FAQs

Please refer to the Certification Process as outlined on our website. If you are interested in becoming CACBT certified, complete the Certification Application to begin.

No. Being a member of CACBT does not mean you have gained certification in CBT through the association. You must become and remain a member of CACBT in order to be able to move through the certification process and maintain your status. Once certified, you must ensure there is no lapse in your membership. 

However, becoming certified in CBT through CACBT demonstrates that you have met a standard of competency for practicing CBT. Please refer to information regarding the Certification Process on our website to fully understand this process.

CACBT membership offers various benefits, such as training activities, access to the Member Portal communities, networking opportunities, and discounts on leading CBT journals and CACBT conference activities.  

The Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies (CACBT) does not regulate the practice of psychotherapy in Canada. Regulation is handled by each individual province or territory, and they also determine which disciplines can provide psychotherapy.

If you have trained outside of Canada and want to practice CBT as a regulated or licensed health professional in Canada, you must first be licensed or registered with the regulatory body for your discipline in the province or territory where you intend to work in Canada.  Licensing/registration requirements vary, so contact the regulatory body directly for more information.

Once you are licensed/registered by your province/territory in a discipline that includes psychotherapy within your scope of practice, you can then apply for CACBT certification.

Please note that to become certified you must first be licensed or registered (in your province/territory) in a discipline for which psychotherapy is part of your scope of practice.

CBT is not a regulated intervention as is the case for psychotherapy in some provinces. As such, you do not need to be certified in order to provide CBT. 

Certification signifies to other clinicians, referral sources, consumers, relevant stakeholders, and the Canadian public that you have demonstrated foundational knowledge and competence in cognitive-behavioural therapies.

Note however, that in order to provide psychotherapy, you must be licensed/registered to do so in the province/territory in which you live and/or work. CACBT does not comment on this scope of practice and we would recommend you inquire with your provincial licensing body in order to gain more information regarding scope of practice. 

CACBT does not approve specific training programs/courses. We also will not recommend certain training courses over others should you reach out to us about this. This is not within our current scope or mandate.  

That said, there are a number of training programs listed on our website. We do recommend that in choosing your trainings, you look for those that are provided by CACBT-certified members (or those who are certified by another credible organization such as the Academy of Cognitive Therapy or the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies).

It is also recommended that you review the curricula of the training program/course you are considering for their inclusion of the core knowledge and competencies as well as the training strategies outlined in CACBT’s National Guidelines for Training in CBT.

Letters of support must be obtained from clinicians who have provided direct clinical supervision or consultation regarding CBT training and practice. Letters are submitted using a standardized form that you will find in the member’s portal when going through the certification process. Letters that are not submitted using this standardized form will not be accepted.  

CACBT provides a directory of Certified Members: Find a CACBT-Certified Therapist. Many of these individuals provide consultation services, both virtually and in person. The directory is a great starting point if you are looking for someone to provide CBT consultation and write a letter of support on your behalf.

As indicated in the Certification Application, please provide a detailed description of your CBT clinical experience and applicable dates. Make sure to include the following:

• Presenting problems of clients seen;

• Approximate number of therapy hours; 

• Specific treatment protocols used; and

• Any supervision received.

You will be asked to provide these details for a sample of 12 different clients (or groups) across a breadth of symptom presentations. 

This experience must have taken place FOLLOWING your registration as a licensed healthcare professional. 

As indicated in the Application Form, please provide a detailed description of your CBT clinical experience and applicable dates. Make sure to include the following:

• Presenting problems of clients seen;

• Approximate number of therapy hours;

• Specific treatment protocols used; and

• Any supervision received.

We suggest providing this in a table format using a sample of 12 clients (or groups) across a breadth of symptom presentations. Please note that even if you have been providing CBT for years to hundreds of clients, we are still looking for a sample of 12 clients.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, a great deal of therapy is now being conducted virtually. We are happy to accept recordings of virtual sessions. Should you have difficulty uploading your session to the website, please contact certification@cacbt.ca

Before submitting your audio recording, please download and review the Beck Cognitive Therapy Rating Scale - Revised to familiarize yourself with the scoring and key aspects of a CBT session.

To assess your performance, we recommend scoring 2-3 of your sessions using the scale. Alternatively, you can seek feedback from a colleague or a certified CBT consultant at CACBT. A total score of 22 is required.

Please avoid submitting first or final sessions, as their structure may not be representative of a typical CBT session.Item description