This month: Town Halls, Survey on Record-Keeping, Role confusion, and more.
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Looking for information, resources and advice about your practice during the coronavirus pandemic? We’ve got all that on our website, plus FAQs we’re updating all the time.
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Shelley Briscoe-Dimock, President |
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Message from the President & Registrar |
Since March, there has been so much information to process about COVID-19, including changing directives for professionals and the various phases of re-opening across the province. We know that registrants are dealing with the implementation of the infection prevention measures needed to return to in-person practice along with adjusting to the use of e-therapy platforms for the clients they continue to see virtually.
The stress of managing working in these different ways is likely compounded for many by the strain that the pandemic is placing on the mental health of Ontarians and the systems that are in place to support them. All of this is happening at a time when we need to acknowledge and work to address systemic racism and to consider our role as care providers in this.
While the rate of infection improved and the number of hospitalizations and deaths have decreased, the new case numbers are rising again. College Council and staff are aware that we need to be prepared for what may happen as children return to school, flu season arrives and we have less access to the outdoors and physically-distanced contact with family and friends.
There are a number of practical steps that CRPO will be taking or continuing to take as we head into the fall:
- We will continue to monitor updates from government, public health and other trusted sources of information and to curate this information for registrants.
- Practice advisory staff will be available to provide direct support through email and telephone to registrants practice-related questions .
- Staff will monitor the availability of examination sites for the entry-to-practice exam scheduled for October and ensure candidates are kept up to date.
- Council will review regulatory obligations to ensure that registrants are provided with appropriate information and support to meet them.
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Council meetings and Discipline Panel hearings will continue to be remote for the rest of the calendar year. We have started to use a YouTube live stream to make meetings and hearings more accessible for observers. If you are interested in observing, please see the Discipline and Council Meetings pages for dates and email info@crpo.cato obtain the needed information.
We also want to note that we have made the decision to run one virtual town hall on September 30 from 12:00 to 2:00 pm. Our original plan to hold sessions for each district was not viable given the low registration numbers. We appreciate that the timing could be difficult given that many people are dealing with the uncertainties around return-to-school plans in their district along with a general fatigue for video-conference sessions. We hope to see a larger number at the one session we are offering and will be looking at the possibility of scheduling more in the new year. Please register to attend so that you can participate in the discussion around issues you face as a regulated health professional.
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Short Survey on Record-Keeping Successor |
We are conducting a short survey on record-keeping and would appreciate your input!
Unless you work for an employer (e.g. agency, hospital), you are likely the custodian of your clients’ health records. CRPO would like to learn whether registrants have a plan about who takes over client records if they become unable to practise. Please complete this survey. CRPO will use this data to develop educational and policy initiatives. We have configured this survey to make responses anonymous and will not know which RP provided which response.
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Attention 2016 and 2018 Registrants – You can submit your PD Tools to the College now! |
Your current Professional Development Cycle ends on November 30, 2020. If you are not planning any continuing education from now to November 30, 2020, you can submit your PD tools to the College now.
Make sure you review your PD Tools to confirm you meet the minimum requirements before you submit them to the College.
Here is a list of what must be submitted:
- At least one Self-Assessment that was completed sometime between your initial date of registration and November 30, 2020.
- A Learning Plan that includes your professional development goals with at least one goal having the action plan and reflection parts completed.
- A Learning Record that reflects your engagement in at least 80 hours of learning activities if you are a 2016 registrant and 40 hours of learning activities if you are a 2018 registrant. These hours must have occurred between your initial date of registration and November 30, 2020. In addition, ensure you have at least one didactic and at least one experiential activity.
If you have met the minimum requirements above and you have no other learning activities planned, simply click on the X Close icon on the top green bar when you are in the respective tools (learning plan and learning record) and submit to the College.
Some of our most popular resources are listed on our website at:
Need help or have questions? Sign up for one of our upcoming live Zoom Webinars to learn about the QA requirements:
Wednesday November 4, 2020 11:30 am to 1 pm for 2016 registrants – Register
Thursday November 5, 2020 11:30 to 1 pm for 2018 registrants – Register
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On September 30 from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. the CRPO will be hosting a virtual town hall to connect with registrants across the province and we want to hear from you to help build our agenda. We are asking registrants to complete a survey let us know what areas are of particular interest to you. Once you have registered to attend the town hall you will receive a link to complete the survey.
For more information, including the link to register, click here. We look forward to connecting with you.
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Do you wear more than one “hat” in your current job or practice, where one role does not involve the practice of psychotherapy? An example could be a registered psychotherapist who also offers parenting coordination services.
Offering psychotherapy in addition to other services can cause confusion for clients. Here are some tips to avoid confusion:
1. Ensure your client is made aware of which “hat” you are wearing at all times. Be clear about what services you are providing in an oral discussion and in writing.
Example
If you are providing parenting coordination services, you could explain to your client that the service is not within the scope of practice of a psychotherapist. You could explain you are not currently acting in the capacity of a psychotherapist nor will you be offering psychotherapy while providing this service.
In addition to documenting your oral discussion, you might consider providing the client with an information sheet to take home, which describes your role as a parenting coordinator and how this role is different from your work as a psychotherapist.
2. Advertise your second job or role separately.
Example
Consider developing separate websites for each role. This will help to create a visual separation for clients.
Example
Providing parenting coordination services to a family with whom you have already provided psychotherapy may cause a rupture in the therapeutic alliance. Even when the parenting coordination service is offered after therapy concludes and the role change is clearly discussed, clients may have a difficult time understanding the nature of your new relationship. A self-referral may also create a conflict of interest.
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Resources on Health Information Privacy |
As regulated health professionals, RPs are required to comply with the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA). These two resources are intended to provide an update and guide for regulated health professionals about their obligations under PHIPA. It was prepared for HPRO by the law firm Steinecke Maciura LeBlanc, which focuses on the regulation of professions and represents various regulators including CRPO.
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A decision of the Discipline Committee (CRPO v HOLAN) has now been posted on the website.
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The next meeting of CRPO Council will take place on October 1, 2020, 1:00 to 3:30. Want to attend? Register ahead of time and review the guidelines on attendance.
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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 July. Be sure to follow us on Facebook where we post updates about which batch of applications we’re reviewing.
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Follow our feed for the latest on new resources, Council election
updates, governance decisions and more!
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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. |
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