Beverleyh

Hi, I wonder if anyone can help? Apologies if this has already been covered. I can’t seem to find anything related to my query.

I am a qualified counsellor in the UK registered with the BACP. I have a thriving private practice online and face to face and I also work freelance for an EAP delivering mental health well-being webinars world wide and a registered BAPAM therapist, (British Association of Performing Arts Medicine) a mental health clinical assessor and qualified clinical Supervisor.

I am planning on emigrating to Vancouver in order to be with family, and want to continue my private practice as it’s mostly online. My question is will I be able to? Will registration with CCPA enable me to continue my work in Vancouver?

My Masters degree in Screenwriting is indirectly related to counselling in that I use my skills as a counsellor to devise and deliver a lot of mental health webinars and so complements my counselling work. I also work with creatives at BAPAM. My background is as an Actress, writer and voice over artiste and so my skills base in this arena is quite solid.

I have BACP approved qualifications, a 3 year Certificate and Diploma in Counselling and a Certificate in psychotherapeutic supervision.
Many thanks for any help!
Beverley

dbd33

Why would you not be able to? Are you concerned about licensing, tax, the time difference?

Beverleyh

Yes, I’m confused about licensing. Not so much the time difference as I deliver webinars globally, I was seeking IAG and knowledge from the collective about the suitability of international qualifications vs Canadian in order for me to continue in private practice.
Thanks!

mdonald1987

The act of psychotherapy is not regulated in BC, just as it isn’t it in the UK. So you can practice as a counsellor without any registration. Of course, a lot of counsellors voluntarily sign up with the likes of CCPA or BCACC. Some companies stipulate that you must be registered with one of the above but in private practice, that’s up to you. The profession is regulated in Ontario and will soon be in Calgary, and I do expect it to be in BC but not for some time yet. I’m registered with the BABCP in the UK and hoping to move to BC/AB in the future, so have done some research in to this and spoken to both the CCPA and BCACC.

Rachael2022

Hi there

I read one of your earlier posts from 2021, and noted that you're a CBT therapist in an IAPT service. I am too, and am looking to move. I wondered if I could ask you some questions about your research so far?

Thanks!

mdonald1987

Yeah, sure. Fire away!

Rachael2022

Ah great thankyou. I guess I just wondered have you made the move yet? And if so, how did you go about it? And did you look at any other countries (such as Aus or NZ)?

mdonald1987

No, not yet. We first started looking in to this just before the pandemic. Given that we both work in the NHS, it had to take a back seat for a while. We’re just now starting to get things moving again. As my Wife is a nurse, she has to jump through a LOT of hoops to work over there. It’ll likely take us a couple of years before we can even think about applying for a visa.

We didn’t consider any other country due to the distance. We wanted to be close enough to be able to get back within the day if we had to. The cost of a flight to Aus/NZ is also eye watering. Especially for friends and family with children. I haven’t done much research but as far as I’m aware, there isn’t much of a market for counsellors/psychotherapists in Aus, as it’s mostly done by Clinical Psychologists. I haven’t done much research though, so I could be wrong.

In regards to working in Canada as a CBT therapist, you have to look at it provincially. It isn’t a nationally regulated profession and each province as it’s own rules. For example, counselling/psychotherapy isn’t regulated at all (just as it isn’t in the UK) in British Columbia. So anyone can call themselves a therapist. If you’re working for yourself, that’s easy enough. Some employers (like the NHS here) require you to be accredited by a particular body. This is either the BCACC (British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors), where you will be given the designation of Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC), or the CCPA (Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association), where you will have the designation of Certified Clinical Counsellor (CCC). I don’t think one trumps the other and I can’t quite figure out why one service/employer would want you to be registered with one or the other. In Alberta, however, they’re currently going through the process of regulation. So anyone that wishes to call themselves/work as a therapist will have to register with ACTA (Association of Counselling Therapists of Alberta). When looking for jobs, search for counsellor or clinical counsellor. This is the generic term they use for psychotherapists I’ve found.

I hope that helps but if there’s anything else you want to know, just ask 🙂