FAQs for All Registrants

The Standards of Practice require that registrants:

“shall be familiar with the standardization, norms, reliability, and validity of any tests and techniques used and with the proper use and application of these tests.”

NSRP is not contemplating the development of a position statement regarding use of the DSM V.  We do not endorse nor denounce any diagnostic/classification instruments or manuals.  It would be up to the registrant to decide on the use of a specific instrument/manual and address any limitations that may exist.

Have an official transcript forwarded to NSRP along with a request to have your registration reflect the doctorate.
If you have completed all requirements for your doctoral degree but have not convocated, click here for the requirements.

As per the Regulated Health Professions Act and the Psychology Regulations, those registered on the Conditional Register will need to complete at least one year of post doctoral supervision before being eligible to take the Oral Exam (final step before placement on the Register of Psychologists). Additional supervision is not a requirement for those already registered on the Register of Psychologists.

Click here for a brochure from the NSRP.

Yes. Click here for information.

According to NSRP standards, by taking the appropriate steps to ensure he/she acquires the appropriate knowledge and skills, a Registered Psychologist can expand his/her activities within the same Area of Practice.
Those on the Register of Candidates must submit a Learning Plan to NSRP. The Learning Plan process is outlined in detail, on page 18 of the NSRP Supervision Handbook.
However, those wishing to add a new Area of Practice, according to NSRP standards, would generally be required to complete a graduate program in the new Area of Practice.
For the definition of Practice Areas, and clarification about the difference between expansion within an Area of Practice versus Adding a new Area of practice, click here for information.

Registrants who are married and assume a new last name or amend their last name are required to provide notice to NSRP along with a photocopy of their marriage certificate or copy of an updated government issued photo ID.

The first place to go is the Standards of Practice. Many answers can easily be found there.   The NSRP has prepared a Standards of Practice binder that brings together the standards and the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists, NSRP guidelines, and relevant legislation in a single document.

The NSRP has also prepared a guide on consulting with NSRP and on the broader resources available for ethical and regulatory questions.  You can click here or on the PDF icon below to view Consultation with NSRP.

Consultation with NSRP

The NSRP document Communication by Registrants brings together some helpful standards concerning this matter. Click here to view the document.

The NSRP does not require its registrants to obtain consent if they intend to incorporate.  There is nothing in our statute or policy which would prevent registered psychologists from incorporating their psychological practice.

NSRP requires all registrants to maintain professional liability insurance in an amount not less than $1,000,000.00 per occurrence.
Applicants have 30 days to provide proof of adequate insurance following their placement on either the Register of Psychologists or Register of Candidates.

While this coverage may, in some circumstances be sufficient, such insurance may not cover all actions of an employee. For example, circumstances may arise in which the interests of a psychologist and those of his or her employer do not coincide, thus limiting the coverage provided through an employer. This could lead to a situation that limits the recourse available to a member of the public who believes he or she has been harmed by the actions of a psychologist.

Yes. This insurance coverage is necessary to cover individuals’ prior actions, taken in the course of their previous duties as a psychologist. (e.g., prior to their retirement, leave of absence from the register, leave from work, out-of-province move, or change of profession, etc).

This is because professional liability insurance coverage is written on a claims made form. This means that a policy must be in place when an allegation is made, regardless of when the actual event took place. Claims made policies provide coverage as long as members continue to renew insurance each year. Psychologists who do not renew coverage (or at least obtain tail coverage if they are no longer practicing) will not be covered for a claim made today for an incident that occurred in the past. You should talk to your insurance company. Insurers can typically provide tail coverage for those no longer practicing psychology. Typically such coverage is possible for a one-time-fee, or for a limited period of time at no cost. Again it is important to check with your own insurance company.

Yes. The practice of psychology is not restricted to clinical work only.

The preferred insurance provider for the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) is BMS Group. You may visit the CPA website for more information.
Also, McFarlan Rowlands provides psychologists with access to professional liability insurance, and there are other providers. Ultimately, you are free to select the company of your choosing as long as you hold adequate coverage.

Refunds of the annual licensing fee are not normally issued, and fees are not adjusted based on registration category. Fees are only pro-rated if a Practising Licence is first issued between January 1st and June 30th of the licensing year.

The Registrar may approve a pro-rated reimbursement only in exceptional circumstances — for example, parental or medical leave — if the licence is surrendered within the first six months of the licensing year.

Please click here to see the Policy on exceptional circumstances.  

Click here

Generally, under the NS Personal Health Information Act and other privacy legislation where applicable (Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, Privacy Act), the owner/operator of the overall private practice or employer (e.g., IWK, NSHA, School NSRP) would be considered the custodian of records, unless the treating psychologist is simply a tenant who is renting space from the practice.

If associates/employees have a role in file management, it is often that of an “agent”, not the custodian.

For more information, please see the following NSRP Guidance document on PHIA Compliance:
https://www.ns-rp.ca/downloads/PHIA_Compliance.pdf

This would mean that a departing employee would not typically take client files with them to a new practice setting unless there was a lawful arrangement with the current employment setting and this was part of the informed consent process with the client.

The NSRP appreciates that these concerns arise for psychologists.  Given the frequency of these issues, the NSRP developed a position on the release of file material: “Nova Scotia Regulator of Psychology Statement Regarding the Release of File Materials”.  While the document discusses legal obligations when a matter is under litigation, it is intended to address the release of file materials in general. 

If legally required to release all materials including raw data and test materials, psychologists are not expected to refuse legal compliance, meaning that if materials are legally required, legally such materials must be provided by the psychologist.  There may be legal obligations depending on the circumstances and more information is provided in the below document.  You may wish to consult the pro-bono legal hotline of your insurer or another lawyer if you have legal questions after reading the guidance document from NSRP, as the NSRP cannot provide legal advice in specific cases. 

For more information and clarification, here is the link to the document on the NSRP website that talks about this.

http://www.ns-rp.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Raw-Data-General-Disclosure.pdf

The NSRP requires applicants and registrants to declare information about their practice area(s), activities and populations when they apply for registration and at renewal time. The NSRP is aware that some registrants have sought to expand their practice at times. In some cases, an expansion within an area of practice can be achieved, but in cases where a registrant is desirous of a more substantial change (for example, a change in competency areas), there has been no clear mechanism other than completing another graduate program in the other subject area of psychology. 

In August 2023, the NSRP developed draft guidelines for fully registered psychologists who wish to add to their scope of practice. An Email Update was sent to registrants at the time indicating the NSRP planned to put this approach into force in 2024.  A subsequent Email Update was sent to registrants in August 2024.

It is hoped that that these guidelines provide more specific information for registrants to make an expansion using an appropriately supportive process and documentation. Those on the Candidate Register should consult the Supervision Handbook.

Whenever they are planning changes to their scope, registrants should consult the guidelines and ensure they have a learning plan, which should be retained by the registrant.

Scope of Practice & Learning Plans

https://www.ns-rp.ca/downloads/Scope_LearningPlans.pdf

Changes to Psychological Practice Profile

Registrants can make changes to Section A of their psychological practice profile (hours worked, practice setting, language) by logging into the Registrant Portal of the NSRP’s website at renewal time or throughout the year.  

If you have completed a process to support changes to sections B or C (practice areas or populations) of your profile, please contact the NSRP Office. 

To further support this endeavour, the NSRP is seeking to build a list of fully registered psychologists who would be available to consult with other psychologists – and possibly the NSRP – on potential expansions of practice or competency, and learning plans. The purpose of this communication is to share information about this initiative and to gauge the interest of psychologists with serving in this capacity.

We remain in early stage of gauging potential interest of volunteers who have been on the Register of Psychologists for 5 years, and we’d like to know whether you would be interested in any or all of the following:

o  Peer consultation with registrants and review of their learning plans

o  Advising on subject matter pertaining to learning plans

o  Upon request, consulting with the NSRP on learning plans

Depending on responses, the NSRP will be able to better consider what role(s) external volunteers/consultants might play in the process.

*Eligibility criteria:

(a)  the psychologist is currently on the Register of Psychologists and has had a minimum of five years of professional experience while being on the Register of Psychologists; 

(b)  the psychologist is not in default of payment of any fees prescribed by NSRP;

(c)  the psychologist’s certificate of registration has never been cancelled; 

(d)  the psychologist’s certificate of registration has not been suspended or subject to a term, condition or limitation as a result of a disciplinary action in the six years preceding the date of election; and

(e)  the psychologist is not the subject of an outstanding complaint with NSRP.

Psychology, like many health professions, has maintained its ability to self-regulate, but this privilege requires members of the profession and the public to be engaged in the work of regulation.

Please email the NSRP Office if this initiative is something you are interested in. At this point, we are not trying to recruit members, per se, but simply to gauge interest. We may follow up again with registrants in general and with psychologists who express interest.

If you do not expect to be practising psychology for a period of time, you have two options:

A. Allow your Practising Licence to lapse voluntarily
If you do not intend to practise during the upcoming licensing year, you may notify the Registrar in writing of your intention to allow your Practising Licence to lapse. An email to the NSRP office is acceptable. This notification must be received before June 30th of the current licensing year. During a voluntary lapse you may not practise psychology or use the designation “Psychologist” (or “Psychologist, Candidate Register”). Your name remains on the register while your licence is lapsed.

When you are ready to return to practice, you will need to apply for reinstatement and pay the applicable reinstatement fee. Please see the [NSRP Annual Practising Licence Renewal Policies] for current reinstatement fees.

Please note that liability insurance to cover past practice issues should be maintained during any period of lapsed registration. Registrants should discuss low-cost options such as tail or gap coverage with their insurer.

B. Maintain your Practising Licence
You may choose to maintain your Practising Licence and remain on the register as usual, paying the annual licensing fee by June 30th.
If you will not be practising during this period, you may wish to request an exemption from your annual Continuing Competence requirements. For more information, please see the Continuing Competence Guide.

Note for Candidate Registrants: A supervision report must be filed at the time of voluntary lapse. Please see the NSRP Annual Practising Licence Renewal Policies for full details. Maintaining a Practising Licence on the Conditional Register requires ongoing supervision. Candidate Registrants who are not able to maintain supervision during their leave would not ordinarily choose this option and should consider Option A instead.

Yes. NSRP Policy and the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA) requires that registrants maintain accurate contact information with NSRP. In order to update NSRP, please either login to the Registrant Portal and select the option to “update your information” or contact the NSRP Office. Candidate Registrants need to ensure that their supervision reports state the name of their current employer(s).

The NSRP also requires that registrants provide a valid email address to NSRP so that they an receive important information in a timely fashion.

Your Registration Certificate will be mailed to you once, in a batch processed every two months to ensure cost efficiency (requiring a minimum of four orders). You can typically expect delivery within 8-10 weeks, depending on batch timing. In the meantime, you can access a Confirmation of Registration document through the NSRP’s secure portal by logging in at www.ns-rp.ca (click “Registrant Login” in the upper right). This Confirmation can be saved, printed, or shared with others (e.g., insurance companies or agencies).