Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne, Vol 66(2), May 2025, 80-89; doi:10.1037/cap0000432
Our world has undergone enormous change during the past 10 years, and professional psychology has not escaped these influences which have created both challenges and opportunities. There has been a burgeoning demand for a wide range of mental health services, particularly since the pandemic. Ideally, these services should be provided by well-trained professionals in an evidence-based, responsive way that respects individual and cultural diversity. While psychology has worked hard to adapt to change, it has been difficult to be proactive rather than merely reactive. The Canadian Psychological Association has spearheaded several significant events that have addressed issues within our field since 2019, including the National Summit on the Future of Professional Psychology Training and the adoption of the sixth revision of the Accreditation Standards for Doctoral and Residency Programs in Professional Psychology (Canadian Psychological Association, 2023). This article discusses current issues that affect access to services and training within professional psychology training. It concludes with a series of feasible recommendations that reflect an increasingly urgent need to better tailor training to unmet mental health needs within Canada. I have written from a personal perspective that has grown out of my experiences primarily in clinical psychology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)