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By Ian Gustafson

concerned group

College of Alberta Psychologists respond as calls for changes in licensing exam continue

Jul 29, 2025 | 12:32 PM

The College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) will soon implement a bylaw change that allows mental health professionals to reapply for registration to take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) more than three times in a lifetime.

The policy change was passed by CAP council in February this year and will come into effect on Sept. 1.

This change comes as a group of concerned Alberta mental health professionals calls on the CAP to change their policy.

The group started an online petition, which currently has 1,064 signatures, in an effort to convince the CAP council to repeal the current policy and replace it with one that meets national standards.

Dr. Richard Spelliscy, registrar and CEO of the CAP, said council reviewed the petition on Friday during their regular council meeting.

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One of the action items for council, is to clear up what they say is the misconception with the group of concerned Alberta mental health professionals that they’re barred from reapplying to take the exam after failing it three times.

Spelliscy explained within five years of the date of cancellation of their registration, they can reapply to the college.

In other words, if the student fails the exam three times during the five-year term where they can take the exam and complete other requirements, the college will allow them to reapply again in five years to get more attempts at the exam. The college will also sometimes allow someone to write the exam a fourth time if they have a good enough reason or extenuating circumstances.

“We empathize with them that this exam is a comprehensive examination and that it requires a lot of preparation. We also recognize that very few test takers do not pass this exam after four attempts,” he said. “We’ve looked at the data and we believe that the number of people who pass the exam after those four attempts is high and with extra effort, many of those individuals are able to pass the exam and meet our requirements.”

Spelliscy said the reason behind “the five-year cool off period” is so the student can get more experience and education, increasing the likelihood of passing the exam when they come back.

The EPPP exam must be passed with a 70 per cent or better in order to become a registered psychologist in the province.

Currently, the groups understanding is if they do not pass the exam after three attempts their name is removed from the provisional psychologist registry at the end of their five-year term, and they are permanently barred from reapplying to practise as a psychologist in Alberta.

In replacement, the group of concerned Alberta mental health professionals are asking the CAP to adopt the Association of State & Provincial Psychology Boards model, which allows up to four attempts per year. They also won’t have to reapply to take the exam five years down the road.

Spelliscy added the CAP does not post bylaws on the website that are not in effect so he understands why this may have led to the belief that those who are unsuccessful on the EPPP, had a lifetime ban.

A spokesperson with the group of concerned Alberta mental health professionals said despite the clarification from the CAP, they remain committed to push for four attempts per year.

“This doesn’t change the fact that, even at that time after five years, individuals will only have three attempts, and it will take them almost a decade to be able to practice as a psychologist after completing their degrees,” they said in an email.

Red Deer resident Brenda Desjarlais explained she’s been personally impacted by the policy.

She currently works as a counseling therapist with the Association of Counselling Therapy of Alberta but has been unable to practise as a registered psychologist in Alberta because of the rule.

Despite getting her masters in counseling psychology in 2017, she maxed out her three attempts at the exam.

In a letter to Desjarlais from the CAP in Dec. 2024 obtained by rdnewsNOW, the CAP stated that even though she was registered prior to 2023, they informed her that she is not eligible to reapply.

She said the rules are very rigid and do not leave room for extenuating circumstances. On top of financial reasons, Desjarlais has also had various personal challenges and multiple losses in her family she had to deal with.

“These complications in my life were not considered and they didn’t ask how I could be supported by the CAP. I was in no condition to be able to study or write the exam but I was given a deadline to pass the exam,” she said.

Not being able to work as a psychologist she said has taken away her chance at accomplishing her ultimate goal of helping Indigenous people.

She said in Red Deer there are not many Indigenous psychologists and she was hoping to change that.

“My wish is that the CAP would be more supportive around writing the EPPP because the exam really doesn’t define whether you’re a good psychologist or not. It only tells you, you can write an exam,” she added. “I’m very good at what I do but that’s not recognized.

“With all of life’s circumstances, and I’m not just talking about mine, it’s not appropriate. We work in a field where we’re supposed to help with mental health and we’re only creating more mental health issues. I know people who have been so anxious around this exam that they’ve had to take time off work because they just go so far down hill. It’s because of the stress the EPPP causes.”