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CRPO Communiqué - August 2016
August 8, 2016

Dear CRPO Member or Stakeholder;

This month's Communiqué includes updates from CRPO about the current consultation regarding the Professional Practice Standards for Registered Psychotherapists, further development of the Quality Assurance Program and information about our Recognized Education & Training Programs. We are also sharing information about recent updates to AODA and PHIPA so as to keep you up-to-date on legislation and regulation changes in the sector. We hope this month's Communiqué provides useful information to you.


CRPO Updates
 
Professional Practice Standards - Consultation Reminder
Members and stakeholders are reminded that CRPO is currently circulating draft amendments to the Professional Practice Standards for Registered Psychotherapists ; namely a new professional practice standard, Affirming Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, and a proposed change to standard 3.1, Confidentiality

CRPO invites all interested parties to contribute to the discussion about these amendments. Please forward this Communiqué to any colleagues, professional associations or mental health agencies that may be interested in, or affected by, the proposals.



Quality Assurance Program - Development Update
In early July, CRPO launched the second phase of the Quality Assurance (QA) Program, the Peer and Practice Review (PPR). Approximately 50 Members have been randomly selected to participate in the PPR. Those who were selected will find a notification message in their CRPO accounts. 
 
Under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 , all health regulatory colleges must have in place a QA Program that involves peer and practice assessment. Designed to measure the knowledge, skill and judgment of the practice of a Member, CRPO's PPR involves at least one interview between a Member and a trained Peer Assessor. All participants will complete the first step-the Remote Interview, as follows:
  • complete the Prequestionnaire providing CRPO and the Assessor with contextualizing information about a Member's practice;
  • provide samples of promotional materials, including business cards, advertising and links to web-pages where services are promoted; and
  • engage in the interview, which usually lasts an hour and takes place by phone.
Based on the outcome of the Remote Interview, those who are identified as requiring a more in-depth assessment will move on to the second step, the In-Person Interview. During the In-Person Interview, a Member is interviewed a second time, generally at the Member's place of practice, in a visit that can last from two to three hours. In addition, records relating to the care of clients are reviewed using a checklist that is based on CRPO's standard on record-keeping, which can be found in the Professional Practice Standards for Registered Psychotherapists .
 
Behaviour-based interviewing methodologies were applied when designing the structured interviews, and the questions and evaluation criteria are based on standards that can be found in the Professional Practice Standards for Registered Psychotherapists and relevant competencies from the   Entry-to-Practice Competency Profile for Registered Psychotherapists .
 
Please check your CRPO account to see if you have been randomly selected for PPR. 
 
If you have any questions or feedback regarding the Quality Assurance Program, please contact QA@crpo.ca .
 

Recognized Education & Training Programs
Education program providers are encouraged to consider completing and submitting an application for recognition of their program by CRPO.

CRPO's Regular Route to registration is geared toward recent graduates of psychotherapy education and training programs. After March 31, 2017 (when the CRPO's Grandparenting Route to registration closes), the Regular Route will be the main route to membership with CRPO. One of the main registration requirements is completion of one of CRPO's Recognized Education & Training Programs, or a substantially equivalent program. Applicants who have successfully completed one of CRPO's Recognized Education & Training Programs will be deemed to have met CRPO's education and training requirement.




Other News Affecting Registered Psychotherapists

AODA and Service Animals - Updates RPs Should be Aware of
Under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act  (AODA), every organization providing goods or services to members of the public is subject to certain standards. Recent changes to the  Integrated Accessibility Standards  took effect on July 1, 2016, and are particularly relevant to Registered Psychotherapists (RPs).

Under these standards, a service animal is defined as an animal that "can be readily identified as one that is being used by the person for reasons relating to the person's disability", or for which a person provides documentation "confirming that the person requires the animal for reasons relating to the disability." Registered Psychotherapists are included as one type of regulated health professional who may provide such documentation. In providing such documentation, RPs should ensure they are competent to make an assessment and should maintain the documentation.
 
 
PHIPA Amendments - Reporting Privacy Breaches
Privacy requirements are changing in Ontario and regulated health professionals need to be aware of these changes to ensure their practice is in alignment with regulations and legislation. Registered Psychotherapists should be aware of the new reporting obligations for breaches of privacy under the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA). These include who needs to be notified of a breach, reporting privacy breaches to regulatory colleges and other important changes.