Applicants: It may take up to one business day for the registration fee invoice to become available in your account. You will receive an email once the invoice is available. To pay the invoice, please click the link in the email or log into the Application Portal and go to Fees & Receipts.

Once you pay the fee, it may take up to one business day for your registration to be finalized. You will receive an email once you are able to access the Registrant Portal to download your certificate of registration.

If you are receiving an error message in the applicant portal, please email info@crpo.ca for assistance.

Who Needs to Register?

If your work falls within the scope of the practice of psychotherapy and you are not already registered with another Ontario regulatory college whose registrants can practise psychotherapy (those that regulate psychologists, social workers, nurses, occupational therapists and physicians), you should consider becoming a registrant of CRPO.

Not sure if this includes you? Use the self-assessment tool to ascertain whether your clinical practice necessitates registration with CRPO.

Anyone using the title “Registered Psychotherapist” must be registered with CRPO.

Getting Started

Applicants can follow these steps in order to apply to CRPO:

  1. Create a CRPO account.
  2. Pay for and successfully complete the Professional Practice & Jurisprudence eLearning Module. Review the handbook first to familiarize yourself with the contents of the module.

NOTE: CRPO’s jurisprudence module, which all applicants must complete, has received a major update. The new version provides an improved user experience, contains up-to-date content, and takes less time to complete. Any applicants who have not completed the previous version will need to complete the new one as of July 5, 2023. Applicants and registrants who completed the previous version will not be required to complete the new one. In the future, CRPO will make the new version available to registrants as optional continuing professional development.

3. Pick your application type:

IMPORTANT: Please ensure you select the correct application type prior to submitting your application (i.e., CRPO recognized/accepted program, Non-recognized program, Labour mobility, Temporary). If you submit your application under the wrong application type you will be required to resubmit your application under the correct application type. If you are unsure what application type to select, please review the links above, consult your educational institution, or email info@crpo.ca for more information.

4. Complete the application form for the application type you select, including all required documentation. If your application type is CRPO recognized/accepted program or Non-recognized program, you will not be able to submit your application until CRPO staff have received a transcript/letter/credential assessment directly from your institution. Please check the Supporting Documents section of the application form to verify if a document labelled “Transcript” has been added.

IMPORTANT: Please retain copies of all documents submitted to CRPO for your records. You are advised to draft and save responses in a document on your computer and copy and paste them into the application form. You are also advised to save screenshots of your application pages.

5. Pay the required fees. All applicants are required to pay the application fee. If you completed a non-recognized program, you will also be required to pay the mapping tool fee. Your application is automatically submitted once payment is made.

Information about fees and payment methods is available on the Fees Overview page. All fees paid to CRPO are non-refundable.

For more information about what happens after your application is received and how to track the status of your application, see the Assessment of Applications page.

Applicants who apply through the application type CRPO recognized/accepted program, non-recognized program, or Indigenous registration pathway are registered in the RP (Qualifying) category. Applicants who apply through the labour mobility application type are registered in either the RP (Qualifying) or RP category depending on their registration category in another Canadian province – to confirm eligibility see here. Applicants who apply through the temporary application type are registered in the RP (Temporary) category – to confirm eligibility see here.

NOTE: An applicant cannot perform the controlled act of psychotherapy or use a protected title or advertise they are a CRPO registrant, including even if they indicate “in progress,” until their application has been approved and their certificate of registration has been issued. CRPO can investigate unregulated individuals and may take legal action against them. For information about practising prior to registration, see here.

Registration Requirements

Direct Client Contact and Clinical Supervision

For all application types, zero direct client contact (DCC) and clinical supervision hours will be required to apply. There are requirements for DCC and clinical supervision once registered in order to transfer from RP (Qualifying) to RP and for RP independent practice (i.e. practice without clinical supervision) – see Clinical Experience for Registration Policy. Applicants should be aware of the documentation requirements to report hours once registered – see Supporting Documents Checklist.

Jurisprudence E-learning Module (all application types)

Applicants must have completed, no earlier than two years before the date of their application, the Professional Practice & Jurisprudence e-Learning (JRP) Module. Completion of the module is the first step in the application process: you must successfully complete the module before you can access the application form.

The module is a series of brief videos followed by a multiple-choice quiz. To complete the course, you must achieve a passing score of at least 15 correct answers out of 20 (75%) on the quiz. You can retake the quiz as many times as needed to pass. Applicants are not required to complete the module in one sitting.

Applicants are strongly urged to read the Professional Practice & Jurisprudence e-Learning document before enrolling in the online module. The document, which includes practice questions, is available as an accessible PDF or an interactive webpage.

Language (all application types)

An important registration requirement for all regulated health professionals in Ontario is reasonable fluency in English or French (i.e. the ability to speak, read and write proficiently in either English or French). Client records must be maintained in either English or French, and registrants must be able to communicate effectively with other health care practitioners in either English or French.

Language fluency can be demonstrated if English or French is:

  • your first language; or
  • language of primary, secondary, or post-secondary education; or
  • the language you use in delivering services to clients.

Successful completion of a psychotherapy bridging program also indicates English or French language proficiency.

If you have had no education or practice experience in English or French, you will be required to submit evidence of successful completion of a language proficiency test; acceptable tests can be found in the Supporting Documents Checklist.

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Professional Liability Insurance (all application types)

Registrants are required at all times to maintain professional liability insurance coverage in the amount and in the form required under CRPO’s by-laws, either individually or through an employer/institution. The insurance must be effective from the day on which the Certificate of Registration is issued.

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Conduct and Disclosure Obligations (all application types)

An applicant’s previous conduct must afford reasonable grounds for the belief that they will practise psychotherapy in a safe and professional manner.

Applicants are required to disclose a variety of information including:

  • findings of guilt for any criminal offence;
  • offence resulting in a fine over $1000 or imprisonment;
  • outstanding criminal charges;
  • current or past proceedings for professional misconduct;
  • current and past registration with any regulatory body;
  • refusal of registration with any regulatory body;
  • anything that may call into question an applicant’s ability to practise psychotherapy safely and professionally; and
  • physical or mental conditions that currently impair the applicant’s ability to practise psychotherapy.

Applicants are expected to disclose instances of serious impropriety such as fraud or having sexual contact with clients.

Applicants should also report information about practicum placement withdrawals or failures.

The College will evaluate the significance of such disclosures. It is possible that a past event no longer reflects significantly on an applicant’s suitability to register with CRPO. Alternatively, the College may place a term, condition or limitation on their Certificate of Registration or refuse to issue a Certificate of Registration. If an application for registration is refused, there is a process to allow for an appeal before an independent body.

If applicants misrepresent themselves, their conduct or their qualifications in the registration process, and are found to have done so, their application will be refused or their registration revoked.

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Currency

All applicants must be “current”, or up-to-date, in the practice of the profession. Currency hours can be accumulated anywhere in the world.

Applicants who apply through the application type CRPO recognized/accepted program, non-recognized program, or Indigenous registration pathway will be required to demonstrate currency in one of the following ways:

  • Education and training program completed within the past 12 months from the date of application
  • Currently completing education and training program and one or more of the following apply:
    • in final semester;
    • completed 90% of the program; or
    • completed the program with the exception of a thesis.
  • Completed 450 direct client contact and 100 clinical supervision hours within the past 12 months from the date of application
  • Completed 750 currency hours within the three years immediately prior to the date of application. Currency hours includes any activity related to psychotherapy – see Definitions. There is no requirement that a certain portion of the 750 currency hours be for client work.

Applicants who apply through the labour mobility application type will be asked to describe the nature of their psychotherapy practice within the three-year period prior to submitting their application.

Applicants who apply through the temporary application type will be required to demonstrate currency in one of the following ways:

  • Education and training program completed within the past 12 months from the date of application
  • Completed 750 currency hours within the three years immediately prior to the date of application. Currency hours includes any activity related to psychotherapy – see Definitions. There is no requirement that a certain portion of the 750 currency hours be for client work.

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Education and Training

Applicants who apply through the temporary or labour mobility application type will not be required to provide detailed information about their education and training.

Applicants who apply through the application type CRPO recognized/accepted program, non-recognized program, or Indigenous registration pathway will be required to demonstrate they have either completed or substantially completed:

  • a CRPO recognized/accepted program;
  • a program that is substantially equivalent to a CRPO recognized/accepted program; or
  • other education and training, which must include one or more programs in psychotherapy, together with any further education or training, or combination of education and training, that when taken together is substantially equivalent to a CRPO recognized/accepted program.

Applicants should submit their application for registration once they have substantially completed their education and training in psychotherapy. Substantial completion means that you:

  • are in your final semester prior to graduation;
  • have completed 90% of your program*; or
  • have completed your program with the exception of a thesis.

CRPO will accept applications from students who have substantially completed their coursework (i.e. 90% done classroom courses) even if they have not started or substantially completed clinical placements.

NOTE: RP (Qualifying) registrants are required to make their first attempt at the Registration Exam within two years of the date they submitted their application. The exam is only offered twice a year – in the spring and fall. To be eligible to write the exam, CRPO must have received documentation as outlined in the Supporting Documents Checklist confirming successful program completion about 10 weeks prior to the exam date. Applicants need to be mindful of this requirement and consider how outstanding course, thesis, or practicum requirements at the time they apply to CRPO could impact their ability to meet exam deadlines once registered in the RP (Qualifying) category. If you are uncertain when to apply or implications of your circumstances, please contact CRPO.

To confirm eligibility for the CRPO recognized/accepted program application type, see here. On the application, applicants will be able to select from a drop-down menu the recognized/accepted program completed or substantially completed.

Applicants who are not eligible for the CRPO recognized/accepted program application type will select the non-recognized program application type. On the application, applicants will provide detailed information about their education and training and complete the Mapping Tool. CRPO cannot pre-assess whether an applicant will meet the education requirement prior to an application being submitted. For more information about non-recognized programs and frequently asked questions, see here.

Applicants who have completed or substantially completed education and training in traditional Indigenous practices should select the Indigenous registration pathway application type. Applicants who have completed a CRPO recognized/accepted program and who also wish to report their training in traditional practices can contact CRPO at info@crpo.ca to bypass the Mapping Tool in the application.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long will it take to process my application?

Given the volume of applications being received, we are not able to respond to questions about when an individual application will be processed – it is, however, likely to take several months.  We are not able to expedite the processing of an application for any reason.

Once an application is submitted, applicants can easily track the “Application status” on the “Welcome” page in their CRPO account. An explanation of each status can be found on the Application Assessment page. Staff will contact applicants by email if there are any questions regarding their application. Applicants will also be notified by email when the processing of their application is complete.

My employer says I need to register with CRPO, is this true?

It is common practice that employers of mental health care service providers require their employees to be members of a regulated profession. It is also fairly common that employers of unregulated service providers request that these employees become registered with a college – sometimes this is even a condition that employers will include in a contract at the time of hiring.

Although there may be other reasons to become registered with CRPO, the paragraph below describes those who must become registered in order to be in compliance with the Psychotherapy Act, 2007. If the circumstances of your employment do not seem to fit with the description in the paragraphs below, it is up to you and your employer to continue the discussion about becoming a member of a regulated profession.

You must register with CRPO if you use the title “psychotherapist”, “Registered Psychotherapist” or related abbreviations, or if your role requires you to present yourself as qualified to practice psychotherapy (unless you are already a member of one of the other colleges whose members may practice psychotherapy).

If the above doesn’t apply to you, but you otherwise meet CRPO’s registration criteria, you may wish to consider becoming a member.

Are spiritual care providers required to register with CRPO?

CRPO will register practitioners from faith-based or spiritual care backgrounds who meet registration requirements. The College does not support the contention, however, that all chaplains or spiritual care providers must be registered. This will depend on their particular roles, their training, and possibly, the expectation of their employers.

Can I be a registrant of more than one regulatory college, e.g. CRPO and the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers, or CRPO and the College of Nurses of Ontario?

Yes, but it is not necessary. Someone who chooses to be a registrant of two statutory regulatory colleges will be required to meet the obligations of registration of both colleges, including participation in quality assurance programs and payment of two annual registration fees. In addition, they will be required to keep separate records for the two practices.

Has CRPO received my transcript/credential assessment?

Click “Review” on the “Welcome” page of your CRPO account to check the status of required documents.