What do Canadian Counselling Psychologists Who are Not Affiliated with the Canadian Psychological Association Think? Results from a National Survey of the Profession?

Date
2019-10
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Abstract
The only previous nation-wide survey of Canadian counselling psychologists (Bedi et al., 2016) was conducted with those affiliated with the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) and its Section for Counselling Psychology (SCP). As most Canadian counselling psychologists do not belong to the CPA and SCP, the previous survey is limited in its generalizability. This paper reports the results of four open-ended questions administered to Canadian counselling psychologists not affiliated with the CPA and its SCP. One hundred and seven participants responded to questions pertaining to training, pressing professional issues, next steps for the field, and recommended focus areas for a future Canadian Counselling Psychology Conference. With respect to training, participants reported that there should be increased training in testing/assessment, increased training in the business side of psychology for private practitioners, and more supervised practice. The most pressing professional issues experienced by the participants were clients’ limited access to services and the need to promote the counselling psychology profession. Participants reported the most important next steps for the field to be increased coverage of services and increased status of counselling psychology. Respondents hoped the next Canadian Counselling Psychology Conference to focus on skill-building, the professional identity of the field, and networking. A comparison with answers provided by CPA SCP affiliated counselling psychologists is provided. The results of this study provide a broader understanding of the views of Canadian counselling psychologists and have implications for the future practice and training of Canadian counselling psychologists.
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Keywords
Canadian counselling psychology, Canadian counselling psychologists, professional issues, survey
Citation
Pradhan, K., & Bedi, R.P. (2019). What do Canadian counselling psychologists who are not affiliated with the Canadian Psychological Association think? Results from a national survey of the profession. Proceedings from the 2018 Canadian Counselling Psychology Conference, 110-132.