The following criteria are required to apply for membership with the BCACC:

1. A master’s degree from an accredited institution

Candidates seeking registration with BCACC must:

Hold a master’s degree in counselling, or in a related field identified by the BCACC Board of Directors.

Accreditation:

Accreditation differs depending on the location of the school/educational institution

Canada

A government-approved or authorized degree-granting institution

United States

An institution regionally accredited by one of the following:

International

Your degree must be evaluated by an international credential evaluation service and found to equate a master’s degree in Canada. Evaluators in Canada must be a member of Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada. Evaluators in the United States must be a member of National Association of Credential Evaluation Services.

2. Completed the counselling course requirements

Candidates seeking registration with BCACC must:

Complete all six of the counselling course requirements.

At least four of the required six counselling course topic areas must be completed at a master’s degree level in:

o Developmental psychology (psychological development throughout the lifespan) OR Abnormal psychology (psychopathology)
o Counselling theory OR Personality theories
o Group therapy theory and practice
o Family therapy theory and practice
o Basic research design
o Professional Ethics in Counselling

A maximum of two of the required six counselling course topic areas may be completed at the undergraduate degree level.

If a candidate provides a course title in their application that does not clearly indicate an association with the required topic area, please provide a course description with your application.

3. 100 hours of clinical supervision

Candidates seeking registration with BCACC must:

Have completed 100 hours of clinical supervision during or after completion of their master’s degree education program AND can provide proof of this through clinical references.

Who can I use as a supervisor? 

To be acceptable to the Registration Committee, a “qualified professional” who provides formal supervision  must be a counselling professional who meets the following criteria: 

1. The supervisor was appointed, by a university acceptable to the Board, to supervise a practicum or internship in a master’s level counselling program. 

OR 

2. The supervisor has a minimum of 5 years’ clinical experience as a practicing counsellor or equivalent relevant experience before being acceptable as a supervisor to the Registration Committee, and one of the following: 

a) the supervisor is a registered member in good standing of a mental health profession that has third party accountability; or 

b) the supervisor has provided evidence of advanced skills in clinical counselling acceptable to the Committee equal to or greater than those which apply to members of the Association; or 

c) the supervisor holds a minimum of a master’s degree that is acceptable to the Board and would otherwise meet or exceed the Association’s membership requirement. 

How many references do I need? 

We require a minimum of two references from qualified mental health professionals who are familiar with your work. At least one referee must have supervised your clinical work. If you have your supervision hours met with one clinical reference, the second reference may be a colleague reference.

What if my supervisor is unavailable?

You must meet this requirement to make application for membership. If you are unable to access a reference from a former supervisor you will need to procure current supervision. BCACC provides a list of Approved Clinical supervisors here.

What kind of supervision? 

At least 25 of the supervised hours must be directly observed by a clinical supervisor. The clinical supervisor will witness clinical work in one or more of the following ways:

  • Direct observation of sessions
  • Review of video-taped sessions
  • Review of audio-taped sessions
  • Co-counselling
  • Co-facilitating

The remaining 75 hours of clinical supervision may be comprised of:

  • Case consultation
  • Group supervision
  • File review
  • Case management

Supervision which occurred prior to the start of the master’s program will not be considered. In addition, client contact hours will not be considered.

4. Pay associated fees

Expect to pay these costs for the application and membership process:

  • Application fee: $200.00 (incl. GST), one-time, non-refundable
  • Application materials: Your cost to order transcripts, letters of good standing, credential evaluation (if needed)
  • Annual registered membership: $436.00 (incl. GST)
  • Criminal record check: Your cost to order a criminal record check needed to complete registration. Do not complete a criminal record check until it is requested.
  • Insurance: If you are not covered through an employer, you will need to purchase insurance upon registration. BCACC’s insurance plan costs between $100 – $150 per year for professional liability. Do not submit insurance information until it is requested.

If a candidate’s application does not show completion of the requirements set out above and at the appropriate degree level, the candidate will be required to take additional courses that will satisfy BCACC’s registration requirements.

Apply now to become a BCACC member.

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