Alberta Record

· Bill / Health Governance Change · enacted

Bill 16 — Health Statutes Amendments: Undoing Counselling Therapist Regulation

Repeals provisions from previous legislation that established the College of Counselling Therapy of Alberta and regulated the use of titles such as "psychotherapist," "counselling therapist," and "addiction counsellor."

Moderate impactHealth system governanceHealth-care bodiesThe public, directly

What changed

  • Repeals Section 122 of the Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2020 (No. 2), which had established the College of Counselling Therapy of Alberta and regulated associated titles (s. 5(2)).
  • Repeals Section 29 of the Mental Health Services Protection Act, which had also contributed to the regulation of these professions (s. 8(2)).

Why it matters

  • Reverses the framework for professional regulation of counselling therapists, addiction counsellors, and child and youth care counsellors.
  • May impact public protection and professional standards for these health services by removing the regulatory college and title protection.

Primary sources (1)