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 entry criteria are met.

Second, a pair of raters (comprised of training 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 2025-26 APPIC cycle, interviews will be completed January, 2025. Details are outlined in the brochure. Additional information about the interview process is located below. Standardized interviews are conducted by a panel 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 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 6, 2024. Interviews scheduled for January 2025 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 2025 also includes a virtual orientation session provided by the director and/or assistant director of training, and a virtual meeting with current residents. There are also opportunities to speak to other training faculty 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. Supervision also includes administrative (0.5 hours per week) and group supervision (one hour per week) with the director of training, assistant director or another faculty member.

Each of the three 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) and secondary rotations will be identified prior to the January 2025 interviews. This information will be available to applicants at that time.

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. 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 seminars.

Evaluation research 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 evaluation research requirement 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 evaluation research 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 and producing a written evaluation research report.

Residents complete evaluation research projects in pairs, and various topics are provided by the program at the beginning of the year. In most cases, residents will work with a separate supervisor on this project, and 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 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.

Residents each have their own office at The Royal’s main campus. Each resident office is equipped with a laptop with a webcam/external 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.

In addition to clinical activities in the primary and secondary rotations, residents are required to complete an evaluation research project, participate in a hospital committee, supervise a student, deliver a Grand Rounds presentation and attend seminars.

Residents are provided with a core requirement form to track the completion of requirements throughout the year, both clinical and additional.

Aside from the evaluation research project, there are no research-oriented core requirements in The Royal’s residency program.

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. During the summer, the city is vibrant with 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.