Advice: US Doctoral Candidate Considering Future Career in CAN

[member25789]

I am a doctoral student at an APA-accredited clinical psychology PsyD program. My partner has dual US/CAN citizenship and we are considering settling down in CAN after I complete my program, internship, and post-doc, in order to be closer to their family. In my brief search so far, I looked at ASBPP for the licensing requirements for jurisdiction British Columbia. I am wondering what the pro's and con's are and any other considerations that should be taken into account to make an informed decision. Specifically, I am wondering about the necessary steps to apply for licensure (is it different/more difficult to do so in CAN or B.C.?), when in my training might be appropriate to say search for a internship, post-doc, or first job in CAN, and to what extent may a move such as this affect my professional networking or vice a versa. I welcome any suggestions/recommendations for resources and information.
My partner and I are somewhat flexible on where we may settle down that is best for us personally and professionally. They are strongly pushing for CAN, which I am open to. However, we want to make an informed decision that will be best for my future career as a clinical psychologist. We had not considered the possibility of settling in CAN prior to my grad school application process, so here we are. Wondering if/where we can go from here.
Thanks

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[temppsych123]

If you do an accredited program and an accredited internship, CPA and APA have joint recognition of their accreditation standards, so you shouldn't have too much trouble on that end (look up the First Street Accord which was implemented ~10 years ago). The provinces vary WILDLY in terms of their requirements for postdoctoral hours and training for licensure, though - BC is one of the few that doesn't require a formal postdoc, whereas Ontario requires you to have TWO licensed supervisors for your postdoctoral training, and they almost never count postdoc hours from other jurisdictions. So you should definitely look into the specific rules for each province you'd consider moving to (there aren't nearly as many provinces as US states, so this isn't as terrible).

Otherwise, whether you'll find a good fit in Canada professionally depends a tremendous amount on what you are trained to do and what you want to do - academia? private practice? hospital work? assessments? forensic-legal work?

EDIT to add: I just noticed your username suggests you're getting a PsyD, which is much less common in Canada than in the US (they exist, just not nearly as popular). So when you're looking up provincial rules you should also look into whether the PsyD/PhD distinction will be a problem. I doubt it would be insurmountable, especially if your program is APA-accredited, but definitely worth checking before you make a transnational move.

 

[member25789]

If you do an accredited program and an accredited internship, CPA and APA have joint recognition of their accreditation standards, so you shouldn't have too much trouble on that end (look up the First Street Accord which was implemented ~10 years ago). The provinces vary WILDLY in terms of their requirements for postdoctoral hours and training for licensure, though - BC is one of the few that doesn't require a formal postdoc, whereas Ontario requires you to have TWO licensed supervisors for your postdoctoral training, and they almost never count postdoc hours from other jurisdictions. So you should definitely look into the specific rules for each province you'd consider moving to (there aren't nearly as many provinces as US states, so this isn't as terrible).

Thank you for your reply! I thought that the joint licensure reciprocity between CPA and APA ended in 2015. Is that still the case or are they both separate licensures to apply for depending on US state or CAN province?

 

[temppsych123]

Nope, it definitely still applies. 2015 was when they stopped dual-accrediting. https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com...A-CPA Accord - endorsed_w_schedules_82017.pdf

 

[member25789]

Nope, it definitely still applies.

Great, thank you!