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British Columbia Regulation

Current as of August 6, 2013

In B.C., a task group has been working towards regulation since 1998. It is entitled the Task Group for Counsellor Regulation in British Columbia.

The Task Group has representatives from the following professional associations:

  •  The Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (BC Chapter)
  •  The BC Art Therapy Association
  •  The BC Association of Clinical Counsellors
  •  The American Association of Pastoral Counsellors( BC Chapter)
  •  The Music Therapy Association of BC
  •  The Canadian Association of Pastoral Practice and Education (BC Chapter)

This Task Group has had numerous contacts with the B.C. provincial government and the government has given a public commitment that if counsellors are successful in being regulated by legislation in BC it will be as a health profession and therefore it will be dealt with under the various legislative provisions that regulate the health professions. The Task Group has also adopted a novel professional title for the practitioners that would be included under any new regulatory college. It is Counselling Therapist. This reflects their creative effort to create a title that might prove satisfactory to all professionals that constitute the Task Group some of whom have the title therapist while others have the title counsellor.

The BC Task Group has also produced a major document entitled BC’s Entry-to-Practice Competency Profile for Counselling Therapists.

The developers of this extensive taxonomy of professional competencies have conducted validation studies with members of the various associations of the Task Group and with the assistance of CCPA undertook a national validation in January 2006.

A very comprehensive history of the regulatory efforts is available on the BCACC website.