• Psychologists, defined as current registrants of the College of Psychologists of BC.
• Individuals currently completing the registration process for the College of Psychologists of BC.
• Students, retired psychologists, and university or college faculty.

Why join the BCPA?

There are many reasons why you should join the BC Psychological Association!

1. We offer exclusive benefits to members and affiliates,
2. Access to educational resources and job postings,
3. We issue semiannual publication, the BC Psychologist, and
4. We are the only association advocating for psychologists in British Columbia.

Refer a friend and you both receive 10% off your membership! Already paid your dues? We can refund your 10% discount or use it as a credit towards a workshop within the same fiscal year!

Membership Benefits

Both members and affiliates enjoy:

• Support for BCPA’s advocacy campaigns
• Discounts on BCPA-sponsored Continuing Education events;
• A free yearly subscription to the BC Psychologist;
• Professional development and networking opportunities;
• Access to our job board
• Access to our members listserve (forum), and weekly Eblast

Members enjoy these additional benefits:

• Discounts on property insurance plans;
• Discounts on liability insurance, with average savings of 77% ($1100) over non-discounted rates, with a choice of two plans, offering the best coverage and the best rates;
• Access to Association  health, dental and disability insurance;
• Access to the e-mail forum, which allows you to discuss with and learn from other psychologists.
• Discounts with Owl Practice

Continuing Education

The BC Psychological Association organizes Continuing Education workshops providing continuing education credits towards your College registration requirements. Our Continuing Education program is audited annually, and it is accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association.
Past workshop presenters include:

• Dr. Muriel Lezak, a neuropsychologist best known for her text Neuropsychological Assessment, widely accepted as the standard in the field;
• Dr. Leslie Morey, the author of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI);
• Dr. James Butcher, one the foremost researchers on the use of the MMPI and MMPI-2;
• Dr. John Briere, a foremost expert on trauma treatment
• Dr. David Ballard, Assistant Executive Director for Corporate Relations and Business Strategy at the American Psychological Association and the APA Practice Organization. Dr. Ballard spearheads the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program.

Professional Development

The BC Psychological Association strives to develop opportunities for professional development. You can easily access tools and information as a member or an affiliate through our job board, and our Career Corner.

We also offer publicly available information on education in psychology in our Graduate and Post-graduate Education section.

Advocacy Campaigns

BCPA is the only provincial advocacy group for psychologists in BC through its Advocacy Committee. Just in the past year, BCPA has advocated for psychologists and their clients by doing the following:

• Submissions to BC Government Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth advocating for a greater role for psychologists in youth mental healthcare;
• Submissions to the BC Ministry of Health advocating for a greater role for psychologists in primary and community care
• Submissions to the BC Supreme Court Rules Committee to protect the privacy of your clients’ records;
• Advocating to employers and unions for greater annual coverage limits ($2,000 per year) for psychological services covered by extended health plans;
• Engaging employers and unions at the CMHA Bottom Line Mental Health Conference and the Health Sciences Association (HSA) conference;
• At the HSA convention, BCPA Advocacy Committee member Dr, Kelly Price worked to pass a resolution supporting psychologists working in provincial autism clinics;

Legislation

Do you have questions regarding the legislation that regulates the practice of psychology, and that is responsible for title protection in British Columbia? Please refer to this information gathered by the College of Psychologists of BC.

Community Engagement

The Community Engagement Committee and the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Collaborative spearhead our drive to engage and inform the public about psychology and its role in supporting mental health and wellness, both at home and at work. As a member, you will have an opportunity to contribute to these intitiatives.

• Annual Psychology Month campaign – Offering a series of 10 free public psychology talks and promoting BCPA and psychologists through dozens of media interviews throughout the month;
• Participation in health-related trade shows and fairs – to inform attendees about psychologists and what they can offer, and to advocate with employers and unions for greater coverage for psychological treatment in extended health plans;
• The Piece of Mind art exhibits – Every year BCPA mounts numerous Piece of Mind Art exhibits, asking the question of prominent artists, “What does good psychological health mean to you?”, resulting in further media coverage for psychologists and BCPA;
• Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards program;
• Our blog

Publications

The BC Psychologist - The BC Psychological Association issues a quarterly publication, the BC Psychologist, which is freely available to BCPA members and affiliates online and in print. The BC Psychologist is a venue for discussion regarding the future of the practice and science of psychology in BC. In it, you will find reviews of books and recent research findings, discussions about professional ethics and current affairs, as well as information on our activities. If you are interested in writing for our publication, please refer to our Volunteer section. If you are interested in advertising, please follow this link.

Are you ready to join?

Find out which membership or affiliation category is right for you by following the links to our membership and affiliation categories to the right. Once you have decided which category is best for you, email admin@psychologists.bc.ca for a pro-rated membership fee!