The provincial government announced important information regarding next steps for the regulation of psychotherapists in BC, including a timeline.
April 1, 2026 – The Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) will come into force.
November 29, 2027 – Regulation of psychotherapists will come into effect.
Those of us at the FACTBC table are gratified that our decades of effort have finally been rewarded.
The following links include a lot of information about the entire regulatory framework within which we will be located.
- Main Professional Regulation Website
- HPOA Info and Q&A
- Health Professions and Occupations Act
- Regulated Health Practitioners Regulation
- Health and Care Professionals Regulation Part 10 Practice of Psychotherapy in this document addresses protected title and scope of practice for psychotherapists.
Key points:
- Regulation of psychotherapists will come into effect November 29, 2027.
- Psychotherapists will be regulated under the College of Health and Care Professionals of BC.
- “Psychotherapist” will be a protected title according to the most recent HPOA regulations
- The registration process and requirements for psychotherapists has not yet been determined.
Moving forward, FACTBC will continue to be directly engaged with teams at the Professional Regulation and Oversight branch of the Ministry of Health and also the College of Health and Care Professionals. We will provide pertinent updates to ensure that existing members of all our associations can navigate next steps with ease.