CRPO response to anti-Black racism
In a week when protests over the death of George Floyd have taken place across the world, CRPO condemns racism and racial discrimination in all its forms. Research demonstrates that Black communities face significant mental health impacts due to anti-Black violence. As a regulator working in the interests of the public, CRPO stands opposed to systemic oppression and violence. We stand with Black communities across Ontario. We have made a donation to
Pathways to Care
, a project of the
Black Health Alliance
aimed at improving mental health and addiction care for Black children and youth.
COVID-19
Weekly webinars on infection and prevention control
The Toronto Region COVID-19 Mental Health and Addictions Working Group has invited providers to join a weekly webinar series with Dr. Renee Logan, CAMH hospitalist and infection prevention and control (IPAC) specialist. Mental health providers in community settings can log on to the webinar to ask any IPAC-related questions they might have. As needs change over time, the webinar may include topics other than IPAC (e.g. HR strategies). The webinars are held weekly on Mondays from 12:00 -12:30 pm and RPs are encouraged to
sign up
to receive invitations and emails about these events.
In-person practice resources
As parts of Ontario enter the next phase for re-opening the province and registrants continue to plan for or begin to move back to in-person care for clients who they cannot see using e-therapy, all RPs must ensure that they have taken adequate steps to implement the infection and prevention control measures detailed in the
Operational Requirements: Health Sector Restart
document issued by the Ministry of Health of Ontario as well as in CRPO’s
Guidance for Return to In-Person Practice
.
There are a growing number of resources posted to our COVID-19 page. The newest include:
Resources to prevent COVID-19 in the workplace
– this is high-level guidance from the Ministry of Health to help employers and workers. It contains links to several sector-specific guidelines from the Public Services Health and Safety Association. None of them are explicitly geared toward the provision of psychotherapy, but some cover services that are similar and that may have some relevance to your practice. Tips include:
Consultation on return to in-person practice guidance
When the Chief Medical Office of Health of Ontario (CMOH) amended Directive #2 for Health Care Providers to allow regulated health professionals to begin the process of returning to in-person practice, he indicated that the “gradual restart of services should be carried out in coordination with, and adherence to guidance from, applicable health regulatory colleges.”
Before issuing a formal guideline, CRPO is seeking feedback from stakeholders to ensure that the guidance is comprehensive, useful and feasible for Registered Psychotherapists in their practice, considering their setting, modality and the client population they serve.
We are keen to hear from RPs across the province about the guidance that has been issued. It would be particularly helpful to hear from RPs whose practice:
- Includes body work that would preclude physical distancing
- Uses equipment (such as EMDR tappers)
- Uses consumable supplies (such as sand, clay or art materials)
- Is with clients where physical distancing or measures such as the use of cloth non-medical masks might not be possible (e.g., with children or individuals with disabilities such as being hard of hearing or impaired cognition)
- Involves animals
