Communiqué

February 2022

Registrar's Message

As we mark Black History Month, I would encourage you to take some time to learn about the many African, Caribbean and Black Canadians who have contributed to our country’s collective successes. There is much to be celebrated.

That said, as we work in the mental health space, it’s important to acknowledge the health inequities that many Black Canadians continue to face.

I’d like to share some statistics included in the Mental Health Commission’s COVID-19 mental health resource, Shining a Light on Mental Health in Black Communities:

only 38% of survey respondents who are Black and reported poor or fair mental health stated that they had used mental health services
60% said they would be more willing to use mental health services if the mental health professional were Black
35.4% were experiencing significant psychological distress, 34.2% of whom never sought mental health services

The message that these statistics carry is clear: we need work to reduce barriers like systemic inequities resulting from anti-Black racism and lack of representation in the profession to improve access to much-needed mental health care for the Black community in Ontario. As the regulatory body for close to 10,000 RPs, CRPO’s Council, committee members and staff are aware that we have a role to play in reducing racial disparities in mental health outcomes for Black Ontarians. CRPO will be developing and sharing a diversity, equity and inclusion plan this year and hope to hear from both registrants and clients from the Black community to help shape that plan.

Registration Renewal Open

All registrants in the RP, RP (Qualifying), and RP (Inactive) categories are required to renew their registration by March 31, 2022, so don’t delay!

The renewal form is available on the “Renewal” page of your user account. The last step in the form will be payment of the annual registration fee and you will be prompted to pay by Visa or MasterCard directly through your account. The alternative for individuals without credit cards is a prepaid credit card.

If you are in the RP category and would like to transfer to RP (Inactive) and be invoiced the Inactive amount for 2022-23, you must go to the “Category transfer request” page in your CRPO account and submit the request no later than March 16, 2022.

If you don’t intend to renew and would like to resign your registration with CRPO, please go to the “Category transfer request” page in your CRPO account and submit the resignation form.

Please see the Renewal page for more information and check out our renewal FAQ.

Education Programs Recognized

At its most recent meeting, the Registration Committee granted clinical experience (CE) recognition to the following programs:

Gestalt Institute of Toronto	Diploma, Five-Year Training Program in Gestalt Psychotherapy
Martin Luther University College	Master of Arts in Theology – Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto	Master of Education in Counselling Psychology – Counselling and Psychotherapy
Ontario Psychotherapy and Counseling Program	Diploma in Psychotherapy with focus on Psychodynamic Therapy
Saint Paul University	Master of Arts in Counselling and Spirituality
Toronto Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis	Diploma in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
Toronto Institute for Relational Psychotherapy	Diploma, Toronto Institute for Relational Psychotherapy
Tyndale University College and Seminary	Master of Divinity – Counselling Major – Clinical Stream
University of Guelph	M.Sc. Couple and Family Therapy Program
Western University	Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology

These programs are listed on the website.

Students from these programs no longer need to submit individual confirmation forms to report clinical experience hours. Students should contact their program to request that they report the total number of practicum hours (direct client contact and clinical supervision) to CRPO.

Students from non-recognized programs, and registrants updating CE hours after graduation, will still need to submit detailed confirmation forms.

Clinical Supervisor Caseload Snapshot

In December 2021, CRPO circulated a short survey asking RP clinical supervisors about their caseload. Respondents included 211 RPs who currently provide clinical supervision. The results provide a glimpse into how clinical supervision is offered within the profession. In particular, clinical supervisors reported:

-Providing an average of 16 hours of clinical supervision per month.

-Half provide some group supervision, while the other half only provides individual or dyadic format.

-Average group supervision size is 5 supervisees.

-Percentage of time supervising the following categories of supervisees:

Students planning to register with CRPO – 30%
RP(Qualifying) registrants – 31%
Full RPs working toward independent practice – 16%
Independent practice RPs seeking voluntary supervision – 13%
Members of other professions – 10%

-Having 8 supervisees in their caseload at a given time and would be able or willing to take on 3 additional supervisees.

CRPO considers the current practice environment, alongside other evidence, in reviewing its standards and policies around clinical supervision.

What do I need to consider when hiring administrative staff/technical support providers who might have access to client information?

When preparing and maintaining records, Registered Psychotherapists are subject to the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004. PHIPA governs therapists’ use of personal health information, including its collection, use, disclosure and access.

PHIPA allows health information custodians to engage the services of agents. For example, administrative staff or technical support providers could be considered an agent of the health information custodian. When working with an agent, there should be a confidentiality agreement in place. The custodian is still responsible for the records, even if they have an agent. The custodian must take reasonable steps (such as training, oversight and having policies in place) to ensure the agent maintains privacy of the information to which they have access.

The following definitions are found in the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario’s Frequently Asked Questions: Personal Health Information Protection Act:

WHAT IS A CUSTODIAN?

A custodian is a person or organization listed in PHIPA that, as a result of [their] power or duties or work set out in PHIPA, has custody or control of personal health information.

WHAT IS AN AGENT?

PHIPA defines an agent to include any person who is authorized by a custodian to perform services or activities in respect of personal health information on the custodian’s behalf and for the purposes of that custodian.

An agent may include a person or company that contracts with, is employed by or volunteers for a custodian and, as a result, may have access to personal health information. PHIPA permits custodians to provide personal health information to their agents only if the custodian is permitted to collect, use, disclose, retain or dispose of the information.

For more information, please see the following resources:

Council Meeting

The next regular meeting of CRPO Council will take place on March 31, 2022. Council meetings will take place via videoconference and will be live streamed for observers until further notice.

Date: March 31, 2022

Time: 9:30 am to 3:30 pm

Location: Click here to watch the Live-stream

Please do not unsubscribe. CRPO uses email to communicate with registrants about important College updates. If you choose to unsubscribe, it is then your responsibility to regularly check our website to keep yourself informed about your College obligations. It is the responsibility of each registrant 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.