Counselling Psychology Applicants 2021 CANADA

[BobbiQueen]

9 hours ago, Unicornfrrf said:

If you are aware, how much was the approximate GPA of people that got waitlisted. Also do they look only at the final year or cumulatively? 

Not sure at all about any of this. But according to their requirements they look at the final year and when applying they specifically asked for the last year. 

[sylsma]

On 4/6/2021 at 11:55 AM, els18 said:

I just received an offer of admission for McGill's counselling internship program about 2 hours ago ?

Congratulations!!! 

[Mina2021]

Hi everyone! Just curious to know if anyone has applied to the counselling and spirituality program at Saint Paul University. I had an interview with them a few weeks ago and am still waiting for a response.  

[KimKim]

Hi everyone!

It's my first time posting here. I've been accepted to U of T MEd Counselling and Psychotherapy program and also to McGill's MA Counselling program (both the project and internship stream). I would really appreciate if you could help me in deciding which program would be a better suit for me.

I am currently an international student, but am in the process of obtaining my permanent residency and am planning to work as a registered psychotherapist in Ontario. Due to the high international tuition rate at U of T ($40,000) compared to McGill ($20,000), I am dwelling whether paying the extra money is worth it. 

I am not that into research, but am kinda fond of having the "Doctor"  title ?. So I'm also considering pursuing the EdD program at U of T later on (which is a professional degree). 

Does the Internship program at McGill allow me to become a registered psychotherapist in Ontario? Would the program at U of T be a quicker route?

I'd also like to know how you'd compare these two programs in terms of the quality of training.

[sylsma]

13 hours ago, KimKim said:

Hi everyone!

It's my first time posting here. I've been accepted to U of T MEd Counselling and Psychotherapy program and also to McGill's MA Counselling program (both the project and internship stream). I would really appreciate if you could help me in deciding which program would be a better suit for me.

I am currently an international student, but am in the process of obtaining my permanent residency and am planning to work as a registered psychotherapist in Ontario. Due to the high international tuition rate at U of T ($40,000) compared to McGill ($20,000), I am dwelling whether paying the extra money is worth it. 

I am not that into research, but am kinda fond of having the "Doctor"  title ?. So I'm also considering pursuing the EdD program at U of T later on (which is a professional degree). 

Does the Internship program at McGill allow me to become a registered psychotherapist in Ontario? Would the program at U of T be a quicker route?

I'd also like to know how you'd compare these two programs in terms of the quality of training.

I don’t know the answer to these questions but I just want to say congratulations!!!  Im pretty sure that doing the McGill program wouldnt impede you working in Ontario. 

[sylsma]

I received an acceptance letter from uvic  yay! However, I am still waiting on SFU to get back to me about my interview results. I’m struggling to choose between the two. I’m wondering if anyone has any input on which school they’d choose out of the two!

[psychmaybe]

Hmm, UVic definitely has a pretty campus, and the program seems a little shorter than SFU by about half a year, which is a bonus in terms of fees and getting qualified. It's also automatically accredited whilst SFU's isn't (for some reason, does anyone actually know why that is?). 

SFU though is in greater Vancouver, which may be a bonus if you don't like Victoria. I guess if you're going for the thesis route at either place, a good metric would be how compatible you are to the supervisor. That's definitely important to consider as a bad fit supervisor can totally tank your reseach experience. If not, then I would would look at living place and which one feels a better "fit" for you. You'll be spending at least 2 years there, so you want to be comfortable. At the end of the day, both lead to the same destination in terms of work, they're both similiar ranked (if that even matters, I don't personally think it does) and the differences between the two programs are marginal at best. Apart from one being automatically accredited and the other not, they're pretty much the same, all be it it seems SFU on both programs is half a year longer than UVic. 

I would say Victoria is a pretty small city with nice and good bars/restaurants and a touristy feel, with easy access to all the nature the Island has to offer. Vancouver is a bigger city with more "action", and a lot more people, and all the nature the lower mainland has to offer. Both have their own social problems, although Vancouver being bigger has more. I would argue Victoria, being a tourist city, has better touristy things to see and do, if that matters. But Vancouver has better concerts, nightclubs and shopping. If international travel is important for you and something you do often (maybe not right now mind) YVR is better connected than Victoria, but that will likely not be an often occurence. Both have similar living costs (although I think Victoria is overall cheaper rents?) although it appears that Victoria is more townhouse style living and Vancouver more condo. Both places really focus on nature and greenery, although UVic has a far greener campus than SFU's Surrey counselling centre does. Although SFU has better connections to downtown with the skytrain, UVic needs a bus or a car. 

It's up to you, but personally I would focus on where you want to live rather than the program as the differences there are so slight really. Apart from the time difference and the auto accredditation, of couse.  

[2021apply]

Hi!
 

Has anyone been waitlisted at McGill for the MA Counselling psychology internship program? My application is still under review. I know some people have been rejected/accepted so am wondering if my lack of response means waitlisted or if it’s bad news!!
 

Thanks for your help. 

Edited April 13, 2021 by 2021apply

[sylsma]

On 4/11/2021 at 10:05 AM, psychmaybe said:

Hmm, UVic definitely has a pretty campus, and the program seems a little shorter than SFU by about half a year, which is a bonus in terms of fees and getting qualified. It's also automatically accredited whilst SFU's isn't (for some reason, does anyone actually know why that is?). 

SFU though is in greater Vancouver, which may be a bonus if you don't like Victoria. I guess if you're going for the thesis route at either place, a good metric would be how compatible you are to the supervisor. That's definitely important to consider as a bad fit supervisor can totally tank your reseach experience. If not, then I would would look at living place and which one feels a better "fit" for you. You'll be spending at least 2 years there, so you want to be comfortable. At the end of the day, both lead to the same destination in terms of work, they're both similiar ranked (if that even matters, I don't personally think it does) and the differences between the two programs are marginal at best. Apart from one being automatically accredited and the other not, they're pretty much the same, all be it it seems SFU on both programs is half a year longer than UVic. 

I would say Victoria is a pretty small city with nice and good bars/restaurants and a touristy feel, with easy access to all the nature the Island has to offer. Vancouver is a bigger city with more "action", and a lot more people, and all the nature the lower mainland has to offer. Both have their own social problems, although Vancouver being bigger has more. I would argue Victoria, being a tourist city, has better touristy things to see and do, if that matters. But Vancouver has better concerts, nightclubs and shopping. If international travel is important for you and something you do often (maybe not right now mind) YVR is better connected than Victoria, but that will likely not be an often occurence. Both have similar living costs (although I think Victoria is overall cheaper rents?) although it appears that Victoria is more townhouse style living and Vancouver more condo. Both places really focus on nature and greenery, although UVic has a far greener campus than SFU's Surrey counselling centre does. Although SFU has better connections to downtown with the skytrain, UVic needs a bus or a car. 

It's up to you, but personally I would focus on where you want to live rather than the program as the differences there are so slight really. Apart from the time difference and the auto accredditation, of couse.  

Thankyou so much for such a detailed response!! I should have mentioned in my original question that I graduated from uvic and was born and raised in Victoria (still live here now) so I know the city very well.

What does it mean for a program to be automatically accredited?

I’m leaning pretty heavily towards SFU at this point, as I think they operate from a lot more of a social justice lens than uvic does. They also make the program longer to accommodate people working fulltime during the program, and I really appreciate the emphasis on accessibility in that regard. I’d also like a change of scenery, and my partner has some solid work opportunities in Vancouver so it makes a lot of sense for us at this point of the game! Both cities are stupid expensive in terms of rent, but I’m not even sure that Victoria is cheaper anymore   
 

thanks so much for your thoughtful reply! It was really helpful  

[psychmaybe]

45 minutes ago, sylsma said:

Thankyou so much for such a detailed response!! I should have mentioned in my original question that I graduated from uvic and was born and raised in Victoria (still live here now) so I know the city very well.

What does it mean for a program to be automatically accredited?

I’m leaning pretty heavily towards SFU at this point, as I think they operate from a lot more of a social justice lens than uvic does. They also make the program longer to accommodate people working fulltime during the program, and I really appreciate the emphasis on accessibility in that regard. I’d also like a change of scenery, and my partner has some solid work opportunities in Vancouver so it makes a lot of sense for us at this point of the game! Both cities are stupid expensive in terms of rent, but I’m not even sure that Victoria is cheaper anymore   
 

thanks so much for your thoughtful reply! It was really helpful  

Oh! Well that changes things a lot! It does sound like you're looking for a change of scenery, so maybe wait on SFU? It'll be very soon till we know! 

 

I just noticed that SFU isn't accredited by any of the bodies here in BC, it's still gives graduates the ability to be eligible to be accredited when you graduate, but you have to apply the long route which you don't have to do for other places like UBC, Adler or UVIC. I have no idea why that is the case though. 

[sylsma]

5 minutes ago, psychmaybe said:

Oh! Well that changes things a lot! It does sound like you're looking for a change of scenery, so maybe wait on SFU? It'll be very soon till we know! 

 

I just noticed that SFU isn't accredited by any of the bodies here in BC, it's still gives graduates the ability to be eligible to be accredited when you graduate, but you have to apply the long route which you don't have to do for other places like UBC, Adler or UVIC. I have no idea why that is the case though. 

Yeah, sorry I should have made that way more clear in my initial question! 
 

oh that’s so weird!  I wonder why SFU does it that way. That’s definitely annoying to say the least! Which schools did you apply to this year? 

[hopfefulllistener]

4 hours ago, 2021apply said:

Hi!
 

Has anyone been waitlisted at McGill for the MA Counselling psychology internship program? My application is still under review. I know some people have been rejected/accepted so am wondering if my lack of response means waitlisted or if it’s bad news!!
 

Thanks for your help. 

I am in the same boat as you! Would really like to know about this as well. 

[simp4gradschool]

LOL McGill MA Internship program rejected me. Quite surprised and disappointed to get rejected by my home university (even tho it's not my first option). Good luck to everyone else! And congrats to those got in!!!

[voobunny]

On 4/10/2021 at 3:16 AM, KimKim said:

Hi everyone!

It's my first time posting here. I've been accepted to U of T MEd Counselling and Psychotherapy program and also to McGill's MA Counselling program (both the project and internship stream). I would really appreciate if you could help me in deciding which program would be a better suit for me.

I am currently an international student, but am in the process of obtaining my permanent residency and am planning to work as a registered psychotherapist in Ontario. Due to the high international tuition rate at U of T ($40,000) compared to McGill ($20,000), I am dwelling whether paying the extra money is worth it. 

I am not that into research, but am kinda fond of having the "Doctor"  title ?. So I'm also considering pursuing the EdD program at U of T later on (which is a professional degree). 

Does the Internship program at McGill allow me to become a registered psychotherapist in Ontario? Would the program at U of T be a quicker route?

I'd also like to know how you'd compare these two programs in terms of the quality of training.

You can apply to become registered with the CRPO as long as you have completed a master's level program that is central to the practice of psychotherapy (McGill's program definitely fits that bill). You will simply apply using the non-recognized program application type. You shouldn't have any problem considering McGill is a Canadian university with a high quality of education and a good reputation. The only reason the program is not recognized is because it is in the province of Quebec. No programs that are out of province have the title of "recognized". But that doesn't impact your application to be certified. 

I hope this helps! You can look at this link for further info: https://www.crpo.ca/non-recognized-programs/ 

Beyond tuition, I would also recommend looking at the cost of living in the cities. Montreal is certainly more affordable than Toronto. 

Good luck and congratulations!

[PsychologyLady]

My application status just changed from waitlisted, to recommend by department at UVic... does this mean I am in?

[hsra2]

Hi everyone. It's my first time posting here and I just made an account with thegradcafe even though i've been lurking the posts since the beginning of this school year. I'm currently a 3rd year student studying Psychology at UWO and this isn't the year I apply to grad schools but I'm super anxious for next year. It's currently finals season and I am stressed out because these marks kind of determine the trajectory of the rest of my academic career. I've decided that I want to apply to Western, UofT, Guelph, Ottawa, McGill, McMaster, Yorkville, Acadia and Athabasca for their various counselling psychology programs but I'm not sure if I even have a chance for some of these schools. Here are my stats and please let me know what you think: 

• My GPA by the end of this year will be about a 3.7 (around 83% for my second year and a projected average of 84% for my third year) 
• I have been working at a psychology research lab since the summer after my first year so for about 2.5 years now 
• I have been on my school's psychology association for about 3 years now in various executive roles and will be a part of the club during my 4th year as well. I've taken on multiple roles such as first-year representative, VP External Communications, VP Marketing, and now VP Events 
• I've taken on the role of an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion representative on behalf of the psychology department at my school 
• I have had a job as a "Residence Don" at my University for about 3 years and in those role we deal with a bunch of mental health crisis situations + vulnerable individuals in general 
• I'm a part of my schools Undergraduate Psychology Journal as an editor 
• I will be completing an honours thesis next year 
• I just recently became a support line volunteer at the CMHA 

I won't be taking the GRE since it's not necessary for most of the programs, and other than upping my grades for fourth year and continuing my extracurricular commitments i'm not sure what else I can do to improve my application. It has also been difficult to really boost my average and I've kind of started to plateau at where I am right now. 

Any advice is appreciated! 

[psychmaybe]

23 minutes ago, hsra2 said:

Hi everyone. It's my first time posting here and I just made an account with thegradcafe even though i've been lurking the posts since the beginning of this school year. I'm currently a 3rd year student studying Psychology at UWO and this isn't the year I apply to grad schools but I'm super anxious for next year. It's currently finals season and I am stressed out because these marks kind of determine the trajectory of the rest of my academic career. I've decided that I want to apply to Western, UofT, Guelph, Ottawa, McGill, McMaster, Yorkville, Acadia and Athabasca for their various counselling psychology programs but I'm not sure if I even have a chance for some of these schools. Here are my stats and please let me know what you think: 

• My GPA by the end of this year will be about a 3.7 (around 83% for my second year and a projected average of 84% for my third year) 
• I have been working at a psychology research lab since the summer after my first year so for about 2.5 years now 
• I have been on my school's psychology association for about 3 years now in various executive roles and will be a part of the club during my 4th year as well. I've taken on multiple roles such as first-year representative, VP External Communications, VP Marketing, and now VP Events 
• I've taken on the role of an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion representative on behalf of the psychology department at my school 
• I have had a job as a "Residence Don" at my University for about 3 years and in those role we deal with a bunch of mental health crisis situations + vulnerable individuals in general 
• I'm a part of my schools Undergraduate Psychology Journal as an editor 
• I will be completing an honours thesis next year 
• I just recently became a support line volunteer at the CMHA 

I won't be taking the GRE since it's not necessary for most of the programs, and other than upping my grades for fourth year and continuing my extracurricular commitments i'm not sure what else I can do to improve my application. It has also been difficult to really boost my average and I've kind of started to plateau at where I am right now. 

Any advice is appreciated! 

They're good stats but I really would recommend considering taking some time out of study post undergrad to work in relevant fields to both gain experience (both in work and in life) and to really test this as the right field for you, full time. I know some schools do state on their sites they expect 1-2 years relevant work experience post undergrad, and I think that really should be the bare minimum. It not only gives you an opportunity to try other fields, to experience direct hands on full time work in mental health, but also to really reflect on your career path, goals and choices/opportunities. It's possible to go straight from undergrad, I'm sure, and you have some good experience listed there, but a couple of years outside of education will strengthen not only an application but also yourself. 

Research assistant/coordinator roles, charity outreach positions, teaching assistant, care home work, things like that really do strengthen an application and an applicant. Grades are important to a point, but many of these courses emphasise lived experience and applicable skills too. 

 

You have some good experience, an application next year could be worth a shot, but also do consider life is a marathon and not a sprint. It's part of an application to get relevant lived experience, often experience you simply can't gain in undergrad or through studying. Psychology work especially, it can be a draining, difficult job with a high amount of burnout so applicants need to be prepared for that. You have great skills listed here, and aside from what you've stated you seem to have everything ticked off for a great start in this field, so keep at it!

[Edge98]

21 hours ago, hsra2 said:

Hi everyone. It's my first time posting here and I just made an account with thegradcafe even though i've been lurking the posts since the beginning of this school year. I'm currently a 3rd year student studying Psychology at UWO and this isn't the year I apply to grad schools but I'm super anxious for next year. It's currently finals season and I am stressed out because these marks kind of determine the trajectory of the rest of my academic career. I've decided that I want to apply to Western, UofT, Guelph, Ottawa, McGill, McMaster, Yorkville, Acadia and Athabasca for their various counselling psychology programs but I'm not sure if I even have a chance for some of these schools. Here are my stats and please let me know what you think: 

• My GPA by the end of this year will be about a 3.7 (around 83% for my second year and a projected average of 84% for my third year) 
• I have been working at a psychology research lab since the summer after my first year so for about 2.5 years now 
• I have been on my school's psychology association for about 3 years now in various executive roles and will be a part of the club during my 4th year as well. I've taken on multiple roles such as first-year representative, VP External Communications, VP Marketing, and now VP Events 
• I've taken on the role of an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion representative on behalf of the psychology department at my school 
• I have had a job as a "Residence Don" at my University for about 3 years and in those role we deal with a bunch of mental health crisis situations + vulnerable individuals in general 
• I'm a part of my schools Undergraduate Psychology Journal as an editor 
• I will be completing an honours thesis next year 
• I just recently became a support line volunteer at the CMHA 

I won't be taking the GRE since it's not necessary for most of the programs, and other than upping my grades for fourth year and continuing my extracurricular commitments i'm not sure what else I can do to improve my application. It has also been difficult to really boost my average and I've kind of started to plateau at where I am right now. 

Any advice is appreciated! 

If you have the money to apply, I would say there is no harm in submitting applications especially if you know your career goal. Echoing what psychmaybe said, some programs do state they want 1-2 years of experience but it sounds like you've acquired quite a bit of relevant work and research experience in your undergrad already. Speaking from personal experience, I applied to 5 programs this year (3 clinical, 2 counselling) and was admitted into one counselling. It only takes one offer, hence why many people recommend applying broadly so you have a higher chance of being admitted. 

[Unicornfrrf]

Any Canadian students that applied to Med counselling psychology at OISE, can you please private message me or reply here. I desperately have some specific questions that I need advice on since I am planning to apply next year. 

 

 

[simp4gradschool]

8 hours ago, Unicornfrrf said:

Any Canadian students that applied to Med counselling psychology at OISE, can you please private message me or reply here. I desperately have some specific questions that I need advice on since I am planning to apply next year. 

 

 

 

[Sthom334]

I received an invitation to interview at Western. Does anyone have any tips for preparing for the interview. Thank you! 

[KimKim]

On 4/11/2021 at 1:06 AM, sylsma said:

I don’t know the answer to these questions but I just want to say congratulations!!!  Im pretty sure that doing the McGill program wouldnt impede you working in Ontario. 

Thanks a lot! I accepted UofT's offer.

[KimKim]

On 4/14/2021 at 7:34 PM, voobunny said:

You can apply to become registered with the CRPO as long as you have completed a master's level program that is central to the practice of psychotherapy (McGill's program definitely fits that bill). You will simply apply using the non-recognized program application type. You shouldn't have any problem considering McGill is a Canadian university with a high quality of education and a good reputation. The only reason the program is not recognized is because it is in the province of Quebec. No programs that are out of province have the title of "recognized". But that doesn't impact your application to be certified. 

I hope this helps! You can look at this link for further info: https://www.crpo.ca/non-recognized-programs/ 

Beyond tuition, I would also recommend looking at the cost of living in the cities. Montreal is certainly more affordable than Toronto. 

Good luck and congratulations!

Thanks so much! The info really helped.

[PsychologyLady]

On 4/8/2021 at 1:30 PM, BobbiQueen said:

Not sure at all about any of this. But according to their requirements they look at the final year and when applying they specifically asked for the last year. 

I was waitlisted, and got accepted to UVic. I had an average of 8.0/9.0 or 87% through my last two years 

[lmw1496]

8 hours ago, PsychologyLady said:

I was waitlisted, and got accepted to UVic. I had an average of 8.0/9.0 or 87% through my last two years 

Congrats on your acceptance!!! If you don't mind me asking, what were your work/volunteer/etc. experiences like (I was rejected, but I'm thinking of re-applying next cycle)?