General information
This section is intended for persons wishing to obtain recognition of equivalence of a diploma or training, i,e. persons trained in couples and family therapy outside Québec.
This application makes it possible to obtain recognition of equivalence of a diploma or training, under the Regulation on equivalence standards for the issuance of a permit from the Ordre professionnel des travailleurs sociaux et des thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Québec (chapter C-26, a. 93, par. c and c.1).
Please read the following documents to determine your eligibility before completing your admission application.
If you received your diploma more than 5 years ago, you are required to comply with the regulation on refresher training or courses. We invite you to take note of the Application of the Regulation on refresher training or courses for further information on this subject.
A form of psychotherapy
Moreover, couples and family therapy is a form of psychotherapy, since the core of its practice consists in providing psychological treatment intended to bring significant changes to the relationship dynamics or structure of a couple or family. In fact, when legislators updated the professional system in 2012, it defined psychotherapy and provided a framework for its practice (Art. 187.1 et seq. of the Professional Code).
Consequently, a couples and family therapist must hold a psychotherapist’s permit issued by the Ordre des psychologues du Québec (Québec Order of Psychologists) if engaged in the practice of couples and family therapy in Québec. Until a permit has been issued, the couples and family therapist can engage in couples and family interventions provided such practice is consistent with conditions set forth in the regulation on the psychotherapy permit, as this type of intervention does not constitute psychotherapy. Please refer to the website of the Québec Order of Psychologists or contact them for any information regarding the psychotherapist’s permit.
Documents to be read before applying
- The framework of activities related to the profession of couples and family therapy in Québec (Référentiel d’activité professionnelle lié à la profession de thérapeute conjugal et familial ou thérapeute conjugale et familiale au Québec) (PDF, 1,9 Mo)
- The regulation on equivalence standards for the issuance of a permit from the Ordre professionnel des travailleurs sociaux et des thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Québec (chapter C-26, a. 93, par. c and c.1)
Comparative evaluation of studies by the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI)
If you completed your studies outside of Canada and the United States, you must take the necessary measures to obtain a comparative evaluation of your studies from the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI).
This evaluation makes it possible to establish, in general terms, how studies completed outside Québec compare to those of the Québec educational system.
IMPORTANT
We advise you to complete this step as quickly as possible, given the time required by the MIFI.
This measure can be initiated directly from abroad.
Priority processing
If you wish to obtain a letter from the Order asking that your file be given priority treatment by the MIFI, you may do so by emailing a request to Johanne Malo to [email protected]. Don’t forget to attach an up-to-date copy of your curriculum vitae.
For additional information on the comparative evaluation of your studies, go to this website or contact the ministry by telephone at 514 864-9191 in the Montréal region or toll-free at 1 877 864-9191 elsewhere in Québec.
Documents to be attached
We ask that you keep a copy of all documents sent to the Order, since only official documents issued abroad will be returned to you. If you wish to recover documents that were issued to you abroad, you must:
- include a note specifying that you wish your official documents returned and
- include a copy of all documents you wish to have returned.
Documents will be returned to you by regular mail. Note that you will be billed for postal and photocopy costs ($0.41/sheet) exceeding $8.05.
However, if you wish to pick them up from the Order’s head office, please specify this in your request and we will contact you as soon as your documents are ready for pick-up.
The following documents must be attached to your application for admission.
1. Proof of identity
You must send us a photocopy of a government-issued ID card, which shows your full name. Examples: passport, driver’s licence, birth certificate.
2. Application form for a comparative evaluation of studies
Please return the completed form to the following address [email protected] when submitting your file to the Order. You can also print it and include it with your application for a comparative evaluation.
Complete the Application for a comparative evaluation of studies for a couples and family therapist permit. Note: This form will be available shortly.
3. Office québécois de la langue française Form (if applicable)
Please consult the linguistic requirements to determine if you must complete the Formulaire de l’Office québécois de la langue française.
4. Translated documents
If any of the documents required by the Order to undertake an analysis of your file are written in a language other than French or English, you must have these documents translated by a certified translator recognized by the appropriate authority in the country where the translation was done or call on the services of a member of the Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec (OTTIAQ).
The translation must be certified, which is to say that you must provide the Order with proof of the accreditation of the person who produced it, notably with an official declaration attesting to the translator’s competence in the languages involved. This proof must be submitted along with the document(s).
If the translation has been produced by a person who is not an accredited translator, it must be verified by a member of the Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec (OTTIAQ).
Documents relating to your academic background
1. Comparative evaluation of studies by the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI)
The original official document confirming the comparative evaluation of studies outside Québec and issued by the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI).
If this has not yet been done, we ask that you take note of the process for obtaining this document.
2. Diploma(s)
You must also attach:
- a copy of any university degree relevant to the analysis of your application for admission.
- a copy of the first-cycle diploma, which gave you access to that program and
- all of the following documents related to this first-cycle education, if this education is related to human relations or mental health.
document.
3. Official transcripts
Official transcripts of each of your university programs in couples and family therapy or a field related to couples and family therapy, attesting to the courses leading to the awarding of the diploma. You must provide an original final transcript.
If applicable, add the official transcripts of any other university training that did not lead to the awarding of a diploma.
Transcripts must be accompanied by an official document produced by the educational establishment and provide the total number of hours in each of the courses taken, i.e.:
- the number of hours of class attendance per week for each of the courses taken and the courses’ total number of weeks.
Example
Couples therapy: 3 hours per week for 15 weeks
or
- the total number of hours representing the work to be completed and the total duration of weeks of learning activities.
Example
Couples therapy: 8 hours per week for 30 weeks
4. Description of courses
A detailed description of each of the university courses contained in your university’s calendar for the year you attended.
5. Course Plans
Course plans for the year you trained in each of the courses taken, showing:
- general objectives
- specific objectives
- the courses’ weekly pedagogical activities
- You can email these course plans to [email protected] when submitting or mailing your file or transferring it to a USB key to be included with your admission application file.
In the event that you are unable to obtain these, you must provide an official document produced by the educational establishment attesting to the fact that these course plans are not available.
6. Official attestation of practical training courses from the educational establishment that awarded the university diplomas
An official attestation from the teaching establishment that awarded the university diploma, confirming:
- the successful completion of practical training courses
- the total number of hours of hands-on training with couples and families
- the total number of hours of practice with individuals
- the total number of hours devoted to other activities related to couples and family therapy
- the number of hours of individual supervision with couples and families
- the number of hours of individual supervision involving individuals
The attestation must specify whether or not the practical sessions were supervised by a person trained in couples and family therapy or by a person practicing the profession of couples and family therapist.
In the event that you are unable to obtain this attestation, you must provide an official document produced by the educational establishment, indicating that it is unable to provide it.
