with their provincial and/or territorial regulatory body and prepared to declare competencies in specific practice areas. The CBPP is intended to function in a complementary role within Canada’s existing professional landscape, aiming to recognize advanced competence. The CBPP is not a provincial regulatory body.
