This policy must be followed by all members, affiliates and employees of BCPA. Prospective members or affiliates of BCPA are also subject to this policy.

Complaints regarding the application of these procedures can be made following the Association General Grievance procedures and guidelines. If you have any questions about this policy, please contact BCPA in writing by mail or e-mail.

New Membership

BCPA is a volunteer-run organization promoting the science, the practice and the profession of psychology in BC. As such, BCPA welcomes new members at any time. Membership terms run from September 1^st to August 31^st of the following year, and they must therefore be renewed annually.

According to BCPA’s Constitution, members must be on the Register of the College of Psychologists of British Columbia, or must meet the criteria for registration with the College of Psychologists of British Columbia and hold a current academic appointment at a British Columbia university or college.

Prospective members who qualify for membership can submit a membership application online or by mail. We will not accept membership applications over the phone, as all membership requests have to be made in writing.

Prospective members will be allowed to pay for their membership fee by cheque, or by credit card through PayPal’s secure website. BCPA will not accept membership payments using credit card information over the phone because of privacy and security concerns.

Membership forms must be fully completed and signed. BCPA reserves the right to reject all incomplete membership applications and/or to delay the start date of new memberships until fully completed forms are obtained by BCPA.

The Member category with BCPA cannot be used to indicate any professional recognition, registration of credentialing status within the field of psychology in British Columbia. It is the prospective member’s full responsibility to maintain the credentials necessary to be able to practice as a psychologist in BC.

New members who join BCPA after January 1^st are entitled to a prorated amount for their membership fee.  The prorated amount is calculated according to this formula:

(Annual fee/12 months)*number of months left in the membership year.

Membership Renewal

Membership terms run from September 1^st to August 31^st of the following year, and they must therefore be renewed annually.

According to BCPA’s Constitution, members must be on the Register of the College of Psychologists of British Columbia, or must meet the criteria for registration with the College of Psychologists of British Columbia and hold a current academic appointment at a British Columbia university or college. Retired or out-of-province members must also currently be registrants of the College of Psychologists of BC.

Members who qualify for membership renewal can submit a membership renewal application online or by mail. We will not accept renewals over the phone, as all membership requests have to be made in writing.

Members will be allowed to pay for their membership fee by cheque, or by credit card through PayPal’s secure website. BCPA will not accept membership payments using credit card information over the phone because of privacy and security concerns.

Membership renewal forms must be fully completed and signed. BCPA reserves the right to reject all incomplete membership renewals and/or to delay the start date of new memberships until fully completed forms are obtained by BCPA.

The Member category with BCPA cannot be used to indicate any professional recognition, registration of credentialing status within the field of psychology in British Columbia. It is the prospective member’s full responsibility to maintain the credentials necessary to be able to practice as a psychologist in BC.

Returning members are not entitled to a prorated membership fee.

New Affiliation and Affiliation Renewals

Affiliation terms run from September 1^st to August 31^st of the following year, and they must therefore be renewed annually. These are the conditions under which affiliation may be granted:

• The prospective retired affiliate must have been registered and in good standing with a provincial or state regulatory body previous to his/her retirement;
• The prospective academic affiliate must hold a doctorate degree in psychology and an academic appointment at an accredited university/college;
• Prospective student affiliates must be  currently enrolled in a post-graduate psychology program at an accredited university in British Columbia, Alberta or Washington State;
• Affiliations are granted at the discretion of BCPA. Qualifying for affiliation does not automatically grant the right to be accepted as an affiliate of the Association. The Association reserves the right to refuse affiliation to anyone for any reason, and having been an affiliate of BCPA in a previous year also does not guarantee acceptance of a renewal application for any following year.

Prospective affiliates who qualify for affiliation can submit an application online or by mail. We will not accept affiliation applications over the phone, as all affiliation requests have to be made in writing.

Prospective affiliates will be allowed to pay for their affiliation fee by cheque, or by credit card through PayPal’s secure website. BCPA will not accept affiliation payments using credit card information over the phone because of privacy and security concerns.

Affiliation forms must be fully completed and signed. BCPA reserves the right to reject all incomplete affiliation applications and/or to delay the start date of new affiliations until fully completed forms are obtained by BCPA.

The Affiliate (student, retired, and academic) category with BCPA cannot be used to indicate any professional recognition, registration or credentialing status within the field of psychology and to do so is a violation of the Health Professions Act and could result in a complaint to the College of Psychologists of British Columbia.

New affiliates are not entitled to a prorated affiliation fee.