11/11/2025
At Dr. Michelle Sala & Associates, our work has always cantered on one simple truth: when people reach out for psychological support, they are placing profound trust in us. That trust deserves to be met with care that is safe, ethical, and grounded in years of training and experience.
Across Ontario, and across Canada, we are seeing the growing need for accessible, high-quality mental health care. But accessibility should never come at the cost of safety or competency.
Recently, the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO) approved sweeping changes to the licensing and training requirements for future psychologists. These changes are being presented as a way to improve access, but in reality, they could place Ontarians at risk by drastically reducing the education, supervision, and oversight that ensure psychologists are properly trained to support the public.
Here’s what’s at stake:
❌ A 75% reduction in clinical training hours: meaning future psychologists would have thousands fewer hours of hands-on experience before working with clients.
❌ Removal of key licensing exams: lowering the standards that protect clients from unsafe or unqualified practice.
❌ Loss of independent oversight and accreditation: allowing the College to approve programs without external quality checks.
❌ Self-declared “specializations”: meaning anyone could claim expertise in areas like child psychology or neuropsychology without demonstrating competence.
These are not small adjustments, they fundamentally change what it means to be a psychologist in Ontario.
Psychologists are trained to diagnose complex mental health conditions and provide evidence-based treatment. When training and accountability are reduced, the risk of misdiagnosis and ineffective care increases. That can mean the wrong treatment, unnecessary suffering, and long-term harm for individuals and families already in distress.
We want to see mental health care become more accessible, but the solution cannot be to lower standards or compromise safety. There are better ways to expand access, such as funding supervised clinical placements, supporting associate psychologists, and strengthening collaborative care models.
We are calling on the CPBAO to pause these changes and work with the psychological community to find real, sustainable solutions that protect both accessibility and safety.
If safe, effective, and ethical mental health care matters to you and your loved ones, please take a moment to check out the Psychology Advocacy Network for more information.
https://www.psychadvocacy.ca
