What You’ll Learn 

The Master’s in Counselling Psychology, offered by the Faculty of Education, is based on the scientist-practitioner model, which emphasizes the integration of both research and practice. It prepares students to generate and apply psychological knowledge to professional practice, learn and apply the ethical standards and principles of the profession, and develop an understanding and respect for human diversity. The program includes a series of courses and supervised practicums and is approved by the College of Alberta Psychologists.

Both program options are highly competitive, accepting only five percent of applicants. The curriculum includes courses in counselling theories, counselling skills, ethics and professional standards, research, and assessment. The thesis-based program, which prepares students to undertake a doctoral dissertation, involves conducting a supervised research study in the second year. The course-based program involves conducting a capping project in the second year, for example, a best practice guideline or protocol for working with a particular client population.

What’s Distinct About U of A’s Program 

Students gain hands-on training early in their studies. In the first year of both program options, they engage in direct counselling experience with a wide range of clients, supervised by registered psychologists, as part of formal practicum courses. Typically, client contact starts as early as October in year one of the program and continues until the end of April. In the second year, students also obtain supervised assessment experience in additional practicum courses, adding up to at least 450 hours over the course of the program.

The strong emphasis on practicum experience throughout the entire program, paired with its top-notch reputation nationally, secured U of A’s degree the top spot in the ranking.

What You’ll Learn 

The Master of Education in Counselling Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy field, is a course-based professional development program providing the theoretical and practical skill sets for licensing as a registered psychotherapist in a variety of settings. The program encourages students to tailor their coursework and practicum experiences to align with their career goals. Possible areas of focus include adult counselling and psychotherapy, college and university counselling, geriatrics counselling, and community mental health and family life centres. The program is typically offered on a full-time basis with a limited number of part-time spots available.

The Global Mental Health and Counselling Psychology field prepares students to work in a variety of global applied settings with a focus on mental health. The three-year, full-time program teaches students the cutting-edge theory and practice of psychology and mental health in international settings. The practicum component is to be arranged primarily by the student and must be in an international setting. The program is designed for students wishing to practice outside of Canada.

What’s Distinct About U of T’s Program 

The University of Toronto’s MEd in Counselling Psychology stands out for its comprehensive training opportunities, interdisciplinary focus, and global perspectives; it is widely recognized as a competitive and sought-after training program for counsellors and psychotherapists. The Counselling Psychology stream provides hands-on experience through the OISE Psychology Clinic, where students deliver counselling services to children, adolescents, and adults under supervision. The program also features collaborative specializations that give students the opportunity to explore a variety of interdisciplinary areas, such as aging and palliative care, community development, sexual diversity, and women and gender studies.

The program’s flexibility enables students to tailor their coursework and practicum to specific career goals, while the Global Mental Health and Counselling Psychology Field offers an international focus for those interested in working outside of Canada.

What You’ll Learn 

The Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology offers a balance of theory, practice, and research. Students explore a range of topics, including ethics and legal issues, career development, assessment, theories of counselling, and more. Two practicum placements in the community give students the counselling preparation and training necessary to work in a variety of settings.

What’s Distinct About UVic’s Program 

A unique aspect of UVic’s MA in Counselling Psychology program is it takes a trauma-informed approach, which equips students with the knowledge and skills to support individuals who have experienced trauma. The program also stands out for its small class sizes and ongoing supervision throughout the program.

There is a strong focus on the practicum, ensuring that students gain real-world experience to prepare them for a wide range of counselling settings. Students must complete at least 100 hours on-site in the first year of their practicum, and at least 400 hours on-site in the second, for a total of 500 hours over the course of the program.

The MA in Counselling Psychology program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Counsellor Education Programs (CACEP), which promotes high standards in the training of professional counsellors and continuously reviews and evaluates counsellor education programs. Students who have graduated from CACEP accredited programs are fast tracked through the certification procedure – they don’t need to provide course descriptions with their applications as these programs have already had their coursework evaluated and approved.

What You’ll Learn 

The Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology program follows the scientist-practitioner model, integrating rigorous theoretical and research with the development of core counselling competencies. The comprehensive curriculum covers topics such as assessment in counselling, group counselling, individual and family counselling theories and interventions, research, and ethics. Students develop their skills under faculty supervision in one of the department’s school or community-based training centres, and further counselling skills are developed during a final practicum, typically based within a school or community agency setting. The practicum is 510 hours in total, including 160 direct individual counselling hours (including couples and families), 50 hours of group leadership, 25 hours of individual supervision, and 275 professional activities hours.

What’s Distinct About UBC’s Program 

UBC has one of the leading Faculties of Education in the world. The Counselling Psychology program is well regarded for its faculty experience, emphasis on research excellence, and strong reputation. Rigorous training and supervision are offered through the counselling clinic and practicum placements.

Faculty strive for excellence in their research, teaching, and community and professional engagement. They are involved in a wide range of research activities including intercultural counselling, First Nations counselling, career development and counselling, stress and coping, sexuality and reproductive health, disabilities, trauma, and others.

The Counselling Psychology Master’s Program has full accreditation from CCPA’s accrediting body, the Council on Accreditation of Counsellor Education Programs (CACEP). Students who have graduated from CACEP accredited programs are fast tracked through the certification procedure – they don’t need to provide course descriptions with their applications as these programs have already had their coursework evaluated and approved.

What You’ll Learn 

In the MA in Counselling Psychology program, offered by the Faculty of Education, students explore theories of counselling psychology, research design in counselling, and the assessment of career and counselling psychology. They also study systemic practice, counselling interventions, community mental health, and cross-cultural counselling. Throughout the program, students are exposed to a variety of theoretical orientations, including feminist-informed, cognitive-behavioural, and existential practices.

As part of the program, students work on a thesis proposal and engage in skill development related to career counselling, life transitions, ethics, and human development. Students complete an internship placement in counselling activities for a minimum of 550 supervised hours on site.

What’s Distinct About the Program 

Western University’s Faculty of Education is renowned for offering a world-class education. Its programs – including the MA in Counselling Psychology – are grounded in evidence-based research and taught by award-winning and internationally recognized faculty and practitioners.

The MA in Counselling Psychology program requires all students to be actively involved in research in the field, and the thesis requirement prepares them to be both consumers and producers of research.

Another distinctive aspect is an eight-month internship with experienced counsellors in child and family services, schools, colleges and universities, as well as mental health and justice settings. This prepares students for counselling practices in specialized areas of interest.

What You’ll Learn 

Students gain a strong foundation in counselling theories and methods in the Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, and are trained to work with individuals, families, and groups to address specific mental and emotional health issues. Courses span topics such as counselling skills and intervention, research, ethics, trauma theory, couple and family therapy, and theories of psychotherapy.

A 700-hour counselling practicum offers extensive training in the field, with a focus on the clinic work and principles of counselling – the highest minimum requirement of any school on this list. Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology students also engage in a rigorous and systematic investigation for their thesis.

Both thesis and non-thesis streams are accepted by the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors and the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.

What’s Distinct about Adler’s Program 

Adler University has a unique program called the Social Justice Practicum, a non-clinical practicum that provides support to non-profits that focus on social justice. The practicum is a required 200-hour internship that spans two semesters. Every student selects their areas of interest from a range of civic-minded categories, and then they are assigned to a community outreach site where they work eight to 10 hours a week. After completion, students present at a campus-wide event to demonstrate what they learned and accomplished.

What You’ll Learn

The Master of Education Counselling program integrates theory, practice, and research, while emphasizing three dimensions of counselling: personal, academic, and professional. Students engage in self-awareness and personal reflection, study the theoretical foundations of counselling, and learn the practical aspects of counselling.

Courses include counselling theories, counselling skills, group counselling, ethics in counselling, crisis and trauma counselling, and theories of career development. As part of two supervised practicums (100 hours and 400 hours respectively, for a minimum of 500 hours total), students gain real-world counselling experience in individual and group settings.

Graduates of the M.Ed. Counselling program meet requirements for the Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) designation with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) and the Registered Counselling Therapist – Candidate (RCT-C) designation with the Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists (NSCCT).

What’s Distinct About Acadia’s Program 

Acadia University’s M.Ed. Counselling program is offered in two streams: school and agency. The streams are designed to prepare students for careers in a variety of settings, including university and college counselling centres, school systems (for those with teaching certificates), community mental health, hospices and palliative care, women’s centres, correctional facilities, and more. Students must complete all core courses in addition to the required courses for either the school counselling or agency counselling stream. Students have another three options with respect to the structure of their program: a “course only” or non-thesis route, as well as thesis and project options for those wishing to pursue doctoral studies.

In 2024, Acadia University opened a new student-operated mental health centre with two locations – one on campus in Wolfville and another in Kentville, N.S. The Red Spruce Mental Health Centre is open to the public and provides free services to the community, allowing students to complete their practicums within their communities.

The M.Ed. Counselling program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Counsellor Education Programs (CACEP), which promotes high standards in the training of professional counsellors and continuously reviews and evaluates counsellor education programs. Students who have graduated from CACEP accredited programs are fast tracked through the certification procedure – they don’t need to provide course descriptions with their applications as these programs have already had their coursework evaluated and approved.

What You’ll Learn 

The program provides students with a foundation in theory, research and practice of counselling and psychotherapy. Students learn to employ a variety of psychotherapy models and techniques to facilitate change in an ethical and professional manner. Topics covered in the curriculum include professional ethics, theories and practices in counselling and psychotherapy, theories of career development, skill development, tests and measurement, and others. Research themes include aggression, anxiety and depression, bullying and victimization, mindfulness, and others.

What’s Distinct About the Program 

The University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Education stands out as a leader in research, featuring laboratories, networks, and specialized Educational Research Units (ERUs). It’s also home to a training and research facility focused on counselling and psychotherapy, alongside the Centre for Research on Educational and Community Services, which partners with various organizations across education, social services, and health sectors.

Whether students are research- or coursework-oriented, the program’s three options in Counselling Psychology prepare them for their careers, guided by experienced faculty and dedicated professional support staff. With courses available in both French and English, most classes are conveniently scheduled in the evenings, making the program accessible to a diverse range of students.

What You’ll Learn 

The Master of Science in Counselling Psychology program is grounded on a scientist-practitioner model, emphasizing the integration of science and practice; critical evaluation of theory, research, and practice’ and generation and dissemination of cutting-edge knowledge. Students have the opportunity to study diverse topics, including psychological intervention and assessment, ethical and cultural issues in practice, group and relationship processes, quantitative and qualitative research design, and others. The program also upholds a commitment to social justice, infusing advocacy in both the science and practice of psychology.

In the first year, students complete at a practicum at the on-campus Centre for Wellbeing in Education (100 total hours including 50 client contact hours); in the second year, complete a psychologist-supervised practicum (400 total hours including 200 client contact hours) in an off-campus setting, for a total of 500 hours over the course of the program.

What’s Distinct About the Program 

The Counselling Psychology program has a strong commitment to social justice, recognizing that suffering and psychological distress often arise from systems of oppression, social injustices, colonialism, and human rights violations. All required courses align with social justice, and there are specific courses on social justice, including decolonization, human rights professional psychology, and Indigenous approaches to therapy. The program’s emphasis on applied research also promotes social justice and many faculty members work with marginalized communities and do advocacy work aligned with social justice.

What You’ll Learn 

In the online Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, students explore diverse facets of counselling, including various counselling methodologies and competencies, ethical standards, couples and family systems approaches, group counselling, and cultural diversity in counselling. Students may also choose from various electives including crisis and trauma intervention, psychopathology, addiction counselling, and counselling in schools.

Students complete a 30-week (400 hour) practicum at the end of the program in the form of two 15-week courses. The aim of the MACP practicum is to develop basic entry-level counselling skills within the traditional 50-minute counselling session, while learning to apply appropriate theory, building on previous coursework as students work with real clients under supervision. Students are responsible for securing their own practicum placement and both practicum sites and practicum supervisors must meet specific criteria before they are approved. The MACP program has a team of Pre-Practicum Advisors to assist students in preparing for practicum. Once students begin their practicum course, they are assigned to a dedicated Practicum Coordinator, who will assist them throughout their 30-week practicum journey. 

What’s Distinct About the Program 

Yorkville University’s Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology was designed for working professionals or remote learners, providing students scheduling flexibility with its online delivery. Nearly 80 percent of students in the program work full time while completing their degree. Students can begin their studies when it works for them, with program starts in January, May, and September each year. The curriculum, developed and managed by a robust team of credentialed faculty and instructional design specialists to maximize the practical applications of theory, features asynchronous learning with some mandatory synchronous components in select courses, to optimize the overall learning experience by facilitating real-time interaction with instructors and peers.

Students have ample opportunities for peer connection and professional development, including virtual student groups in every province, in-person student/faculty coffee-connects, regular free mental health webinars facilitated by MACP faculty, and access to monthly webinars offered by provincial regulatory bodies and associations. The program also offers an annual mentoring program with opportunities for students to connect with MACP alumni and other professionals in their communities. These networking opportunities with mentors allow students to discover post-graduation career options, learn how to advance their careers, and develop the confidence and skills to network with established colleagues in the field.

Yorkville’s MACP program is recognized by provincial and national associations and regulatory bodies across Canada, allowing graduates to apply for registration or membership with a range of professional organizations. Upon graduation, grads can pursue roles in the field of mental health, including mental health service providers, clinical counsellors, psychotherapists, community agency counsellors, and mental health program administrators, among others.

What You’ll Learn 

The Master of Counselling program curriculum covers topics such as theories of counselling, foundational counselling and conflict resolution skills, professional ethics and conduct, group counselling, counselling diverse clients, and others. The final two terms of the program each include a minimum 150-hour practicum placement, for a total of at least 300 hours throughout the program, allowing students to develop their skills in real counselling settings throughout the year.

In the Counselling Psychology (MEd) program, students complete coursework, a practicum, and a culminating activity (thesis, project, or capstone) to: acquire communication skills in interpersonal and counselling contexts; learn historical and theoretical foundations in counselling psychology; understand the process of career counselling; develop an understanding of gender and cultural issues in counselling; experience supervised practice in counselling psychology settings; and more.

What’s Distinct About the Program 

The Master of Counselling program is designed for working professionals, with an aim to help students balance their studies and careers. This is made possible through a hybrid format that combines online and in-person learning, with the program spread out over three years.

The Counselling Psychology (MEd) is an intense program designed for students who are fully immersed in their studies. However, the second year gives students the opportunity to choose a practicum in a location of their choosing, providing some flexibility. Another distinct feature of the program is that applicants are not required to identify a potential supervisor for the thesis or project option at the time of the application. This is done while they are in the program and have an idea for their topic in place.

A key strength of both programs is the cohort model they follow, where students progress through courses alongside their peers, fostering strong networks. In addition, students choose their own location for the practicum – giving them a say in their training – which can be completed across Canada.

What You’ll Learn 

In the MA in Counselling Psychology program, the first-year courses explore counselling theories, skills and strategies, assessment procedures, and ethics. There is also a practical training component for students to learn and practice their counselling skills with peers and receive feedback from faculty. In year two, students complete two counselling clinics, as well as other required courses. In the year-three practicum that adds up to 500 hours, students are placed in a community-based social service agency, public school, or a university or counselling centre where they see clients under supervision.

What’s Distinct About the Program 

A key feature of the program is the SFU Surrey Counselling Centre (SCC), where students provide counselling to diverse clients, ranging from children to adults, depending on their interests and experiences. Additionally, the program is designed for working professionals, with classes held in the late afternoons and early evenings.

What You’ll Learn 

The Master of Counselling program equips students with the essential knowledge, skills, and judgment to address a wide range of emotional, cognitive, and behavioural issues. Courses include professional ethics, health psychology, counselling children and adolescents from a developmental perspective, family therapy: theory and practice, and others.

During their practicum, students put their hard work into practice, building confidence in their counselling skills and exploring directions they wish to continue to grow in. Students are required to be at their placement site for 400 hours and must deliver 200 hours of direct client contact, with 60 percent consisting of individual counselling.

The courses in the Counselling Psychology specialization are designed to meet the graduate course requirements for licensure as a registered psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists.

What’s Distinct About the Program 

Athabasca University is the only English-language public university in Canada that is fully digital by design, meaning all its programs are created specifically for online spaces. All courses in the Master of Counselling program are paced with defined start and end dates, and many courses require students to participate in weekly online discussion forums. Other courses, such as responsive counselling relationships and interpersonal communication, have synchronous skills practice activities, where students are paired with a practice partner. They also participate in pairs and individual coaching with their course instructor, as well as synchronous Teams meetings with all class members.

In the counselling practicum (which includes field placement and course activities), there are synchronous virtual intensive seminars in which students present their counselling work to their instructor and peers for consultation and evaluation. Students can complete the Master of Counselling in 3.5 years of full-time study or take up to seven years to complete all requirements.

What You’ll Learn 

The MEd in Counselling prepares students to address a wide range of issues related to daily life and development as counsellors, including career choice and adjustment, successfully making life transitions, functioning in interpersonal relationships, and emotional and behavioural problems. The curriculum covers topics such as theories in counselling psychology, group procedures, career counselling in schools, diversity, assessment, crisis counselling, and others.

This degree is tailored for future masters-level practitioners, working as school counsellors or counselling therapists in community agencies or private practice.

What’s Distinct About the Program 

The University of New Brunswick’s Master of Education is recognized as one of Canada’s most respected graduate programs in education, offering six distinct concentration areas, including counselling. Students benefit from small classes and personal attention from top-notch instructors who are engaged in a wide range of research, including career and vocational development, counselling processes, therapeutic relationships, and growth psychology.

What You’ll Learn 

McGill’s MA in Counselling Psychology prepares students for research or clinical careers in counselling psychology. It includes coursework in intervention, psychological testing, assessment and diagnosis, ethics, statistics, multiculturalism and gender, and career psychology. On the research side, training is provided through coursework in data analysis and a research project.

In practicums, students develop basic interviewing and helping skills, and their application to a range of problems. Clients are seen in McGill Psychoeducational and Counselling Clinic, an on-campus setting for students’ clinical training and research. McGill emphasizes that the degree alone does not fulfill the requirements of the Quebec Professional Order of Guidance Counsellors (OCCOQ) or the Quebec Order of Psychologists (OPQ). Graduates of this program will need a supplementary internship experience if they wish to fulfill the requirements for membership in the OCCOQ. Students are admitted to an internship only with approval of the program and contingent on the availability of supervisory staff.

What’s Distinct About the Program 

MA in Counselling Psychology produces graduates who are trained in counselling psychology and research. Faculty members are involved in collaborative research at local, national, and international levels, providing students with valuable connections to research labs, research leaders, and professional organizations. Students also have the opportunity to work closely with faculty members on their research teams, and many have successfully obtained external fellowships. Additionally, ECP students can take advantage of various employment opportunities while enrolled in their programs, including research and teaching assistants.

Students also benefit from having access to the McGill Psychoeducational and Counselling Clinic, a teaching and training unit of the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology within McGill’s Faculty of Education. The clinic provides low-cost psychological services to people seeking psychoeducational assessments or counselling.

What You’ll Learn 

The Master’s Program in Counselling Psychology follows the scientist-practitioner model with an emphasis on reflective practice. Students learn the principles, processes, and methods of interviewing children, adolescents, and adults, as well as the skills of measurement and evaluation. In addition to developing individual and group counselling skills, they conduct and interpret current research.

The program provides a variety of supervised practicum placements that can support more specialized experience to meet individual needs and interests. A minimum of 180 hours of counselling experience in placement situations is required. Students also receive help with career development, career information, and job search skills.

What’s Distinct About the Program 

Students in the Master’s Program in Counselling Psychology have the flexibility to pursue a course-based option, which culminates in a comprehensive final exam or project, and a thesis-based option, designed to prepare them for conducting research.

No doctoral degree in Counselling Psychology is currently offered in Manitoba.

What You’ll Learn 

In the Master of Counselling, comprehensive courses cover a broad range of clinical issues to help students develop a solid theoretical and ethical framework, while gaining the practical counselling skills they need.

Courses include psychological theories and counselling practices; ethics and law; research methods and statistics; family, couple, group and adolescent counselling; and psychoeducational assessment. There is also a capstone research project that gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge regarding a variety of theories, perspectives, and practices.

Students take part in internships at local agencies or other settings and deliver counselling under supervision (250 client contact hours and 50 site supervision hours are required). They also gain clinical experience through two practicums. Graduates will be qualified to pursue registration as a psychologist or a counselling therapist in Alberta, or a registered clinical counsellor in B.C.

What’s Distinct About the Program 

CityU’s Master of Counselling programs feature a cohort-based learning structure, allowing students to complete their courses alongside their same group of peers. This provides a built-in support group for the duration of the program, as well as an opportunity to build connections with future counselling professionals.

CityU offers a wide range of options for pursuing a Master of Counselling degree, including virtual, in-person, and mixed mode, with weekday and Saturday cohorts. This flexibility makes the program ideal for busy working professionals as well as those early in their academic journeys.