Residency Program in Clinical Psychology

The only required forms are the APPIC application and the cover letter. Please see the section on the Application Procedure for information required in the cover letter.

A multi-step review and ranking process is used.

First, we review all applications to ensure all eligibility criteria are met.

Second, a pair of raters (comprised of Psychology faculty and current residents) rate the written application and assign it a numeric score (based on specific criteria and fit to our program). All applications are then rank-ordered based on the assigned score. This ranking determines who will be invited for an interview.

Third, applicants are invited for an interview. For the 2027-28 APPIC cycle, interviews will be completed January, 2027. Details are outlined in the brochure. Additional information about the interview process is located below. Standardized interviews are conducted by a panel consisting of two faculty members and assigned a score. Applicants are then rank-ordered based on the score of their written application + the score of their interview and a final ranking list is developed and submitted to APPIC. Care is taken to ensure no conflicts of interest exist between assigned raters/ interviewers and applicants.

As per CPA standards, the minimum hour requirement is 600 hours, which must include 300 direct and 150 supervision hours.

As per the process noted above, if you are selected for an interview, you will be contacted by the residency program coordinator on December 4, 2026. Interviews scheduled for January 2027 will be conducted virtually by a panel consisting of two faculty members. We make every effort for applicants to be interviewed by training faculty who represent tracks and rotations of interest. The interview day for January 2027 also includes a virtual orientation session provided by the Director and/or Assistant Director of Training, and a virtual meeting with current residents. Applicants are also invited to attend optional virtual “open houses” hosted by primary track supervisors to learn more about their clinical programs and ask questions. There are also opportunities to speak to other training faculty and former residents outside of the interview process.

At a minimum, residents receive four hours of supervision per week from Registered Clinical Psychologists. Individual supervision includes face-to-face supervision, and on some rotations, may be complemented with group supervision. Supervision occurs each week in both primary and secondary rotations. In accordance with CPA accreditation standards, up to 25% of residency supervision may be asynchronous.

Each of the four tracks at The Royal represents the clinical program in which the matched applicant will complete their primary rotation. Secondary rotations are assigned after the APPIC Match and are based on Resident interest and the pool of available secondary rotations.

Supervisors for primary rotations (tracks) will be identified prior to the January 2027 interviews. This information will be available to applicants at that time. As stated above, secondary rotations and supervisors will be assigned after the APPIC Match and are based on Resident interest and supervisor availabilities.

There is discussion with the Resident and both primary and secondary Supervisors to see what days (Monday-Thursday) have the most requirements for residents (e.g., team meetings, groups) in each rotation. Residents are encouraged to set aside Mondays for the program development and evaluation project and flex time to avoid missing clinical rotation time on holiday Mondays. Therefore, with recent cohorts, the majority of direct clinical contact has occurred on Tuesdays through Thursdays. Fridays are dedicated as non-clinical days, and include seminars, group supervision, and program admin.

During the orientation process, residents will be together each day. Following this two-week period, residents will typically spend each Friday together (virtual or in-person).

Some residents are together in a specific rotation and may have more contact with one another. Residents also have the opportunity to come together with other residents from Ottawa residency programs through monthly Citywide/ CCPPP seminars.

Program development and evaluation experience is increasingly a requirement in the job market and many of our graduates tell us that they used the skills gained on residency in their employment. The program development and evaluation project is flexible across the range of evaluation methodologies (such as needs assessments, program development and formative or summative evaluations) to fit Residents’ interests. Most Residents do not come with formal program development and evaluation experience but are provided didactic seminars and ongoing supervision to develop the projects, evaluate the report, and guide its dissemination. Common components of the project include meetings with stakeholders, producing a written report, and engaging in additional dissemination activities.

Residents complete program development and evaluation research projects in pairs (or small groups of three depending on cohort class size).Various topics are provided by the program at the beginning of the year. Time is dedicated towards working on the project on residents’ flex day.

The Royal has two main campuses—one in Ottawa and one in Brockville. The main Ottawa campus at 1145 Carling Avenue houses most programs. Residents working at the main campus will be required to pay for parking. The main campus is accessible by the city’s public transportation OC Transpo.

The Carlingwood campus, located at the Carlingwood Shopping Centre in Ottawa (located 4 km west of the main campus) houses the Community Mental Health Program, the Transitional Aged Youth service, and other services. Residents working out of the Carlingwood campus can use the shopping centre parking lot at no additional cost. The Carlingwood campus is also accessible by OC Transpo.

The Royal’s Brockville campus is located at 1804 Highway 2 East (approximately one hour drive from the Ottawa main campus). The Brockville campus primarily houses the Forensic Treatment Unit and the Secure Treatment Unit of the Integrated Forensics program, along with other services. Residents working at the Brockville campus will have access to free parking.

Residents each have their own office at The Royal’s main campus. Each resident office is equipped with a laptop a webcam, an ergonomic height adjustable desk and an ergonomic chair. Residents working at satellite sites may be assigned a shared office/cubicle space within that program’s location, with access to private spaces for assessment and intervention activities as needed.

The Royal strives to be an inclusive workplace accommodating the diverse needs of staff and volunteers, with physical accommodations such as accessible gender-neutral washrooms, barrier-free parking, and elevators being in place. As part of the onboarding process, Residents will work with the Occupational Health & Safety Services team to identify their unique accommodation needs and to receive ongoing support to have these accommodations (e.g., assistive technology and tools, physical space adjustments, modifications to job tasks) be put in place. The option to receive an ergonomic assessment is available to all Residents in order to optimize their work environment. Access to additional assistive technology and tools are available for accommodation purposes (in consultation with The Royal’s Occupational Health and Safety Services and the Information Technology departments).

In addition to clinical activities in the primary and secondary rotations, Residents are required to complete a program development and evaluation project, participate in a hospital committee, supervise a student, deliver a Resident Seminar and a Grand Rounds presentation, and attend seminars.

Residents are provided with an individualized training plan to track their learning goals and training activities related to the development of their foundational and functional competency in clinical psychology. Residents will work closely with their primary and secondary rotations supervisors as well as Director and Assistant Director of Training at the beginning of the year to plan how these training and professional development objectives will be met throughout the year.

Aside from program development and evaluation project, there are no research-oriented requirements in The Royal’s residency program. Most Residents find the activities they engage in to fulfill the residency requirements keep them sufficiently busy within a typical workday and work week. There is no expectation that Residents work more than 37.5 hours per week. If Residents have time in their weekly schedules, or choose to work more than the typical workday/work week, opportunities to engage in research activities may be available.

While the number of residents who choose to work at The Royal after their residency varies from year to year, it is most often the case that one or two Residents stay at The Royal post-residency. Of course, many residents choose to return to their home province for post-residency ventures, to begin work in private practice, choose academia, or to work in other institutions like The Royal.

As the capital of Canada, Ottawa is a city full of culture. Ottawa is a vibrant metropolitan area, with rich ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity. This is reflected by its multicultural neighbourhoods, cuisines, arts and culture, and annual celebrations such as Odawa Powwow, Capital Pride, Festival Franco-Ontarien, and the Ottawa Lebanese Festival. During the summer, the city is famous for its numerous festivals, including the Tulip Festival, Bluesfest, Folkfest and the Dragonboat Festival. During the winter, Winterlude is a main attraction, as well as the Rideau Canal Skateway (the largest outdoor rink in the world!). Residents have appreciated the connection to Canadian culture through numerous museums and cultural sites, as well as Parliament Hill. Visit the City of Ottawa website for more information.