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The Certification Guidelines are set by Manitoba Education and Youth. The certification application states the following:

"Persons interested in becoming school psychologists are strongly advised to obtain approval by the Professional Certification Unit of their intended program of studies prior to enrolling in a relevant training program."

Please contact the Department of Professional Certification at 1-800-667-2378 if you have any questions about becoming a Psychologist who works in the schools of Manitoba.

SCHOOL CLINICIAN (PSYCHOLOGIST) CERTIFICATION GUIDELINES

School Clinician (School Psychologist) certification in Manitoba is a two-stage process. The initial stage consists of a provisional certification which extends for a minimum of two years (360 days). During this period a School Clinician (School Psychologist) is required to fulfill a set of requirements beyond those required to be provisionally certified. The primary requirement to be fulfilled during this phase of the certification process is the completion of a supervised period of work as a School Clinician (School Psychologist).

The specific requirements for both a provisional School Clinician (School Psychologist) certificate and a permanent School Clinician (School Psychologist) certificate are detailed below.

Provisional SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST CERTIFICATION GUIDELINES

The minimum academic standard for provisional certification as a School Clinician (School Psychologist) is an approved Master’s degree in a school psychology program or in a clinical psychology program.  Applicants for certification must demonstrate that, during their graduate studies they have satisfactorily completed all of the following areas of study and practical application:

I. Core Requirements

Therapy Techniques
6 credit hours of course work in the development and implementation of appropriate therapeutic interventions to address a wide range of student social, emotional, and behavioural needs.
Total:  6 credit hours
Psychological Assessment
6 credit hours of course work in the administration, scoring and interpretation of psychological tests relevant to a school-aged population.  Course work must include training in cognitive/intellectual, adaptive, and social/emotional/behavioural assessment. 
Total:  6 credit hours
Psychology Practicum
6 credit hours of supervised experience in assessment, intervention and consultation in areas related to school functioning for a school-aged population.  This includes not fewer than 250 hours of supervised experience.
Total:  6 credit hours
Abnormal Psychology/Psychopathology
3 credit hours of course work in child/adolescent psychopathology.  This course work must include gaining a familiarity of relevant formal diagnostic criteria for a range of psychiatric/psychological disorders.
Total:  3 credit hours
Research/Statistics
3 credit hours of course work in the design, implementation, and evaluation of interventions to address specific practice questions or needs.   Statistics course work must include training that assists in the analysis and interpretation of relevant research literature.
Total:  3 credit hours
Professional Ethics
3 credit hours of course work that examines ethical, professional, regulatory, and legal issues pertaining to the practice of school psychology.
Total:  3 credit hours

Total Credit Hours Required in the Core Areas = 27 credit hours

II. Supplementary Requirements

In addition to the above core requirements, applicants for certification must demonstrate that during their graduate studies they have satisfactorily completed a total of 12 credit hours from a combination of at least three of the following areas of study and practical application:

Behaviour Disorders/Behaviour Management  
Course work in behavioural assessment, intervention, and consultation relevant to a school population.  Studies must include a focus on identifying the antecedents of behaviour and other functional behaviour assessment principles.
Child/Adolescent Development
Course work in the study of typical child/adolescent development and its application to providing developmentally appropriate psychological assessment and intervention in a school setting. 
Learning Disabilities
Course work in studying the concept and categorization of learning disabilities/disorders and their impact on student outcomes. Studies must include instruction in appropriate assessment, diagnosis, and remediation of a range of learning disabilities/disorders for a school-aged population.
Learning and Cognition
Course work in the study of typical learning and cognitive factors that contribute to student academic success.  Topics of study may include current theories of intelligence, learning styles, or other recent psychological research relevant to enhancing learning in the classroom.
Community Psychology
Course work in developing collaborative school-family partnerships and inter-agency coordination that enhances student success.  Studies must include instruction in systemic planning and interventions, and effective inter-agency collaboration.
Neuropsychology
Course work in the study of recent neuropsychological research relevant to student learning in the classroom.  Critical interpretation and application of brain-based learning research must be a focus.  
Thesis Topic Relevant to School Activity
A completed and successfully defended graduate level thesis relevant to student functioning at school.  The thesis must have been supervised through an accredited university program as a partial requirement for obtaining a graduate degree.   An equivalent of 3 credit hours will be given for this supplementary requirement.                 
Cross Cultural Contexts
Course work in the role of cultural context and its impact on student functioning in the school environment. 
Advanced Study in the Core Areas
A maximum of 3 credit hours may be obtained for this supplementary requirement.  Course work must meet the criteria for one of the above core requirement areas where the number of credit hours for that core requirement has already been met through other graduate courses.                                                                              

 Total Credit Hours Required in the Supplementary Areas = 12 credit hours  

Permanent Certification

The requirements for permanent certification as a School Clinician (School Psychologist) are as follows:  

1)      Equivalent of two years (minimum 360 days) of full-time supervised clinical work experience as a School Clinician (School Psychologist) while holding a Provisional School Clinician (School Psychologist) certificate; A minimum of 25 hours of direct supervision must be provided over the two-year period (15 hours in Year 1; 10 hours in Year 2) by a permanently certified School Clinician (School Psychologist);
2)      Successful completion of the course “Legal and Administrative Aspects of  Schools” (offered through the Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba );  
3)      The written recommendation of the supervising School Clinician (School Psychologist) and the Superintendent of the division where the experience was gained that a permanent certificate be granted, and  
4)      Proof of Canadian Citizenship or Permanent Resident Status.