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February 16, 2017
Message from the Registrar
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Deborah Adams
Registrar
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I am very pleased to be writing to introduce myself. It was with great excitement that I took up my position as Registrar at CRPO on January 9th. I am actually returning to the regulatory world after spending the last four years working with a primary care family health team. The experience I gained in that time reinforced my belief in the importance of effective self-regulation and provided me with valuable insight into how mental health services are being provided and accessed in this province.
In the few short weeks that I've been here at CRPO, I've seen how many Members are actively and positively engaged with the College, how committed the staff are to providing excellent service and how diligent Council is in fulfilling its mandate of public protection. There is certainly a considerable base of knowledge and experience among everyone working to support Registered Psychotherapists in the important task of self-regulation.
This strong foundation will be critical in the coming months as we continue to expand all of our regulatory functions and remain responsive to changes and opportunities for CRPO, professional regulation as a whole and for the province's health care system. Over the course of the coming months we will be responding to the increasing influx of grandparenting applications, which will continue to arrive until the deadline of March 31, 2017, ensure readiness to address changes that will likely result from Bill 87, the Protecting Patients Act, and work toward the proclamation of the controlled act of psychotherapy.
Please check back to this corner of upcoming communiqués as I will be looking at ways to connect effectively with all of our stakeholders and to ensure that I am available to respond to any questions, concerns or suggestions you might have.
Thank you to all for the warm welcome.
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Message from the President
On behalf of Council I would like to recognize the contribution of Carol Cowan-Levine, RP, as President of CRPO for the past five years. Carol was first appointed as a professional member to the Transitional Council at its inception in 2009, served as Vice-President for two years, and then as President. The first election of the newly proclaimed College was held October 2015 and Carol was elected in District 8 - Ontario; all members of CRPO were eligible to vote.
CRPO has benefitted from Carol's knowledge and wisdom as well as her skill in governance. Carol's belief in the mission, vision and values of CRPO has been evident in her work on Council and committees, from the creation of regulations through to their implementation. The journey has shown us Carol's dedication, patience, perseverance, willingness to listen, and listen more, all toward facilitating decisions that have moved us forward. Today, almost two years post-proclamation, public protection and professional accountability in the practice of psychotherapy in Ontario have a strong foundation thanks in great measure to Carol's leadership.
Carol was again elected to the Executive Committee at our Council meeting on Jan. 19, 2017 and will continue to sit on a number of committees. Though we will continue to benefit from Carol's knowledge and insight, we would like to take this time to offer our sincere thanks and congratulations for such a significant contribution!
Andrew Benedetto, RP
President
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Important Reminders
- Close of Grandparenting
- Membership Renewal
- Quality Assurance Program Update
1. Grandparenting Deadline Approaching: Complete Applications Must be Submitted by March 31, 2017
Grandparenting is a time-limited, alternate route to registration which allows current, established practitioners in Canada with appropriate education, training and clinical experience to apply for membership as a Registered Psychotherapist (RP).
All applicants for grandparenting must complete the online application, pay the processing fee (allowing at least three business days for the payment to clear the banking system) and then go back into the Member Management System (MMS) and be sure to submit the application before 11:59 p.m. on March 31, 2017. The application status will change from "Open" to "Received" once the application has been successfully submitted to CRPO.
Due to this imminent deadline, we are seeing a significant increase in the number of applications being submitted. This substantial increase in volume means that, while staff are working diligently to process applications, there will likely be an increased timeframe between when an application is received by CRPO and when staff review of that application begins.
Every application we receive undergoes a careful and thorough first-level review. This review is used to ascertain if an application is complete and accurate and gives applicants the opportunity to provide more information, if necessary, before it goes on to a second-level review. The second-level review is more detailed and is used to evaluate if an applicant's education, training and clinical experience meets the grandparenting criteria. It is also another opportunity for applicants to provide additional information or clarification if needed.
As of the date of this Communiqué, CRPO staff are working on first-level reviews of applications that were submitted in December 2016. A Registration Assistant may contact applicants with questions once the review of their application begins. If you have submitted an application, please monitor your account on the MMS for communication about your application and respond to any questions or requests for additional information as quickly as possible.
Note:
Messages sent through the MMS are to relay action items only, they are not e-mail where the customary back and forth conversations and etiquette are necessary. Staff will send you a message through the MMS which normally requires some action on your part (e.g. answer a question, upload documentation, etc.). Once you've taken the action and are providing the information, please respond to the original message. Staff will confirm that the message has been received and if further action is required. If nothing more is required of you, please do not respond to the message as it negatively impacts processing time for staff to go into individual accounts to access messages with non-substantive content. If you need to ask a general question unrelated to the message, please e-mail
[email protected]
.
Applications that do not clearly meet the grandparenting criteria, for one reason or another, are referred to a panel of the Registration Committee for a third-level review. This review panel includes professional members of Council (that is, practicing Registered Psychotherapists) as well as publicly appointed members. The professional members bring their clinical perspective and experience to the process and work with the other panel members to ensure that registration decisions are fair and appropriate. Panels meet regularly but, over the coming months, they will also be working through an increased number of applications given the increasing influx as the grandparenting deadline approaches.
We recognize the importance of registering qualified applicants as quickly as possible and staff will continue to work carefully and persistently to make sure the application and registration processes are thorough but efficient.
Remember: No grandparenting applications may be submitted after March 31, 2017.
You may also find it helpful to review the information for the regular route for registration to see if that option better suits your education or training and clinical experience.
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2. Key Information about Renewal of Membership for 2017-18
CRPO Members are required to renew their membership on an annual basis, by March 31st of each year. Members are required to demonstrate ongoing currency in the practice of the profession (i.e. show they have completed 750 hours of broadly defined activities related to psychotherapy in a rolling three-year period), update CRPO with any changes to personal information and/or practice sites, report any conduct-related concerns and pay the associated fee. The Membership Renewal form for the 2017-18 year is now available under the "Renewal" tab found in Members' user accounts. Members will also find their fee invoice for the next membership year (April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018) under the "Invoices" tab.
The Renewal form must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on March 31, 2017, preceded by full payment of the annual membership fee, including HST. Please allow at least three business days for the payment to clear the banking system. Once the payment has cleared, you must remember to return to the online Renewal form and click "Submit" to send it to us before the deadline, or risk incurring a late fee of $78 +HST.
Transferring to the Inactive Category
Inactive Members are practitioners who, for one reason or another, are not currently engaged in the practice of the profession or need to take an extended leave from active practice, but wish to maintain membership with CRPO.
The annual membership fee for a Member who transfers into the Inactive category during the renewal period is $286 +HST.
Note
: The College does not provide any credit, refund or reimbursement to a Member who moves from RP status to Inactive at any point through the registration year, which runs from April 1 - March 31.
CRPO requires that Inactive Members carry liability run off coverage (sometimes called enduring or tail coverage) for a minimum of two years since last practising in Ontario. Review the
Professional Liability Insurance
section of CRPO's website for more information about insurance requirements. Contact your insurance provider to discuss your options.
Note
: Members who are covered by employer liability insurance should contact their employer for more information about coverage during leave. The onus is on the Member to ensure they have liability coverage which meets the criteria stipulated by CRPO.
If you would like to switch to the Inactive category for the upcoming 2017-18 membership year, you must notify CRPO in writing no later than March 2, 2017 and everything needs to be complete with your renewal (i.e. complete and upload the
Transfer form
to your Member account, pay your Inactive category invoice allowing at least three business days for funds to clear the banking system, and complete and submit the online Renewal form) all by March 31, 2017 to avoid incurring a late fee.
*Qualifying Members and RP (Temporary) Members cannot transfer to the RP (Inactive) category.
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3. Quality Assurance Program: Important Deadline Approaching
If your date of initial registration falls between Oct. 1, 2015 and Dec. 31, 2016, you are required to complete a Self-Assessment and begin a Learning Plan by March 31, 2017. If your date of registration falls outside of this window, review the
Professional Development Guide
to learn more about your requirements.
The tools and resources that will help you meet your Quality Assurance Program requirements are available online in a secure, confidential platform called the QA Portal. To access the Portal, log into
your CRPO account
and click on the "QA" tab where you will find relevant links and information. Please contact [email protected]
if you require access to the tools in French.
Call for Peer Assessors
CRPO maintains a roster of peer assessors to conduct Peer and Practice Reviews (PPRs) as part of the Quality Assurance Program. We are currently looking to add at least one bilingual (English and French) assessor to that roster. Peer assessors are CRPO Members who have been trained to conduct PPRs, which are structured, interview-based practice assessments.
Interested candidates should review the complete
role description
and must be available to participate in at least one teleconference interview (lasting approximately one hour) and at least one full day of group training in April. Peer assessors will be remunerated on a per-diem basis for each interview conducted/report completed. Travel is expected and peer assessors will be reimbursed for meal, travel and accommodation expenses according to established policies.
If you would like to apply for this volunteer position with CRPO, please submit your resume to
[email protected]
on or before Feb. 28, 2017.
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CRPO News
- Transparency By-law Updates
- CRPO Executive Committee Election Results and Upcoming Council Elections
- Practice Advisor Now Available
1. Enhancing Transparency Through the Public Register
CRPO's Public Register will soon contain new Member information, with the aim of promoting public confidence in the College and its Members. These new measures were adopted by Council in January, following stakeholder consultation. The changes you will notice are as follows:
- Names of Former Members
- The Public Register will include information about Members for a period of at least five years after they leave the College. This is increased from two years. Please note that information related to discipline proceedings remains published for a period of 25 years after termination of membership.
- Undertakings
- An undertaking is a voluntary promise given by a Member restricting his or her practice in some way. Beginning April 1, 2017 the Public Register will include a summary of any undertaking entered into by a Member.
- In-person cautions
- An in-person caution is one possible outcome of the complaints process. In-person cautions only result where a detailed investigation uncovers fairly serious concerns. Cautions are not punitive in nature, but bring the Member's attention to particular issues and areas for improvement. A summary of every in-person caution ordered beginning April 1, 2017 will appear on a Member's Public Register profile.
- SCERPs
- Similar to in-person cautions, a specified continuing education or remediation program (SCERP) is a possible outcome of the complaints process. A SCERP is meant to address a significant gap or shortfall through a learning program, e.g. an ethics course or clinical supervision.
Please see CRPO's
By-laws
and the
Find an RP
(Public Register) sections of our website for more information.
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2. CRPO Executive Committee Election Results and Upcoming Council Elections
Elections of Council members to the Executive Committee took place at the January 19th Council meeting. Congratulations to the members of our newly constituted Executive Committee:
- President - Andrew Benedetto, RP
- Vice-President - Malcolm MacFarlane, RP
- Members at-Large: Carol Cowan-Levine, RP; Mary Kardos Burton; Sheldon Kawarsky
The position of President was acclaimed. The Vice-President and three Members at-Large
were elected by Council.
Regularly scheduled elections for positions on Council will take place this summer for Districts 2 - North, 3 - East, and 4 - Central East. At the same time, a by-election will be held to fill the vacancy in District 6 - Central West. Beginning in April, Members in these districts can begin submitting their nomination packages. Further information about the role of Council members and the election process is set out on the
Council Elections
page, as well as in CRPO's
By-laws
.
Each Member's electoral district is determined by their primary practice site, or if the Member is not practising the profession, their place of residence. Members' electoral district assignments will be updated based on the information collected with the close of the renewal period on March 31, 2017, so it is important to carefully review your Practice Profile page to indicate your primary practice site.
Additional information about Council elections will be included in future communiqués. Questions about Council elections can be sent to
[email protected]
.
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3. Practice Advisor Now Available
CRPO is now offering a practice advisory service staffed by a dedicated Practice Advisor. The Practice Advisor is available for inquiries or questions related to professional practice, ethics and practice standards. This service provides information and resources to Members to assist with challenging practice situations. Inquiries are also received from members of the public and other stakeholders regarding the standards of practice governing the profession of psychotherapy in Ontario. The Practice Advisor receives a wide variety of queries; common topics include consent to treatment, psychotherapists' scope of practice, access to information, mandatory reporting, and responsibility in supervisory relationships.
The Practice Advisor may not be able to answer all questions posed. In such cases efforts are made to point Members and the public in the right direction. In some situations, Members will still need to obtain their own legal advice or clinical supervision. Please note that the Practice Advisor is a part-time role staffed by a practising Registered Psychotherapist. Therefore, it may take several business days for a response. The new Practice Advisor welcomes your concerns and questions and can be contacted by e-mail at
[email protected]
and by phone at 416-945-3690.
The Practice Advisor does not deal with concerns about the service being offered by a particular member, complaints, or professional misconduct. These should be directed to
[email protected]
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Did you know?
E-mail is a convenient, efficient form of technology that you may already be using to communicate with your clients. However, this convenience carries risks that should be discussed with your clients as part of your informed consent process.
- Ask your clients if anyone else has access to their e-mail accounts and refrain from sending information to shared e-mail accounts.
- Encourage your clients to create or reset passwords so that they are secure and advise them not to share this information with anyone.
- Transmit only sparse information in the body of e-mail messages that you send to clients. Invoices, notes, homework, between-session discussions, etc. should not be included in the body of an e-mail, and should instead be transmitted in a password-protected (or encrypted) document. Relay such passwords to your client in session or by phone and avoid transmitting passwords by e-mail.
Questions on this topic? Send them to [email protected].
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Please do not unsubscribe. CRPO works on the assumption that our Members receive all of our e-mails. CRPO uses e-mail to communicate with Members about important College updates. If you choose to unsubscribe, it is then your responsibility to regularly check our website to keep yourself informed.
It is the responsibility of each Member to make sure CRPO has your current contact information, updated within 30 days of a change, and ensure that the organization you work for does not block CRPO emails.
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