Thinning of Canada’s psychology workforce

The data is in, and the conclusion is inescapable: Canada is in the midst of a severe mental health crisis, and the biggest obstacle facing us is structural. There are simply not enough qualified professionals to meet the enormous need. My latest research published in PLOS Mental Healthpaints a stark picture. In a nationally representative sample, half of Canadians who sought mental health care experienced significant challenges (Williams et al., 2024). A third struggled to find help for common conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder pressure disorder and depression. As we dig deeper, the data becomes more frightening: for certain conditions e.g Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Obsessive-compulsive disorderFor substance use disorders, finding treatment becomes more difficult. What is even more worrying is that these barriers are not treated equally. Indigenous and Black Canadians have a much greater difficulty accessing care across a range of circumstances.

Supply crisis: too few practitioners

This is a supply crisis. We don’t have enough practitioners. For many years, the primary path for new psychologists was the doctorate, a process that takes an average of 7.5 years to complete. Despite population growth and rising rates of mental illness, the number of doctoral graduates has increased It remained flatResulting in a net loss of psychologists annually. This slow system has also failed to produce a profession that reflects the diversity of our country—its graduates remain predominantly white women (Faber et al., 2023).

We tried to sound the alarm. In our paper “Lions at the Gate,” my colleagues and I urged the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) to adopt more clinically focused PsyD programs as a faster way to increase the number and diversity of practitioners (Faber et al., 2023), as PsyD programs take only four to five years to complete. However, although the CPA later agreed to accredit standalone PsyD programs, no new PsyD programs have yet to be created. In fact, the CPA informed the only new program that attempted to gain accreditation that it would have to wait two years to apply, due to administrative delays in their new online system.

Perhaps a more realistic solution lies in enabling another proven path: creativity More Master’s (MA) level programs. in professional psychology.

Current problem: The road to nowhere in Ontario

Currently, there is little incentive for universities to establish master’s-level psychology programs, and Ontario’s system is a perfect case study as to why. The current path is:

• Very Long: Requires a master’s degree plus four years of post-graduate work experience.
• Extremely stressful: involves multiple tests, including a subjective and biased oral test.
• Less prestige: The result is the title “psychiatric assistant,” a distinction that creates confusion and hierarchy.
• Not Supported: There is no national accrediting body for a master’s degree in clinical psychology.

Why would any university invest in a program when it is… Professional life Is the path for its graduates difficult and unattractive compared to other professions or even other provinces? It’s a road to nowhere, and it lets the audience down.

Proposed solution: Build a highway for practice

In a progressive and much-needed move, the College of Psychologists and Behavior Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO) has proposed amendments that would completely change this equation. Their plan would eliminate the four-year work requirement, eliminate the oral exam, and award the title of “psychologist” to successful master’s-level candidates.

Suddenly, the “path to licensure” for a master’s graduate is clear, effective, and leads to a highly respected professional title. This will create greater demand from students who want to become practitioners but either cannot gain admission to the limited PhD places or cannot commit to PhD study for approximately a decade.

Leadership Lesson: Influence Series

This shift in Ontario did not occur in a vacuum. It is a top-down result command A clear chain of influence that other provinces and our national bodies should closely examine.

1. Ministry of Health (Catalyst): Recognizing the public health crisis, the Ministry communicated a clear strategic priority to CPBAO: increasing the supply of competent professionals.
2. Office of the Commissioner of Justice (Executor): This cubit-length object provides the “teeth.” By giving CPBAO college “moderate to high risk” ratings for its unfair practices, it created a strong public incentive for the college to dismantle its exclusionary barriers.
3. CPBAO (Implementer): In response to this pressure, CPBAO has proposed concrete rule changes that will inevitably stimulate the market for new programs.
4. Universities (Resource): Seeing this new viable pathway, universities will now have a strong incentive to create master’s programs that will provide the workforce Ontario needs. They are already considering this expansion at my organization.

This is what good governance in the public interest looks like.

Blueprint for Canada

The reforms happening in Ontario are not just a local story; Rather, it is part of a national transformation. Even today, not all provinces have mechanisms to license master’s-level therapists, and in some places this is regulated through advisory bodies. By creating a practical, effective and equitable pathway for master’s-level psychological practitioners, Ontario is setting a precedent that will stimulate the development of educational programs. This move puts direct pressure on the CPA to either follow suit by adopting a national master’s degree or risk becoming irrelevant in the conversation about training standards for Canada’s mental health workforce.