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NOC 41301: Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies

Official definition · Statistics Canada NOC 2021 v1.0 · statcan.gc.ca ↗

Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies assist individuals and groups of clients to identify, understand and overcome personal problems and achieve personal objectives. They can be specialized to work on specific problems and they may practice psychotherapy. They are employed by counselling centres, social service agencies, group homes, government agencies, family therapy centres, and educational, health care and rehabilitation facilities, or they may work in private practice.

Median Pay$34/hrPrevailing median rate
TEER LevelLevel 1Express Entry pool
Priority StreamGeneral StreamCategory draws
Official Titles65 TitlesGovernment aliases
Interactive Reference Letter Tool

Official Main Duties for NOC 41301

Select the duties you perform in your actual job. Under IRCC guidelines, you must perform at least 60% of these duties for a successful work permit or PR reference letter.

65 official aliases
Checklist (13 official duties):Click each to toggle
💡
IRCC Reference Letter Rule:

Your employer reference letter must confirm you performed the main actions described in the duties above. Avoid copying words directly from the NOC description — officers expect natural job descriptions with specific company context.

Live Match Score⚠ Needs 8 More
0%
0 of 13 selected
0%60% Recommended100%
Below 60% Target (0%)To qualify for NOC 41301, your employer letter should verify at least 8 main duties. Select 8 more to see if your experience matches.
Minimum Needed8 Duties
Current StatusIncomplete

Canadian Labour Market & PR Pathways for NOC 41301

Under Canada's National Occupational Classification (NOC 2021 Version 1.0), Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies is categorized under TEER 1. Occupations in this tier typically require a university degree (bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate) or substantial managerial tenure.

Express Entry Alignment

Qualifies directly for the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) under Express Entry. Work experience must be full-time (or equivalent part-time) and continuous for at least one year.

Target Category Status

Currently evaluated under standard General and CEC invitation rounds, or targeted through provincial in-demand lists such as Ontario (OINP), British Columbia (BC PNP), or Alberta (AAIP).

NOC 2016 to NOC 2021 Transition & Equivalency

Open Full NOC Converter Tool

Under Canada's previous NOC 2016 classification, this occupation was mapped under the following 4-digit code(s). When preparing your Express Entry profile or work reference letters, you must use the new 5-digit code NOC 41301.

Former NOC 31444-Digit Legacy
Other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
RC5 - Transfer

3144 continues as 31204 and part transferred to 41301

Former NOC 41514-Digit Legacy
Psychologists
RC5 - Transfer

4151 continues as 31200 and part transferred to 41301

Former NOC 41534-Digit Legacy
Family, marriage and other related counsellors
RC5 - Transfer

4153 continues as 41301 with part transferred to 31303 and 41321

Job Bank Open Data (2025/2026)

Regional Wages Across Canada

Legal Benchmark for LMIA

Under Canadian immigration law, an employer hiring you under an LMIA must pay you at least the median wage listed below for your province.

Province / TerritoryLow WageMedian WageHigh Wage
Canada (National Average)$23$34/hr$50
Newfoundland and Labrador$26/hr$31/hr$43.96/hr
Prince Edward Island$20/hr$31.5/hr$43.34/hr
Nova Scotia$20/hr$30.67/hr$43/hr
New Brunswick$18.9/hr$32/hr$48.81/hr
Quebec$27.3/hr$38/hr$48/hr
Ontario$23/hr$33/hr$48/hr
Manitoba$24.61/hr$36/hr$51.37/hr
Saskatchewan$25/hr$37/hr$53/hr
Alberta$22.45/hr$38.46/hr$54/hr
British Columbia$25/hr$39.5/hr$51.15/hr
Yukon$31.9/hr$47.69/hr$50.3/hr
Northwest Territories$28.89/hr$53.15/hr$70.12/hr
Nunavut$42/hr$54.95/hr$60/hr

🏙️Top Metropolitan Cities Wage Rates (ESDC 2025/2026)

Economic Region Benchmarks

Official ESDC prevailing median wages across major Canadian metropolitan regions. Crucial for LMIA prevailing wage compliance and local job offer evaluations.

Montréal
$38/hr
$27.3 - $48
Ottawa
$34.01/hr
$29 - $50.5
Toronto
$34/hr
$23 - $48.35
Calgary
$38.31/hr
$22.45 - $51
Edmonton
$38.46/hr
$20.92 - $54.64
Vancouver
$37.94/hr
$23 - $53.17

Employment Requirements

These are the education, training, and certification standards usually required by Canadian employers for this occupation:

  • A bachelor's or master's degree in the field of counselling, therapy, mental health, psychology or a related social service discipline is required and a period of supervised clinical work with clients may be required.
  • A master's degree in the field of therapy is required for art therapist, music therapist, and dance therapists.
  • Membership with a provincial or federal association is usually required by employers.
  • Registration with a regulatory body is required in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick for counselling therapists.
  • To practise psychotherapy, a permit is required in Quebec and registration with the appropriate regulatory body is required in Ontario.

Official Job Titles for NOC 41301

65 Titles Listed

If your current job title matches any of these official examples, this NOC code is likely the right choice for your Express Entry reference letter:

addictions counsellorart therapistbereavement counsellorchild and youth counsellordrama therapistfamily counsellormarriage counsellormovement therapistmusic therapistpsychotherapistregistered clinical counsellorregistered dance therapistregistered marriage and family therapistsex therapistalcohol addiction counsellorart therapists' supervisorart therapy consultantart therapy teacher (except education)behavioural consultantbehavioural therapistbehaviouristchild and family counsellorchildren's counsellorclinical counsellorcommunity mental health counsellorcounselling program supervisorcounselling therapistcounsellor for persons who are intellectually impairedcouples therapistcrisis counsellordance therapistdance therapists' supervisordance therapy researcherdance-movement therapistdance-movement therapy researcherdisability consultantdrama therapists' supervisordrug addiction counselloreating disorder therapistfamily planning counsellorfamily therapistgambling addictions counsellorgambling addictions therapistgrief counsellorgroup home counsellorhuman relations officer - family and children's serviceshuman relations officer - family therapymarital counsellormarriage and family therapistmarriage consultantmarriage therapistmental health counsellormusic therapists' supervisormusic therapy researcherplay therapistpreretirement counsellorpsychoeducational consultantpsychoeducatorregistered family therapistregistered marriage therapistsexologistspecial needs counsellorspontaneous art teacher - therapywelfare organization counsellorzootherapist

Exclusions (Similar Jobs with Different Codes)

Check this list to make sure your actual job is not classified under one of these related codes:

  • Career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education) (See 41321 Career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education))View NOC 41321
  • Educational counsellors (See 41320 Educational counsellors)View NOC 41320
  • Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment (See 31204 Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment)View NOC 31204
  • Managers in social, community and correctional services (See 40030 Managers in social, community and correctional services)View NOC 40030
  • Social and community service workers (See 42201 Social and community service workers)View NOC 42201
  • Social workers (See 41300 Social workers)View NOC 41300

Frequently Asked Questions for NOC 41301 (Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies)

Essential answers regarding Express Entry eligibility, LMIA prevailing wage compliance, and official reference letter rules.

Yes. Because NOC 41301 is classified as TEER 1, it qualifies for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) under Express Entry.
For an LMIA work permit, your employer must offer at least the median wage of $34/hr (or the prevailing median rate in your specific Canadian province of employment).
Under Section 75(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), your employment reference letter must confirm you perform the actions in the lead statement and a substantial number (recommended at least 60%) of the official main duties listed above. You do not need to perform 100% of the duties.
Under Canada's previous NOC 2016 classification, Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies was categorized under NOC 3144 (Other professional occupations in therapy and assessment) and 4151 (Psychologists) and 4153 (Family, marriage and other related counsellors). In NOC 2021, it transitioned to NOC 41301 under TEER 1.
According to official ESDC Job Bank benchmarks, the prevailing median rate for NOC 41301 is $38/hr in Montréal, $34.01/hr in Ottawa, $34/hr in Toronto, $38.31/hr in Calgary, $38.46/hr in Edmonton.
Next Steps for NOC 41301

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Last verified: September 2026