Communiqué

March 2023

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Check Before You Check

Many online psychotherapy directories ask therapists which client populations they work with, what conditions they treat, and what types of therapy they offer. It can be tempting to check off as many options as possible. After all, that could mean more prospective clients will see your profile. However, it's important to check the implications before you check all the boxes.

Every time an RP checks a box on their online therapist profile, they are making a claim that clients could rely on. The nature of the claim depends on the phrasing the directory uses. For example, a list beginning with “Specialties” implies a greater degree of training and experience than a list beginning with “Issues treated.” In either case, caution is advised when listing complex or high-risk conditions, such as eating disorders or personality disorders, which require dedicated training.

CRPO Standard 1.2 Use of Terms, Titles, and Designations, Standard 2.1: Consultation, Clinical Supervision, and Referral, and Standard 6.2 Advertising and Representing Yourself and Your Services, set some relevant expectations. For example:

• Advertising must be factual and verifiable. Any claim of competence must be backed up by credible education, supervision, and experience.
• Registrants only offer services if they have adequate competence to provide them.
• Terms, titles, and designations need to be used appropriately, including not falsely implying that one is a specialist in a particular area.

Consider having another look at your profiles and ensuring that all the statements you have made about your practice and expertise are justified.

For more information on this topic, review this article on our website.

For additional CRPO resources regarding advertising, consult:

• Promotions, package deals, and discounts
• Grey areas around testimonials
• Can I use the CRPO logo in my advertising?
• Advertising and Self-Representation Checklist
• Online referral services

AI and Your Practice

Recent developments in artificial intelligence chat technology have raised questions about its role in the work of RPs. Read our Practice Matters article for more information.

Do you have leadership skills you want to contribute to the regulation of the profession? Want to make a difference to public protection? Consider nominating yourself to run for a seat on Council, the body that governs CRPO. Registrants whose primary practice site or residence (if not practising) is located in District 2 (North), District 3 (East) or District 4 (Central East) may stand for election.



CRPO is hosting an Elections webinar on April 3, 2023, from 12:00-1:00 p.m. to review pre-candidacy requirements and hear from two current professional Council members. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMlcemgrTIqG9Xd-NTFTznATfhH7_jtyPJT

For more information, including details on time commitment, election timelines and to download a copy of the Candidate Nomination Package check out our website or email elections@crpo.ca

Nominations open on March 31 and are due by 12:00 noon on May 1, 2023.

Council Meetings 2023

All Council meetings are open to the public to observers via live stream. Observers are encouraged to register in advance to receive a link to view the livestream. Registering will allow us to contact you if there are technical difficulties during the stream. Click here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6MLV7M9 to complete the observer registration form for the upcoming March 29, 2023, meeting.

For meeting materials, observer conduct and accessibility requests, please visit our website:

https://www.crpo.ca/council-meetings/

Draft Revised Definition of a Clinical Supervisor

As part of its ongoing review of supervision-related policy, CRPO is seeking feedback on its draft revised definition of a clinical supervisor. If you would like to provide input, please complete this survey by April 30, 2023. Names of individuals will not be published though organizations may choose to identify themselves.

Updated Jurisprudence Manual and Module

CRPO has published an updated version its manual, Professional Practice and Jurisprudence for Registered Psychotherapists (PDF Version). The webpage version can be found here.

Registrants are encouraged to review it as a refresher, or use it as reference if needed. Later this year, CRPO will replace the current jurisprudence module with an updated version based on the updated Manual. Applicants will receive another notice before the new module is launched. In the meantime, new applicants should continue to complete the current jurisprudence module.

Updated Clinical Experience Forms

In order to submit direct client contact (DCC) and clinical supervision hours for review, registrants must provide supporting documentation from a relevant third-party confirming the hours. Registrants cannot attest to their own hours. Documentation requirements are outlined on the Supporting Documents Checklist.

DCC hours must be confirmed in writing by an employer, educational institution, or clinical supervisor. Clinical supervision hours must be confirmed in writing by a clinical supervisor or educational institution. CRPO has a template DCC Confirmation Form and Clinical Supervisor Attestation Form that registrants may use to support their hours. These forms were recently updated to include a section for the signatory to confirm that the DCC or clinical supervision hours were successfully completed, meaning that the clinician acted in a safe, professional, and ethical manner. CRPO may also accept other forms of documentation, such as a confirmation letter, as long as the document includes all items listed in the Supporting Documents Checklist.

Grandparenting registrants are still permitted to submit the Independent Practice Declaration Form instead of providing third-party confirmation of hours. Please see here for more information.

Registrants must submit their hours directly in the “Practice information” page of their CRPO user account. For more information about updating hours, please see the Updating Clinical Experience Hours page of the website.

Registration Renewal Reminder

The deadline for RP, RP (Qualifying), and RP (Inactive) registrants to complete renewal is March 31, 2023.

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.

Starting April 1, 2023, registrants who have not yet renewed will be required to pay a late fee of $150 +HST.

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.

Quality Assurance Program: Spring 2023 CBA

On March 6, 2023, 1100 registrants were notified that they were selected to participate in a peer and practice review (PPR) as part of CRPO’s Quality Assurance Program.

The first stage of the PPR is to complete the case-based assessment (CBA). The CBA is designed to be an educational tool to help registrants identify potential gaps in their knowledge, skill and judgment and make effective use of their professional development activity hours.

The Spring 2023 CBA will be available between Friday, May 26 and Sunday, June 4, 2023. The CBA will be open 24-hours a day during this 10-day window. Registrants will have 4 hours to complete the CBA, and they must complete the CBA in one sitting. The CBA is an online, open-book assessment that is not proctored (i.e., supervised or monitored). Registrants are encouraged to access whatever materials they wish to use during the assessment. 

Being selected to engage in a PPR is an ordinary part of being a regulated health professional. All health regulatory colleges are required to engage their registrants in some form of practice assessment. Current registrants will be randomly selected over the course of the next 5 years. Once selected, registrants will be required to participate in a PPR by completing the first stage (the CBA) on a regular and recurring basis, approximately every five years.

Here is a timeline of next steps:

Going forward, the CBA will run twice a year with assessment periods in April and October. 

In addition to the above, CRPO will be working with teams of registrants to develop 25 new situational judgment cases; collecting and reviewing feedback from all participants; and collaborating with registrants and the Quality Assurance Committee to ensure the CBA tool is an evidence-based tool focused on identifying risk.

Note: CRPO communicates through email to update registrants on their regulatory requirements. The College is unable to control how emails get filtered after they are sent; therefore, it is each registrant’s responsibility to ensure that emails from the College are being received.

Tips and recommendations

1. Remember to update the “Personal information” page of your CRPO account when there are changes to your email address.
2. Use an email account that is checked frequently; not overly cluttered; and has security settings that you can control. Certain hospitals or organizations have firewalls in place that might block emails that have many recipients or are sent by an email service. This could result in missed emails from the College, and you might miss important information.
3. Make a habit of checking “spam” and “junk” folders to ensure important communications from the College do not get filtered there.

Questions about the CBA? Email QAassessments@crpo.ca



Questions about your professional development (PD) cycle requirements? Email qa@crpo.ca

For CRPO registrants: 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. CRPO may collect information about whether a recipient has read a message. CRPO may use this information for communication planning and record-keeping.