CRPO Communiqué
January 2017
January 16, 2017

Dear CRPO Member or Stakeholder;

This month's Communiqué includes important reminders about the close of grandparenting, membership renewal and the Quality Assurance Program. It also provides information about a new Professional Practice Standard, the Inactive category of membership as well as CRPO's Public Register. We hope this month's Communiqué is a useful resource.
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Important Reminders
    1. Close of Grandparenting
    2. Renewal Information
    3. Quality Assurance Program Update
1. Close of Grandparenting: Counting down to March 31, 2017!
Grandparenting is a  time-limited, alternate route to registration which allows established practitioners in Canada with appropriate education, training and clinical experience to apply for membership as a Registered Psychotherapist (RP), without having to write the Entry-to-Practice Registration Examination. The grandparenting route is only available until March 31, 2017.
 
With less than three months remaining in which practitioners may apply for membership with CRPO via the grandparenting route, if you have not started or submitted an application, there is still a reasonable amount of time to seek answers to any questions you may have ahead of the deadline. If you have already started the process, log into your user account, review your profile and continue to work to complete your application.
 
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 submit the application before 11:59 p.m. on March 31, 2017. Staff would, however, encourage any applicant to complete these steps sooner rather than later to eliminate any last minute anxiety or unforeseen circumstances.
 
Remember: No grandparenting applications may be submitted after March 31, 2017.
 
 
If you have questions after reviewing the requirements, please send them to info@crpo.ca .

2. Key Information about Renewal of Membership for 2017-18
CRPO Members are required to renew their registration 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 Registration Renewal Form for the 2017-18 year will be available late this week under the "Renewal" tab found in Members' user accounts. Members will also find their registration 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 registration fee, including HST. Please allow 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. Last year, renewal launched in mid-February; we're launching it even earlier this year to provide Members with an extended time period in which to successfully complete the process and avoid late penalties.
 
If you have general questions about the renewal process, please contact info@crpo.ca.

3.  Quality Assurance Program: Important Deadline Approaching
The Quality Assurance (QA) Program participation requirements have changed based on the feedback of Members who engaged in the 2016 pilot of the Professional Development component. These changes will affect all Members, depending on your date of registration, as follows:
  • If you became a Member 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 you are a Member who participated in the 2016 Professional Development pilot, you are required to update your tools over the next year in order to demonstrate that you meet the requirements, including the requirement to engage in 40 hours of learning activities. Your tools must be completed by March 31, 2018.
  • If you became a Member between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2017, you will be required to complete a Self-Assessment and begin a Learning Plan by March 31, 2018.
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.
 
Want to know more about your QA requirements? Review the Quality Assurance Program section of our website, review the Professional Development Guide , join one of our info session webcasts, or  watch a recorded webcast when it becomes available. Reserve a spot in a live info session webcast by clicking on your preferred date below:
 

If you have questions about participation in the QA Program, please contact qa@crpo.ca .  
New Professional Practice Standard - Affirming Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

On Nov. 24, 2016, following stakeholder consultation, Council adopted a new Professional Practice Standard - Affirming Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. The Standard directs that Members refrain from providing services such as conversion or reparative therapy, which seek to change or direct a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. The Standard is not intended to prevent services that provide acceptance, support or understanding of a person's gender identity or sexual orientation. See the Professional Practice Standards for Registered Psychotherapists - 3.7: Affirming Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity  for further detail.
Transferring to the Inactive Category

Inactive Members are individuals 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.
 
A Member should carefully weigh their options before applying to transfer into this category since Inactive Members are prohibited from:
  • providing or supervising direct client care;
  • providing supervision; and
  • making any claim or representation to having any competence in psychotherapy.
Members in the Inactive category must use the appropriate title: Registered Psychotherapist (Inactive) or the acceptable abbreviated form, RP (Inactive).
 
Fees
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.
 
Renewal of Membership
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.
 
Professional Liability Insurance
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 CRPO's 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.
 
*Qualifying Members and RP (Temporary) Members cannot transfer to the RP (Inactive) category.
 
For more information about the Inactive category or to complete the   Transfer form, please visit the Transferring to the Inactive Category  section of CRPO's website.
The Public Register - What You Need to Know

CRPO's Public Register can be found on our website under " Find an RP ". The Public Register contains information about all CRPO Members and allows anyone to confirm whether a person is a Member of the College, and to learn the person's registration status, discipline history (if any) and their employment information.
Members can be searched by:
  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Language
  • City
  • Province or State
  • Postal or Zip Code
Each search filter used further narrows down the results. It is important to note that if you checked the box "Do not publish my language" during registration, anyone searching the Public Register using, for example, the "English" language filter, would not be able to find you because you have not published your language of practice. If you would like to change your language preference or have questions about the Public Register or your record, please e-mail info@crpo.ca .

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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.