The College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO) is the regulatory college for the profession of psychology in Ontario, Canada. It sets the standards for the provision of psychological services by Psychologists and Psychological Associates.
The College maintains a register of all currently registered practitioners.
Profile
Mission
The College operates under the mission statement of Promoting Excellence in the Practice of Psychology for a Changing World/Promouvoir l’excellence dans la pratique de la psychologie pour un mondeen transition.
The College's mandate is to protect both professionals and cliental by monitoring and regulating the practice of psychology. The College ensures competent and ethical professional psychological services from qualified providers.
Through its committees, the College carries out various responsibilities, such as:
- Setting requirements for entry to practice and administer the oral and written registration examinations
- Registering qualified Psychologists and Psychological Associates
- Setting and monitoring practice standards and ethical behaviour of the profession
- Administering the Quality Assurance program and ensuring continued competence of the profession
- Providing educational materials and information to the public and the profession regarding the practice of psychology
- Investigating complaints and addressing concerns about the quality of service delivered that have not been resolved satisfactorily between the client and practitioner
Standards of Professional Conduct
The 10 Principles are:
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- A member of the College shall be open and responsive to the regulation and discipline of the College.
- A member of the College shall provide services which are appropriate and adequate to the user’s needs and respect the confidential nature of the professional relationship between the member and the client.
- A member of the College shall conduct himself/herself so that users will receive his/her most effective professional performance.
- A member of the College shall not solicit users in ways that mislead prospective users, that disadvantage fellow members, or that discredit the profession of psychology.
- A member of the College shall respect the user’s right to know the nature of the services to be rendered.
- A member of the College shall respect the user's right to know what fees and charges are to be levied, shall set reasonable fees and collect these with consideration for the welfare of the user.
- Members of the College shall ensure that their records and the records of those they supervise are protected and the privacy of the client is assured.
- A member of the College shall not seek special benefit or advantage from relations with a client.
- A member of the College shall identify him/herself to the public as a member of the College of Psychologists of Ontario and indicate his/her services in a clear and consistent manner.
- A member of the College will abstain from sexual harassment in any professional context.
Publications
The College publishes a bulletin quarterly and began publishing an e-Bulletin in June 2010. Issues of the bulletin are available for both members of the profession as well as members of the public. The bulletin articles provide information about elections, changes within the council, regulation changes, amendments, and other current events relating to the College. A message from the current president is featured in the bulletin. The College of Psychologists of Ontario also prepare an annual report detailing its activities and financial affairs. Articles from the bulletin and the annual reports can be found on the official College of Psychologists of Ontario website.
Affiliate Organizations
These are various organizations affiliated with the College of Psychologists of Ontario.
Psychological Associations:
- Association of Canadian Psychology Regulatory Organizations (ACPRO)
- Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB)
- Ontario Psychological Association (OPA)
- Ontario Association of Psychological Associates (OAPA)
- Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)
- American Psychological Association (APA)
- Canadian Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology (CRHSPP)
- National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology (NRHSPP)
- American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP)
Training Program Information
- Doctoral Programs Meeting Designation Criteria (An annual publication by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Brands and the Council for the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology)
- Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers
Legislation/Other
- Statutes and Regulations - "e-laws" - Government of Ontario
- Statutes and Regulations - Department of Justice - Canada
- Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
Provincial Government/Health
- HealthForceOntario
- Pandemic Flu Information and Updates
- H1N1 Flu Virus [Human Swine Influenza] - Health Provider Information
- H1N1 Flu Virus [Human Swine Influenza] - General Information
History
The College of Psychologists set the boundaries and standards that need to be met between psychologists and/or psychological associates and their client(s). These are outlined in the Standards of Professional Conduct. The College also provides steps that doctors need to take to protect a patient’s privacy, in what is called the Privacy Requirements Checklist for Health Practitioners. These guidelines and policies were established for psychologists and psychological associates to implement consistency in service and satisfaction for patients in Ontario.
Founding
The College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO) was established in 1960 through the Psychologists Registration Act. In Canada, it became the first psychology regulatory legislation. The College recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of Psychology regulation in Ontario. The ceremony was attended by many former and current council members including Dr. Barbara Wand, Former Board member and chair, as well as Jack Schaffer, President of the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Board(ASPPB).
The Council
The Council of the College of Psychologists of Ontario is the governing body of the College. The Council sets policies and provides leadership and direction to the profession. There are 18 Council member positions: eight professional members elected by the profession from across the province, one being a non-voting member; three appointed academic members; and, a maximum of eight members of the public appointed by the provincial government. The Council meets four times a year and meetings are open to the public.
Professional Members
- Clarissa Bush, Ph.D., C.Psych., President â€" District 4 (East)
- Dalia Slonim, Psy.D., C.Psych., Vice President - District 6 (GTA West)
- Josephine Tan, Ph.D., C.Psych. â€" District 1 (North)
- Maggie Gibson, Ph.D., C.Psych. â€" District 2 (Southwest)
- Dorothy Cotton, Ph.D., C.Psych. â€" District 3 (Central)
- Janice Currie, Ph.D., C.Psych â€" District 5 (GTA East)
- Glenn Webster, M.Ed., C.Psych.Assoc. â€" District 7 (Psychological Associates)
- Ron Davis, Ph.D., C.Psych. â€" District 8 (Academic)
- Nick Kuiper, Ph.D., C.Psych. â€" District 8 (Academic)
- Christine DiZazzo, M.Ps., C.Psych.Assoc. â€" Ex-officio (Psychological Associates)
Public Members Appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council
- Gaye V. Dale
- Vincent Lacroix
- Richard Lee
- Dr. Ivan McFarlane
- Susan Nicholson
- Cheryl Rampersad
College Staff - Directors
- Catherine Yarrow, MBA, Ph.D., C.Psych. - Registrar & Executive Director
- Rick Morris, Ph.D., C.Psych. - Deputy Registrar/Director,Professional Affairs
- Ms. Connie Learn - Director,Registration and Administration
- Barry Gang, Dip.C.S., C.Psych.Assoc. - Director,Investigations and Hearings
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee is composed of professional and public members of the Council, as well as members of the College.
- Dr. Milan Promichalek - President
- Mr. Robert Gauthier - Vice-President
- Dr. Ian Brown - Member
- Mr. Vincent Larciox - Public Member
- Mr. Peter Mckegney - Public Member
Prospective Members
In Ontario, there are two regulated titles respecting the practice of psychology. For the title psychologist, one requires a doctorate degree in psychology. For the title psychological associate, one requires a master's degree in psychology and at least four years of relevant, post-master's degree experience.
For new applicants, each title consists of two types of certificates available according to Ontario Regulation 533/98, Registration.
- The Certificate Authorizing Supervised Practice is intended for persons who have not previously been registered for psychological service provision in any jurisdiction, or who have been registered less than five years in a jurisdiction where the requirements are not comparable to Ontario requirements; or
- The Certificate Authorizing Interim Autonomous Practice is intended for individuals:
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- Who are registered in a province or territory included in the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA); or,
- Who are registered/licensed in a jurisdiction that is part of the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Board’s (ASPPB) Agreement of Reciprocity; or
- Who hold a Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ) granted by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Board (ASPPB).
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References
External links
- The College of Psychologists of Ontario