May 2020
This month: Returning to work, group supervision, Quality Assurance FAQ and more
Coronavirus Resources
Looking for information, resources and advice about your practice during the coronavirus pandemic? We’ve got you covered , including information about electronic practice, infection prevention, and FAQs we’re updating all the time. The most recent addition to these resources is a first look at what RPs will need for transition back to in-person practice
Shelley Briscoe-Dimock, CRPO President
President's Message
As we complete our seventh week of remote operations, I wanted to take a moment to thank all registrants for their continued efforts to provide care to clients and to meet their obligations as regulated professionals. I know that this is a difficult time for everyone; this is particularly true for those who work to support people’s mental health and emotional well-being.

I look forward to welcoming stakeholders back into Council work – either in person or virtually – for the August meeting.  
Deborah Adams, Registrar
Registrar's Message
While it’s not business as usual, CRPO’s remote operations are well-established and operating efficiently. Staff continue to work to answer questions and provide reliable information. Council committees are still meeting to review registration applications and quality assurance submissions as well as to address complaints and concerns.

We are watching the coronavirus situation closely so that we can be responsive to what will be required of registrants as the economy is re-opened and restrictions are lifted. Please look at the advice and resources , particularly those related to infection control so that you can be ready to return to in-person practice once we are given the go-ahead by government.
Clinical Group Supervision Size
Effective April 1, 2022, CRPO will only accept reported clinical group supervision hours that occurred in a group size of eight or fewer supervisees . The public is better protected by practitioners receiving high-quality supervision through smaller group sizes. 1

Currently, up to 20% of group supervision hours (i.e. a maximum of 30 hours, out of 150 total hours) can be completed in groups of nine to 12 supervisees, provided the clinical supervisor attests that learning is promoted for all supervisees in the group. All remaining group supervision hours can include up to eight supervisees.
1 Grigg, G. (2006). Designs and Discriminations for Clinical Group Supervision in Counselling Psychology: An Analysis.  Canadian Journal of Counselling/Revue Canadienne de Counseling, 40(2). and
Jacobs, E. E., Masson, R. L., & Harville, R. L. (2002). Group counseling: Strategies and skills. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole
2016 and 2018 registrants – You have a deadline this November
Registrants, even though your Professional Development (PD) deadline is over six months away, you should be keeping up with your requirements throughout the year. Currently, the global pandemic has not changed PD requirements; if it does, we will certainly inform you as soon as is feasible.

How can you ensure your PD submission is of top quality? Follow these tips:

  1. Completing your PD tools requires a reflective and thoughtful approach and is not a matter of filling in forms. Take time to complete the Self-Assessment, reflecting on the general professional obligations inventory and determining your own need to learn more about them. You’ll also need to write reflections on the more interpersonal aspects of your practice, such as your professional relationships, support systems, and safe and effective use of self (SEUS). Give yourself the time and space you need to do this thoughtfully.
  2. The Learning Plan requires your attention on an ongoing basis. This PD tool allows you to articulate goals and action plans, and gives you an opportunity to reflect on those goals before and after you achieve them.
  3. The Learning Record provides a view into your continuing education activities. You are required to log 40 hours of learning activities in each two-year PD cycle; thus if you are a 2016 registrant, you are reporting for two PD cycles, and need to log 80 hours of learning activities by November 30, 2020. All 2016 and 2018 registrants must record at least one experiential and at least one didactic learning activity.
  4. There are other criteria for the Learning Record, which you can review in the Professional Development Guide, such as ensuring each entry has all pertinent details.
  5. Your reporting cycle started on your date of initial registration and ends on November 30, 2020; hence the learning activities you record on your Learning Plan must be within this period.
  6. Remember to submit your PD tools after you complete them. This is often a missed step! You must submit your PD tools, including both completed and open/active tools, by November 30, 2020. Tips on how to do this can be found here and here.

Need more info? Check out the QA page and our Professional Development FAQ .
Practice Matters: My client has left Ontario – can I continue working with them by phone or videoconference?
Whether a client resides in Ontario or another jurisdiction, registrants may provide services using communications technologies as long as:

  • they are able to do so competently and in a manner that abides by the Professional Practice Standards;
  • there is no law, regulation or standard in the other jurisdiction that would restrict or prohibit the registrant from providing services to a client located in that jurisdiction; and
  • they have appropriate liability insurance coverage considering the particular technologies used to provide services, the risks these technologies may present, and the possibility that the registrant’s practice will cross into other jurisdictions.

Registrants who provide psychotherapy using communications technologies (e.g. phone, video conference, etc.) have an electronic practice. Professional Practice Standard 3.4: Electronic Practice and the accompanying guideline set out expectations for registrants who engage in electronic practice, some of which are highlighted below.

Registrants who wish to work with a client located in another jurisdiction must determine whether any law or regulation in that jurisdiction would prevent them from providing therapy to the client. This might require, for example, that registrants investigate whether the practice of psychotherapy or counselling is regulated in the client’s jurisdiction and if so, that the registrant makes inquiries with the regulatory body there.

To an extent, a communications platform is its own therapeutic milieu that influences the therapeutic relationship and the therapy itself. Being able to leverage this therapeutic milieu safely and to the benefit of clients is an important skill. Familiarity and comfort with the technologies that are used in electronic practice can help registrants meet their obligations with respect to confidentiality and enable them to resolve technical issues that might arise during a session.

Before any therapy is provided, registrants must first evaluate the appropriateness of therapy, given the nature of the client’s concerns, their ability to access technologies safely and privately, and their overall comfort and capability with communications technologies. Therapists must also consider whether providing therapy in this manner would present a risk of harm to a client in light of the client’s symptoms and individual risk factors; for example, safety in the home or possibility of adverse reaction during therapy.

There are added considerations for the informed consent process. For example, registrants are expected to enter into a contract with clients before providing services. In addition, therapists must inform clients of the technologies that will be used and discuss the risks to confidentiality that these technologies may present.

Other resources:

Send your practice-related inquiries to the Practice Advisory Service by emailing practice@crpo.ca .
Two Education Programs Recognized 
The Master of Psychology program at the Adler Graduate Professional School Inc. and the Certificate in Psychotherapy at the Toronto Centre for Psychotherapy and Counselling Education are the latest educational programs to receive recognition from CRPO. This means that the programs sufficiently enable students to develop the required competencies for entry-to-practice in psychotherapy. Visit our website for more information about the recognition process, or to review the other recognized programs.
Renewal Forms Processed 
All submitted registration renewal forms have been processed by CRPO. Thanks to those who completed their renewal. Only 1% of registrants did not provide the required information by the deadline. Remember that June 1 is the deadline for payment if you took advantage of the extension. 
Election Update
The nomination period for the District 2, 3 & 4 election closed on April 20, 2020.

One nomination was received for District 2 (North) – Judy Mord, RP.
One nomination was received for District 3 (East) – Shelley Briscoe-Dimock, RP.
And one nomination was received for District 4 (Central East) – Kenneth Lomp, RP.

As such, we are pleased to share that each candidate has been acclaimed to serve on CRPO Council for three-year terms, and no election is required at this time.
Council Highlights
CRPO Council met virtually on Friday, March 27, 2020 to review and discuss a variety of matters.  Review full Council highlights .
 
The next meeting of CRPO Council will take place on August 20, 2020, 9:30 to 3:30. Want to attend? Register ahead of time and review the  guidelines on attendance
 
Given the uncertainty around when restrictions will be eased to allow in-person meetings, CRPO is waiting to determine whether this session will be virtual. If we can hold an in-person meeting, please note that seating is limited and so you are asked to ensure you have a confirmation before attending.
Open for Business
A reminder that, although the CRPO offices are physically closed and staff are working offsite, our day-to-day business is ongoing. This includes processing registration applications. Staff are currently reviewing applications that were submitted in February. Be sure to follow us on Facebook where we post updates about which batch of applications we’re reviewing. 
CRPO is now on Twitter , Facebook and LinkedIn .
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