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The Therapy Alphabet: What do all the letters mean?
There are many different types of credentials for therapists and counsellors across Canada. Some are national and some are province specific. Fun fact (or actually not so fun…there are only 5 regulated provinces in Canada for counselling - more about this below, but first things first). The national level registrations and certifications that you will often see are:
Canadian Certified Counsellors (CCC) - this is a certification from the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.
Registered Marriage and Family Therapist (RMFT) - this is a rigorous registration through The Canadian Association for Couple and Family Therapists (Formerly CAMFT).
The CST (Certified Sex Therapist) credential is an international certification through AASECT (American Association of Sex and Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists) - it is one of the top certifications available and requires years and hundreds of hours of training. Practitioners must also have their highest level of credentials and a m of a master degree in their field to qualify.
* social workers, psychologists, and psych nurses are a different category from mental health and relational therapists. They are regulated in every province and territory.
Regulated Provinces:
Ontario
Quebec
Nova Scotia
New Brunswick
Prince Edward Island
Professional Organizations vs Regulatory Colleges:
Professiona Organizations are voluntary memberships (the credentials make it possible for clients to be reimbursed for services from qualified professionals). They oversee the credentialing and continuing education of their credentialed members. This includes handling ethical issues and standards of practice.
Regulatory College/Regulatory Body:
These are mandatory memberships that protect the public and set standards for credentialing. In regulatory provinces the college can prevent someone from practicing under the regulated and protected title if they are found in violation of ethical standards (Professional organizations cannot stop someone from practicing if they are located in a non regulated province). In regulated provinces the title is protected and in a few the act of providing counselling therapy is also protected (e.g., in Ontario, a practitioner must be a Registered Psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists if they are providing psychotherapy services to those located in Ontario).
Other Organisations and Titles:
coming soon!