The process to become registered as a Psychologist in the province of Ontario involves several steps. To begin, an application is made to the College of Psychologists of Ontario, the regulatory agency. Applicants must show that they have completed a doctoral degree in psychology and must also demonstrate that they have provided a minimum number of hours of psychological service. For someone involved in clinical or counseling psychology, they must also have completed an internship in which they offered clinical services in an accredited program at a hospital or clinic. The College of Psychologists reviews the application and, if all the necessary conditions have been met, offers a certificate for supervised practice. Thus, it is typical for therapists to have accumulated at least 5 years of clinical experience prior to receiving the certificate for supervised practice.

The certificate of supervised practice stipulates that the applicant must work under the supervision of one or more Psychologists. While doing so, the applicant accumulates a required number of hours of service provision and writes two comprehensive exams to ensure a broad and thorough understanding of the field of psychology and the laws, ethics and standards of care for the profession. When all of this is completed, the College of Psychologists invites the applicant to an oral exam in which he/she is interviewed by a panel of Psychologists. If successful, the applicant then becomes fully registered with the College and need no longer use the term supervised practice. This process is similar to the articling year of work and examinations to become a lawyer, or the licensing requirements required for specialty training in medicine.