Program Overview

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Doctor of Counselling and Psychotherapy (Online)

Highest Degree Credential in the Field

The Doctor of Counselling and Psychotherapy degree is intended to bring clinical practitioners at the forefront of the emergence of counselling and psychotherapy as a distinct profession from other health and helping professions. The primary objective of the DCP degree program is to educate therapists with competencies beyond those expected at the master’s level, with a focus on leadership, social justice and cultural competence.

Applied Research Approach to Learning

The program brings the tools of applied scholarship to examine and address problem areas of practice in counselling and psychotherapy.

Your Path to Leadership

Graduates of the DCP gain the knowledge and skills required to help define the identity of the counselling and psychotherapy profession and to be leaders in the establishment of the profession across Canada.

Program Benefits

• Only Professional Doctorate of Its Kind in Canada
• Leader in Flexible Online Education
• Experience Market-Leading Curriculum
• Skills to Solve Real-World Problems

Career Outcomes

The Doctor of Counselling and Psychotherapy is the highest degree credential offered in Canada, allowing graduates of the program to:

• Redefine the identity of the counselling and psychotherapy profession
• Educate, mentor, and supervise masters-level counsellors and psychotherapists
• Assume senior leadership positions and roles within the professional field of counselling and psychotherapy

A variety of exciting and fulfilling outcomes are available to graduates of this program, including careers such as:

• Psychotherapist Supervisor
• Psychotherapist Educator
• Leadership Roles in Psychotherapy
• Leadership Roles in Counselling

Faculty

Meet the Interim Program Chair

Dr. Rosina Mete

Dr. Rosina Mete is a Registered Psychotherapist (Ontario) and a Canadian Certified Counsellor with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). Dr. Mete originally joined Yorkville University in 2022 as the Course Lead for Assessment in Counselling. Most recently, she was the Director of Faculty Training and Recruitment. Before joining the Yorkville team, she worked in community health, hospital, academic, and private practice settings. She also has experience as an adjunct professor at other educational institutions. Dr. Mete has won awards for her academic and clinical work. Her research and publications include equity and access to mental health care, stress management, social support, workplace mental health, problem-solving and decision-making, and technology in education. Her recent accomplishments include publishing her dissertation research regarding the impact of social support on emotional well-being among a chronically ill (COPD) population in an Ivy League academic journal. Dr. Mete is the President of the CCPA Counsellor Educator & Supervisors Chapter and a Board Member with the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP). She is also an Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Humanistic Counselling. Her educational credentials include a BSc in Psychology from Carleton University, an MSc in Clinical Mental Health Counselling and a PhD in Leadership and Policy, both from Niagara University.

Doctor of Counselling and Psychotherapy Course Leads

Dr. Phuong-Anh Urga, PhD, CCC

Dr. Phuong-Anh Urga completed her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Rutgers University (New Jersey, USA) and her clinical internship at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (Toronto, ON). A recipient of a pre-doctoral fellowship awarded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), Dr. Urga has extensive research, training, and clinical experience in the field of substance use disorders.

Dr. Barb Bryden, PhD, PhD

Dr. Bryden’s educational background is in counselling psychology and education from the University of Calgary. She was a Killam doctoral scholar in both. Academic interests are in counselling psychology, biopsychology, child and adolescent mental health, telemental health, and program evaluation, with applications in health care and education.

Dr. Stacey Hatch, PhD, RP, CCC

Dr. Stacey Hatch is a Registered Psychotherapist in Ontario (CRPO) and a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCPA). She completed her Master of Counselling in Counselling Psychology at the Graduate Centre for Applied Psychology at Athabasca University. Dr. Hatch completed her PhD in Aging and Health in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen’s University. She has held research fellowships with the CIHR Institute of Aging as a Health System Impact Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Calgary and the Canadian Coalition for Seniors Mental Health, and with The University of Toronto in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health as an Ontario Health Team Health System Impact fellow.

Dr. Rachel Skerrett, MSCP, PhD

Dr. E. Rachel Skerrett, MSCP, Ph.D., completed her doctorate in psychology at Grand Canyon University. She then obtained a fellowship and completed a postdoctoral Master of Science in Clinical Psychopharmacology at The Chicago School. Dr. Skerrett is a registered psychologist in Ontario, Alberta, and Nova Scotia. She practices clinical, counselling, and school psychology with children, adolescents, adults, and families. She has experience working in private practice, hospital, agency, and school settings. She has been the director of Skerrett Psychology Professional Corporation since 2011 and provides direct service as well as supervision while overseeing the practice.

Admission Requirements

The Doctor of Counselling and Psychotherapy online degree is administered from our New Brunswick campus.

Applicants to the Doctor of Counselling and Psychotherapy program are required to provide the following:

• Official master’s transcript and proof of a master’s degree
• Provide proof of two years of post-master’s counselling experience
• Resume and a 700- to 1000-word letter of intent
• Two letters of reference from professional or academic sources
• Completed online application
• Application fee of $150 (CAD)

In addition, applicants are required to have:

• A master’s program cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 or a 4.3 scale, or the equivalent on other grading scales
• The clinical training component of the program requires students to be professionally active and have clients
• A master’s degree in counselling, psychotherapy, marriage and family therapy, pastoral counselling, applied psychology, education, nursing, occupational therapy, and social work, or an equivalent credential from a recognized university

Yorkville University reserves the right to refuse admission and ask admitted students to withdraw from the program in special circumstances.

English Language Requirements

English is the primary language of instruction at Yorkville University.

Applicants who have obtained their qualifying master’s in a language other than English are required to submit confirmation of an official test of ability to work and study in English.

Tuition and Fees

Total Cost (including Application Fee) is $51,450

• DCP Tuition: $51,300
• Cost per credit: $855
• Program cost includes $300 seat fee and $150 application fee

Assuming an average course load, tuition cost per term is $5,130

By selecting to take more or fewer courses per term, costs will be updated accordingly.

A typical course is 3 credits. Students must complete 60 study credits to graduate.

Course Descriptions

The rigorous curriculum of the Doctor of Counselling and Psychotherapy includes the following courses:

• DCP8413 | Professional Identity & Ethical Practice
• DCP8453 | Advanced Methods in Applied Research
• DCP8806 | Applied Scholarship Project and Integration Seminar
• DCP8513 | Professional Growth & Well-Being: Self of the Therapist
• DCP8613 | Doctoral Case Conference 1: Reflective Practice
• DCP8443 | Theories & Models of Counselling & Psychotherapy
• DCP8623 | Doctoral Case Conference 2: Advanced Competencies I
• DCP8653 | Supervision
• DCP8633 | Doctoral Case Conference 3: Case Studies
• DCP8523 | Evidence-Based Practice: Therapeutic Applications of Research
• DCP8643 | Doctoral Case Conference 4: Advanced Competencies II
• DCP8463 | Assessment, Case Conceptualization, and Therapy Planning
• DCP8713 | Advanced Practices in Mental Health Counselling & Psychotherapy
• DCP8473 | Systems Theory & Transformational Models
• DCP8733 | Doctoral Seminar 1: Integrative and Systemic Practice
• DCP8493 | Planning, Consultation, and Evaluation Models
• DCP8743 | Doctoral Seminar 2: Diversity and Underserved Communities
• DCP 8763 | Practitioner Leadership Development I
• DCP 8773 | Practitioner Leadership Development II

Testimonials

Ryan Tompkins

“It’s been amazing having all these people who are in the profession and coming from different backgrounds challenging each other to think outside of our normal ways of thinking.”

FAQ

What will my title be? Can I use Dr.?

The title ‘Doctor’ is a protected title by the various provincial health acts, meaning that the governments decide who can use the title doctor. In clinical practice, this is typically restricted to physicians, optometrists, clinical psychologists, chiropractors, etc. For the time being, this means that graduates of the doctorate will not be able to refer to themselves as Doctors in clinical settings but will be able to do so in non-clinical settings, such as educational settings.

Is this program "accredited" and recognized by regulatory colleges, professional associations, insurance companies, or provincial government ministries?

The term “accredited” is not a term post-secondary institutions use in Canada. Canadian Universities are granted designation status by the province where they operate – in this case from the Government of New Brunswick, Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour. As such, the Doctor of Counselling and Psychotherapy is recognized as an approved program here in Canada and throughout North America.

I am a current MACP student and would like to apply immediately after graduation. Is there any flexibility in the two-years post-master's experience requirement?

No. Applicants to the Doctor of Counselling and Psychotherapy program must possess two-years post-master’s experience with a minimum 1,600 clinical experience hours.

Do I need to be working full-time while I'm going through this program?

Yorkville University’s Doctor of Counselling and Psychotherapy degree is completed part-time over ten terms, taking just over three years to complete. You can be working full-time, part-time, or even seeing clients as a volunteer during the program. The essential time that you need to have clients is during terms 2 through 5 while you are receiving mentoring (terms 2 and 3) and then providing mentoring (terms 4 and 5) to masters’-level students.