Information for Future Applicants
Please find responses to frequently asked questions below. You can jump to a specific section by clicking the related link below.
Registration (General)
Registration Requirements
Grandparenting
Other Questions
In order for the College to begin operations, the Psychotherapy Act, 2007 must be fully proclaimed by the Ontario Government. Currently, only provisions relating to the appointment of the Council and Registrar, and operation of the transitional Council have been proclaimed. Full proclamation will not occur until the draft regulations have been approved by government, and other programs and processes are in place, now expected by April 1, 2014.
What is pre-registration?
The transitional Council expects to begin accepting applications during a ‘Pre-Registration’ period prior to proclamation of the Act. Please monitor our website on a regular basis for updated information.
When will the College be accepting applications?
The transitional Council is still in the process of developing the regulations and programs that must be in place before the new College can commence operations. We hope to begin pre-registration for grandparenting applicants by October 2013 and for regular applicants by January 2014.
Where can I find application materials?
Application materials are not yet available, but once available will be posted on our website.
REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS
What are the registration requirements?
The proposed registration requirements are outlined in the draft Registration Regulation. Until such time as the regulation is approved by government, the draft requirements are subject to change. You will find a summary of the proposed registration requirements on our Resources page. You can view the full draft Registration Regulation here.
If the draft registration requirements should change, we will notify stakeholders as soon as possible. Please subscribe to our emailing list to receive notifications from the transitional Council here.
What is ‘grandparenting’?
Grandparenting is a time-limited, alternate route to registration for established practitioners in Canada. To be eligible to apply for grandparenting, a practitioner must have currency hours (formerly referred to as "practising the profession"), within the three years prior to the date of his/her application:
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500 hours in Canada; and
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an additional 250 hours in any jurisdiction.
Currency Hours
Currency hours are broadly defined: in addition to direct client contact hours, they may include record-keeping, preparation, research, consultation and professional development in relation to direct client contact. They may also include teaching, supervising, conducting research and writing in the field of psychotherapy, or managing, consulting or other professional activities that impact the practice of psychotherapy.
Looking for more information about grandparenting?
See here for information about Scoring.
See here for a table summary of the revised draft Registration Regulation, including ‘grandparenting’ requirements’
Do I need to be registered?
If your work falls within the Scope of Practice of Psychotherapy, as defined in the Psychotherapy Act, 2007, and you are not already registered with another regulatory college whose members are authorized to practise psychotherapy, you should consider becoming a member of the new College. For those originally proposed in our Registered Mental Health Therapist category, it is our understanding that the ministry will be seeking a solution for these practitioners in order to avoid service interruptions at proclamation.
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Scope of Practice
The practice of psychotherapy is the assessment and treatment of cognitive, emotional or behavioural disturbances by psychotherapeutic means, delivered through a therapeutic relationship based primarily on verbal or non-verbal communication.
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If your work involves the Controlled/Authorized Act of Psychotherapy (also defined in the Act), you must be registered, or risk practising in breach of the legislation. Deciding whether you need to be registered will depend on the nature of your work and whether it involves the controlled/ authorized act of psychotherapy – not on your current title or the sector you work in.
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Authorized Act
In the course of engaging in the practice of psychotherapy, a member is authorized, subject to the terms, conditions and limitations imposed on his or her certificate of registration, to treat, by means of psychotherapy technique delivered through a therapeutic relationship, an individual’s serious disorder of thought, cognition, mood, emotional regulation, perception or memory that may seriously impair the individual’s judgement, insight, behaviour, communication or social functioning.
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Is my education program ‘acceptable’ to the College?
The transitional Council is developing a ‘ Framework’ (criteria & process) for reviewing and recognizing education and training programs that prepare students with required entry-to practice competencies. Until then, prospective applicants are advised to review the draft registration requirements and use them to informally assess whether a given program appears to meet the requirements. Individuals who have completed graduate level education and training central to the practice of psychotherapy may apply for registration regardless of whether their education and training program has been recognized by the College. Individuals who have completed programs that do not fulfill all the requirements may be eligible to register in the Qualifying Member category and work with clinical supervision until they complete outstanding requirements, for example, client contact hours, clinical supervision hours, limited course work or the registration examination.
How will the Entry-to-Practice Competency Profile for Registered Psychotherapists be used by the College?
The entry-to-practice Competency Profile for Registered Psychotherapists will be employed by the College to underpin a number of programs and resources, including development of the Registration Exam and Quality Assurance Program. In addition, it will be used to review and recognize education and training programs, i.e. to assess whether programs prepare students for entry-to-practice. Programs will be asked to ‘map’ a subset of the competencies to elements of their program to demonstrate how the program prepares students with the necessary competencies.
Updated May 7, 2013
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