Becoming a psychologist in Calgary requires professional education, unshakable determination, and a lot of focus on this amazing journey. After becoming an established therapist in Calgary, you will the process really worthy as you will be helping many patients to live their lives in peace. Psychologists in Calgary hold a license to practice independently. They need to get themselves registered from Canadian Provincial Regulatory Body.
Process of becoming a therapist in Calgary:
Psychologists in Calgary need at least a master’s level education. The highest privileges are reserved for those therapists who have a doctoral degree in psychology. The complete process of becoming a successful psychologist in Calgary is divided into three steps:
- Education
- Field expertise
- License
After completing the basic level education for psychology, therapists need to obtain certification of internship from recognized centers. They cannot practice independently before getting registered from the council. After obtaining their licenses, therapists in Calgary can do their independent practice.
Educational requirements:
Following are the educational requirements for those who are seeking a career as clinical psychologists in Calgary:
Undergraduate program:
To become a practicing psychologist in Calgary, you need to complete your master’s level education in the relevant field. The most basic level of education for psychologists in Calgary, Alberta, is an undergraduate program. It takes four years to complete your bachelor’s in psychology. After completing your undergraduate, your chances for a master’s degree in psychology become brighter. All the recognized institutes in Calgary have an established passing criterion.
Graduation program:
The next step after your undergraduate is to obtain a master’s degree in psychology. This level of education is sufficient to make you eligible for independent practice in Calgary as soon as you obtain your license and practice certification. You can obtain your graduation degree anywhere in Canada, provided that the institute is recognized by the national council. It takes almost one/two years to get your master’s degree in psychology.
Doctoral program:
Along with the continuous education for license renewal, therapists in Calgary also seek doctorate degrees in psychology for additional benefits. You can find considerable Ph.D. scholars in Calgary who are practicing as clinical psychologists. The highest perks are reserved for a psychologist with a doctorate degree. It can be a traditional on-campus education, or you can pursue a split-level study design to manage your time along with the full-time clinical job.
Field expertise:
The next thing you need to obtain after your undergraduate or graduation degree. The level of the internship varies with the degree you hold. The internship program for undergraduate-level psychologists in Calgary is completely supervised as the students are not eligible for independent practice. The internship for graduates is mostly clinical as they are going to be ready for on-field practice.
Internship for Ph.D. and post-doctorates is mostly associated with the fieldwork. On average, a psychology student in Calgary needs to complete 1-2 years of cumulative field expertise. Intensive internships groom students to perform their day-to-day duties as a psychologist. It is essential to have accredited internships from recognized institutes in Calgary. Psychology students must also choose an internship program that is relevant to their degree. For example, students of clinical psychology need accredited internships from clinical settings and so on. Clinical psychologists have a great scope of practice in Calgary. Along with anger management in Calgary, they also offer their services for specific clinical conditions.
Other popular domains are:
- School Psychologists
- Industrial Psychologists
- Sports Psychologists
Practice license:
Therapists in Calgary need to get registered with The College of Alberta Psychologists. This allows them to practice independently in their relevant domains. The registration process is based on the following steps:
- Academic review in which the students need to provide their relevant academic proofs.
- Application to get registered as a provisional psychologist.
- Psychologists in Calgary have to pass both oral and clinical license exams.
- When all the above-mentioned details are taken care of, you can get registered for independent practice in Calgary.
You may also need to provide your professional references, clean criminal record, and insurance liabilities.
Bottom-line:
Psychologists in Calgary need to abide by the highest levels of professional practice so, they have to follow a systematic process. The basic educational level for therapists in Calgary is undergraduate. At least a master’s degree in psychology along with an internship certificate and license is essential for independent practice.