Catch 21: An Examination of the Effect of Mandatory Continuing Education on Training Practices of Quebec Psychologists

Continuing education (CE) is a valued and widely promoted practice across the helping professions. Despite this, investigation into the CE practices of Canadian psychologists is lacking. In particular, it remains unclear whether making CE mandatory, as opposed to voluntary, has positive effects on the practices of these professionals. The enactment in 2012 of Bill 21 in Quebec, which imposes 90 mandatory hours of CE every 5 years for psychologists who practice psychotherapy, provides an excellent opportunity to examine the effects of making CE mandatory. The present study examined CE practices of psychologists pre- and post-Bill 21. Data were collected via surveys sent to two distinct samples of practitioners in 2006 (n = 473) and 2017 (n = 179). Results showed that psychologists spent more money on CE activities but devoted significantly less time to CE in 2017 compared to 2006. Implications for future research, practitioners, regulatory bodies, and the general public are discussed. Public Significance Statement It has been proposed that making continuing education (CE) mandatory influences the CE practices of psychologists. The results of this study suggest a decrease in CE participation after the implementation of mandatory CE for psychologists practicing in Quebec. Changes in cost associated with CE training and motivational processes could partially explain the decrease in CE participation, however, further investigation is needed to better understand the impacts of mandatory CE.