About Certification

CACBT certification indicates to other clinicians, referral sources, relevant stakeholders and the Canadian public that you are a clinician who has demonstrated foundational knowledge and competence as a cognitive-behavioural therapist. This distinction is essential to ensure that evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapy is being provided to individuals across Canada.

Certification Mandate:

A key mandate of the CACBT-ACTCC is the development of a formal  process for the certification of cognitive-behavioural therapists in Canada. The purpose of certification is to indicate to consumers that the clinician is a skilled cognitive-behavioural therapist. Certification is defined by the Board of Directors as follows.

Certified Member or Fellow: A regular Member or Fellow of the Association, who provides satisfactory evidence to the Certification Committee and they meet the following criteria:

  1. They are licensed, registered, or certified to provide independent professional practice related to cognitive and behavioural therapies in the jurisdiction in which they reside or are employed;

  2. They hold current legal liability insurance in the jurisdiction in which they reside or are employed OR they are exempt from this requirement under local statutory authority;

  3. They meet the training and supervision eligibility criteria established by the Certification Committee; and

  4. They are an active member of CACBT-ACTCC (i.e., their membership dues are up-to-date).*

* Note that to maintain CACBT certification, individuals must pay their membership fees each year (due on December 31). Those who do not renew their membership and pay their annual membership fees (as well as any associated late fees) by March 1 at 11:59 pm ET will lose their CACBT certification. After this deadline, members must reapply and go through the certification process again to regain their CACBT certified status.

  • The Certification Committee oversees the certification process and is comprised of the following members:

    • Marlene Taube-Schiff, PhD, CPsych., RPsych (Interim Chair)

    • Alexander L. Chapman, PhD, RPsych,

    • Jacquie Cohen, PhD, RPsych

    • Julie MacDonald, PhD., RPsych

    • Andrea Peterman, PhD., CPsych

    • Martin Provencher, PhD, RPsych 

    • Jesse Renaud, PhD, RPsych

    • John Roche, MSW, RSW

  • The Certification Reviewers (as of August 2024) are responsible for reviewing applications for certification: 

    • Kristin Buhr, PhD., R. Psych. 

    • Jacquie Cohen, PhD., R. Psych. 

    • Patricia Furer, PhD., C. Psych.

    • Brenda Key, PhD., C. Psych.

    • Nancy Kocovski, PhD., C. Psych.

    • Andrea Liss, MSW

    • Melanie McConnell, PhD

    • Kathleen McKenney

    • Gail Myhr, MD, FRCP

    • Sarah Newth, PhD

    • Andrea Peterman, PhD., C. Psych.

    • Anna Simpson, PhD., R. Psych.

    • Penny Sneddon, PhD., R. Psych.

    • Jenna Whitney, PhD., R. Psych. 

CACBT would like to thank all Certification Committee Members and Reviewers for your volunteer work. Your service to the association and commitment to CBT is greatly appreciated. Certification is essential to the dissemination of high quality CBT, and the organization could not make certification happen without you.

Certification Task Force Report

In January 2020, the CACBT Board of Directors approved the formation of a Task Force to review CACBT’s certification requirements. This was in response to recent changes in the landscape surrounding certification (e.g., the advent of the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program, similar undertakings in other provinces), research emphasizing the role of supervision in attaining competence in CBT, and an identified need to standardize CACBT’s current certification process. The Task Force, which was comprised of current and previous members of the Board and other certified CACBT members with expert knowledge in CBT, met 11 times between April 2020 and April 2021. Multiple recommendations were made to revise CACBT’s current certification goals and processes. These recommendations include the following: developing a process for certifying courses and workshops; making and publishing (on the website) a list of certified CACBT members who provide consultation; revising the training requirements to limit passive forms of learning; requiring consultation to become certified; asking referees to provide specific information about an applicant’s skills; and the development of an appeal process. The implementation of these recommendations will standardize and equalize the certification process, reduce the burden on the Certification Chair and reviewers of the first stage of the application process, and bring CACBT’s certification requirements and processes to the forefront of the field.

View Certification Task Force Report - June 9, 2021