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In 2001, when the last special issue of the Canadian Journal of School Psychology about the status of school psychology across Canada was published, the Nova Scotia Psychologists Act had been revised and submitted to the legislature for passage into law. Since that time, the Psychologists Act has been updated to clarify the definition of the practice of psychology and amended to reflect changes in supervision requirements at the master's and doctoral levels. The Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology (NSBEP) oversees registration of psychologists in the province, whereas the Association of Psychologists of Nova Scotia (APNS) is the fraternal organization representing psychologists. Registration as a psychologist in Nova Scotia is permitted at the master's or doctoral level. Pursuant to the Psychologists Act, master's-level psychologists are required to complete 4 years of post-degree supervision on the candidate register, whereas doctoral-level psychologists are required to complete 2 years of post-degree supervision (although one of these years can be waived if the candidate has completed a doctoral internship at a Canadian Psychological Association [CPA]-accredited site). There is no separate registration category or certification process for school psychologists in Nova Scotia, meaning that psychologists working in schools must meet the same requirements for registration as psychologists working in other settings. At the present time, the majority of psychologists working in schools in the province are registered at the master's level. In addition to meeting the registration requirements specified by the Psychologists Act, all school psychologists working for school boards in the province of Nova Scotia must have a teacher's certificate. Psychologists who have a bachelor of education degree are eligible for a regular teaching certificate, whereas psychologists who do not have a bachelor of education (BEd) degree can obtain a special teaching certificate.
Although practicing psychologists in Nova Scotia can currently register at the master's or doctoral level, it is likely that this will change in the near future. At the 2006 general meeting, NSBEP announced their intention to move toward the doctoral degree as the entry-level qualification for registration to practice as a psychologist in Nova Scotia. An entry-level committee began meeting to discuss this change in 2009 and, in 2011, NSBEP voted in favour of a move to the doctoral degree as the provincial...