College of Psychologists of Ontario

College of Psychologists of Ontario
Formation 1960 (1960)
Headquarters 110 Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
President
 Milan Pomichalek
Website www.cpo.on.ca

The College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO) is the regulatory body 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[1] 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:[2]

Standards of Professional Conduct

The 10 Principles are:[3]

  1. A member of the College shall be open and responsive to the regulation and discipline of the College.
  2. 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.
  3. A member of the College shall conduct himself/herself so that users will receive his/her most effective professional performance.
  4. 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.
  5. A member of the College shall respect the user’s right to know the nature of the services to be rendered.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. A member of the College shall not seek special benefit or advantage from relations with a client.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.[4] Issues of the bulletin are available for both members of the profession as well as members of the public.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7]

Psychological Associations:

Training Program Information

Legislation/Other

Provincial Government/Health

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.[8] 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.[9] These guidelines and policies were established for psychologists and psychological associates to implement consistency in service and satisfaction for patients in Ontario.[10]

Founding

The College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO) was established in 1960 through the Psychologists Registration Act.[11] In Canada, it became the first psychology regulatory legislation.[12] 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).[13]

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.[14] The Council meets four times a year and meetings are open to the public.[15]

Professional Members

Public Members Appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council

College Staff - Directors

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is composed of professional and public members of the Council, as well as members of the College.

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.[16]

  1. 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
  2. The Certificate Authorizing Interim Autonomous Practice is intended for individuals:
  • 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).

References

External links

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