Nurse Psychotherapy Association of Ontario

FAQ’s about Nurse Psychotherapy

1. Can nurses in Ontario provide Psychotherapy?

Yes, Nurses in Ontario are one of 6 regulated health professional designations that are independently able to practice the controlled act of psychotherapy in Ontario.

2. Who decides who is able to provide psychotherapy in Ontario?

The Regulated Health Professions Act (1991), 27(2).14 - is the legislation that covers the controlled act of psychotherapy and the professions who can practice it. Alongside the rules and regulations set out by each individual regulatory body, such as the College of Nurses of Ontario. This legislation covers all nurses in Ontario, including our new graduate nurses and nurses who are internationally educated - so long as they hold a license to practice nursing in the province of Ontario.

3. What education do nurses need in order to practice psychotherapy?

• Nurses first need to be licensed as nurses in Ontario, this meets the first set of educational requirements through entry to practice standards.
• Next, nurses need to identify the population and specific areas they will be working with and identify if there are any assessment, interventional (modality) or evaluatory components to treating this population that they need to seek further educational development in. Nurses are however encouraged to pursue additional education in the modality of psychotherapy or approach they are interested in, but nursing organizations do not require a particular one over another and fidelity to the model and educational and supervisory/mentorship experience of the educator should be considered.
• For nurses who wish to practice at the level of Clinical Nurse Specialists - they must have a graduate degree to meet this requirement.
• Lastly, all nurses are required to seek mentorship in practice when the practice they are entering is either new or to have support in areas of growth or change. In other regulated professions in psychotherapy, this is called supervision. Nursing mentorship meets the same criteria, if not more. Nurses are required to yearly have peer review on their skills and abilities in identifying and evaluating their learning plans as part of their yearly QA. This is a major component of self-regulation.

**There are NO approved (by a regulatory body or nursing accrediting body or ministry funded credentialed (certificate, certification, exam, diploma or degree) Nurse Psychotherapy programs in Ontario.**

4. What are the approved designations for nurses practicing psychotherapy?

The only designations approved in Ontario for nurse psychotherapists are:

• Nurse Psychotherapist (CNO, 2024)
• RPN, Psychotherapist; RN, Psychotherapist; NP, Psychotherapist
• Jane Doe, RN, Psychotherapist or John Doe, RN, Psychotherapist ect.