British Columbia School & Applied Psychology

The BCSAP Residency Programme is a CPA accredited doctoral training initiative supported by a consortium that includes British Columbia's largest public school district and two major multi-disciplinary private clinics. Hosted by ABLE Developmental Clinic, the programme operates from its office within the Pacific Autism Family Network in Richmond, B.C.

The Residency welcomes applicants from school, clinical, counselling, and PsyD programmes who desire to enhance their capacity to provide psychological services to the school-age population, predominantly.
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To support this goal, the BCSAP consortium offers concurrent experiences to all residents in both a public service institution and a private community clinic. In both settings, residents are provided with opportunities to assess primary neurodevelopmental disorders and common mental heath conditions and provide interventions for school-age clients, systems, and, depending on interest, clients in preschool and early adulthood.

The Doctoral Residency Programme

This Residency offers professional preparation at the doctoral level, dedicated to supporting residents in their transition from knowledgeable students to autonomous psychology practitioners. The programme is structured around several core components, including dynamic placements and rotations, which provide diverse and practical experience. Residents engage in guided activities designed to help them meet a comprehensive range of competencies, ensuring well-rounded professional growth. Supervision is provided by highly qualified and experienced professional psychologists, offering valuable mentorship and guidance. Additionally, theme-focused professional development sessions are integrated into the programme, further enhancing residents' skills and knowledge.

How The BCSAP Programme Works

The BCSAP residency operates within a Community of Practice model, fostering professional development through a blend of didactic training and supervision. Residents benefit from both individual and group supervision activities, led by registered psychologists and school psychologists associated with the College of Health and Care Professionals of British Columbia. The programme also provides targeted training and support for supervisors, offering group activities designed to support new supervisors and enhance the skills of experienced ones. Additionally, site-based administrators, who oversee field placements, play an integral role in the residency team, actively participating in planning and evaluation activities to ensure the success of the programme.

BCSAP Information & Applications

Currently, the BCSAP Residency Programme consists of a single track: School – Community Clinic.  Three residency positions are offered; a typical position involves a half week (2.25 days) in a school rotation and a half week in a private, full-service community clinic rotation.

  • For information about BCSAP 2025-2026 Doctoral Applications see the BCSAP Brochure here.
  • For information about BCSAP consortium policies and procedures see the BCSAP Handbook here.
  • APPIC Applications will be accepted for 2025 – 2026 placements (APPIC #1865).

We are currently only able to accept applicants from universities in Canada or from individuals with permanent residency in Canada‍

Doctoral students who may apply for placement with the Residency Programme are enrolled in a doctoral training programme accredited by CPA or APA, or a programme with equivalent academic and practicum preparation. To be eligible to begin their residency, students must have successfully completed all required academic coursework and practicum experiences in their training programme prior to submission of the application, passed comprehensive examinations, gained approval of their doctoral dissertation proposal, and demonstrated an understanding of, and commitment to uphold, the ethical principles of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) and the profession of psychology within the College of Health and Care Professionals of British Columbia (CHCPBC).

BCSAP Selection Process

Qualified doctoral students interested in seeking placement with the Residency Programme are required to participate in the APPIC Match. Applicants submit an online APPIC Application for Psychology Internship (AAPI). Information regarding the application process and relevant dates is available on the APPIC website. The BCSAP due date for Phase I applications for 2025-26 is 11:59AM Eastern Time, December 2, 2024.

Accreditation & Contact

The BCSAP Consortium is accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association.  Information on accreditation by CPA may be obtained at: accreditation@cpa.ca.

ABLE Developmental Clinic locations

The ABLE Clinic has offices in the municipalities of Richmond, Surrey, and West Vancouver. ABLE Richmond is on the 2nd floor of the Pacific Autism Family Network (PAFN). The suite of ABLE offices contains office space for the consortium Director of  Training. As well, the PAFN provides space for Advanced Training Seminars for residents that are conducted by the Training Director.

Compass Clinic

Compass Clinic is a multidisciplinary counselling and diagnostic clinic. It offers psychology services to children and young adults in Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and multiple other locations across BC, including offering assessment services (learning abilities, ASD, ADHD, etc.) to remote locations across BC through regular in-person Outreach trips. Compass provides services from more than 40 team members (registered psychologists, counsellors, assessing clinicians, residents, practicum students, psychometrists, scorers, and Admin Support Team Members) to both public and private sectors.

Surrey School District

Surrey School District was formed in 1906 and has the largest student enrolment in British Columbia (over 80,000 students), including more than 10,000 students of diverse abilities and more than 3,200 students of indigenous ancestry (First Nations, Métis and Inuit). More than 197 languages other than English are represented in Surrey schools; the highest percentages are Punjabi, Mandarin, Tagalog (Filipino), Hindi, and Arabic. Student Support staff include licensed or registered school psychologists, behaviour specialists, speech-language pathologists, counsellors, helping teachers, inclusive education teachers, education assistants, ABA Support Workers, child/youth care workers, and others. They support students in 103 Elementary schools, 21 Secondary schools, 5 Learning Centres, 3 Adult Education Centres, SAIL on-line learning, and Inter-Agency programmes.

Psychological Services & Counselling Training Centre

The BCSAP consortium receives material support (resources and assessment materials) from the Psychological Services and Counselling Training Centre in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia.

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