Yukon no longer 'unregulated Wild West' for psychologists, as territory adopts new rules

Charlene Bradford couldn't be happier to say goodbye to what she characterizes as "an unregulated Wild West" when it comes to psychology and mental health services in the Yukon.

Bradford, a registered psychologist and president of the Psychological Society of Yukon, is celebrating the territorial government's announcement that as of Saturday, psychologists will be regulated under the territory's Health Professions Act.

The society has argued for years that Yukon was the last jurisdiction in Canada to not have a regulatory framework for psychologists. That meant that anybody could call themselves a psychologist in Yukon, regardless of their training, experience, or ethical standards, and offer services to local clients.

"We're very excited about the whole situation," Bradford said on Wednesday, about the new territorial regulation. "It's kind of a sense of relief as well, being like, OK finally — we've been working for a long time for this."

The government announced the new regulation on Tuesday. It requires all psychologists practising in the Yukon to be licensed and registered, and also sets out processes for complaints or disciplinary action against a professional.

In a statement, Community Services Minister Richard Mostyn said the regulation is about "ensuring that Yukoners receive care from highly qualified and ethical professionals."

"By setting clear standards and strengthening accountability, this regulation not only improves access to registered psychologists but also fosters trust and transparency in mental health services," Mostyn's statement reads.

The government also says the new regulation means that Yukoners who see a psychologist will now be eligible to benefit from federal tax deductions.

Under the regulation, psychologists must now register with the territory and hold a certificate in order to identify themself as a psychologist, registered psychologist or registered doctoral psychologist. The certificate must be renewed annually.

'A psychologist, for real'

Bradford says it's about protecting the public and ensuring that people are receiving quality care.

"I think the first biggest thing is that if you go and see a psychologist now in Yukon, they're actually a psychologist," she said.

"So they've met a minimum standard of education, they've completed some licensing exam, they've had an exam in the legislation in the area, and a supervised practice. So you can be assured that they're a psychologist, for real."

Bradford said the Psychological Society of Yukon has heard from Yukoners who have seen someone they believed was a psychologist, only to have their benefits claim rejected because that person was not in fact a psychologist.

"So that part's a little easier now," she said.

Bradford said she and others formed their society in 2019 as a way to advocate for psychology regulation in the territory. She says it's gratifying to feel their efforts have now paid off.

She's especially pleased to see that there will also now be a requirement for registered psychologists to have some basic education in Yukon First Nations history and culture in order to practise in the territory. 

"We do have psychologists who are living and practising in Yukon, and then we also have psychologists who are living outside of Yukon but do come up here. And so for us, that was a really big piece — it's like, OK, but you need to understand the Yukon context when you're coming up," she said.

Bradford also says Yukon needs more psychologists, so she hopes the new regulation makes the territory a more appealing place to work.

"We have regulations and there's a clear process for that now, which is really fabulous. So I'm hoping it opens the doors for other psychologists to work here, perhaps from across the North, perhaps in telehealth ways," she said.

"So there's a lot of possibility there."