FAQ

You have two options:

First, you must have sufficient CECs for your certification period. Then CCPA would have to receive payment for your membership ($150) and certification ($65) fees for every year since your certification expired. A $30 late fee and any chapters would be added to the total.

The other option is to submit new membership and certification forms. We may be able to use previously submitted documents, but would require a new criminal records check and perhaps new references if the registrar feels the date is too old on the existing records. In this case, if certification requirements have changed, you would have to meet the new requirements. The fee would be $150 for membership, $95 for the evaluation and $65 for the first year of certification. Any chapters would be at an additional charge.  If the membership has lapsed for more than a year, please contact the national office.

To apply:
To apply for membership online, simply visit http://www.ccpa-accp.ca/en/apply/ and complete the online form. Remember to submit the proper documentation to complete the application process (Proof of graduation is required for Professional Members and Proof of student is required for Student Members)

To renew:
Members will receive their renewal notice by e-mail two months in advance of their renewal date. In order to renew your membership online, click on the link in your renewal notice e-mail.

To verify or edit the e-mail address we have on file, please login in to the members only section of the website.

No, use of the CCPA logo is not permitted by members.

As per the policy established by the Board of Directors, and placed on the application and renewal form for membership, “Mention of membership is not to be utilized on websites, business cards or other ways intended to advertise a member’s qualifications as a counsellor.” This restriction has been established because the general public often does not understand the difference between membership in an organization and qualifications of a counsellor. Anyone with an interest in counselling can belong to CCPA. If a person with no qualifications puts membership in CCPA on their advertising material it may be construed by the general public that they have qualification when they do not.

It is allowed  to put membership on a resume. For example an employer may want a person to belong to a professional association. But it is up to the member to ensure that their employer understands the difference between a member and a certified member. Employers hiring counsellors have a greater understanding of credentials and certification.

Should you wish to use a qualification designation from CCPA, you must be certified, which will permit the use of the letters CCC (Canadian Certified Counsellor) as the appropriate statement about qualifications to practice counselling. If you are certified, you may state that you are a Canadian Certified Counsellor.

For Canadian graduates, CCPA requires graduate level training  in counselling or a related field from an AUCC recognized institution for certification. You can visit the AUCC website for a list of AUCC recognized Canadian universities. If you completed your graduate training in the United States, CCPA requires that the educational institution be regionally accredited.  For a list of regionally accredited American educational institutions, visit http://www.ccpa-accp.ca/en/usinstitutions.  Please note that applicants must be a CCPA member prior to applying for certification.

To apply for certification , please submit the following documents to the CCPA National Office:

• Complete the CCC Application Form
• Submit an official transcript sent from your university directly to the CCPA. Note: Transcript must have the University seal and state that the degree has been conferred.
• Provide a course syllabus of the graduate courses being used for certification (often taken from the university calendar)
• Provide the Practicum Description Form completed and returned by the university in which the program took place
• Submit two professional references (from professionals in a non-compliant relationship with you who know you in your capacity as a counsellor). You must use the Professional Reference Form.
• Submit an original Criminal Record Check that includes an abuse registry check conducted within the last 12 months.  A criminal check obtained from an online source (such as myBackCheck), will not be accepted.  Please note that only original documents are acceptable.  Please note that photocopies and fax copies are not accepted.
• Provide the appropriate administration fees: : $160.00 ($95 Evaluation fee + $65 annual certification fee).

If you wish to obtain our Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) designation, we require a master’s degree or higher in a counselling or related field. Because you graduated from an institution outside North America, you will need to apply for Canadian equivalency  through third party evaluation, for example WES (http://www.wes.org)  or ICES (http://www.bcit.ca/ices/). Once you have completed that, you can apply to our association for certification.

Go to the top-right corner of our website and you will find the yellow  "Members Only" box. Your username is your full name as it appears on your member card, without spaces. Your password is your member number. Once you login, click on "View Profile" and "Edit" to update your information. Remember to click "Save" when you're done!

Direct client counselling CONTACT hours are actual clock hours during which you work with clients. Examples of direct services are:   

• Facilitating or co-facilitating a group, family, or couples session
• Providing real-time therapy to an individual, couple, family or group
• Conducting assessment activities, such as  clinical interviewing/therapeutic observation as process/engaging in diagnostic techniques

Indirect client services:

• Spending time outside the counselling hour focused on the client. Whether the activity is report writing, preparing process notes, or video/audiotape review, time spent contemplating the client and planning interventions is necessary for a rich learning process.
• Documenting the more quantifiable activities of report-writing, information consultation with other professionals on specific cases, video/audio tape review, and assessment scoring and write-ups.

Regulations in Canada vary across the provinces.  

There is currently no regulation regarding counselling in British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon, North-West Territories, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland or New Brunswick . This means that you do not need any specific qualifications to be able to practice in these provinces. Some employers do, however, require certain qualifications before they hire you, for example our CCC designation, but that is at their discretion.

There is regulation in Quebec and Nova Scotia and you would need to join the appropriate college in order to be able to practice. Information on the specifics of the regulation in Quebec and NS can be found at http://www.ccpa-accp.ca/en/statusofregulation

In Ontario, regulation is in progress but will not be finalized until 2012 at the earliest. Information on Ontario regulation will be posted as it becomes available at http://www.ccpa-accp.ca/en/statusofregulation

Yes, you can receive CECs for presenting or writing a paper. To apply, complete the same forms you would use if you had attended the presentation. These forms can be found at http://ccpa-accp.ca/en/ceuforms.

In the case of presenting, you would require a letter or proof that you presented the workshop and a brief outline of the workshop to be submitted with the application. We do not look at the length of the workshop, but rather the preparation time for credit. In the case of writing a book or paper, we would require a copy of the material. Again, it is the preparation time that is evaluated for credit.

To find professional development events, go to the "News and Events" tab on the blue bar of our website. They are listed under "Pre-Approved CEC Events", "Events Calendar", and "CCPA Webinars". You can apply for CECs  for any of these events by filling out the application form. Those events listed under Pre-approved CEC Events and CCPA Webinars have already been pre-approved for CECs and only proof of attendance is required to receive credit.

1. Research continuing education opportunities that are of interest to you.
   
2. Determine whether the event is pre- approved for continuing education credits with CCPA (check with the provider, check on the CCPA website under Continuing Education Credits, check with CCPA National Office.
   
3. Attend the event.
   
4. Complete the Continuing Education Credit Application Form and have the facilitator sign your attendance at the event or submit a proof of participation (e.g. copy of the University transcript, receipt, certificate, etc.)
   
5. Submit a proof of the length of the event (e.g. copy of the program, certificate with the hours of attendance, etc.)
   
6. Submit the form to CCPA National Office (insert address / e-mail etc.)
   

There are currently three programs that have been accredited by CACEP. They are:
University of British Columbia - M.A. Counselling Psychology - June 2006

University of British Columbia  - M.Ed Counselling Psychology - June 2006

Acadia University - M.Ed. Counselling - April 2009

Accreditation implies the setting of minimal standards which training programs must meet. In order to become accredited, a counsellor education program must fulfill certain requirements or standards with regard to institutional settings, program mission and objectives, program content, practicum experiences, student selection and advising, faculty qualifications and workload, program governance, instructional support, and self-evaluation.

On the other hand, certification implies recognition that individuals have met minimal professional standards to practice independently as a counsellor. In order to be certified, counsellors must meet certain levels of education and training in counselling, they must follow the code of ethics, and they are held accountable to show competent and ethical performance in practice.

Students who graduate from CACEP Accredited programs can be fast tracked through the CCPA certification process.

When applying for certification, members would simply have to submit the following:

    * Completed CCC Application Form
    * Submission of an official transcript of marks sent from your university directly to CCPA's office. Note: transcript must have the university seal and state that the degree has been conferred.
    * Two (2) professional references (from professionals in a non-compliant relationship with you who know you in your capacity as a counsellor). You must use the professional reference forms found here.
    * A Criminal Record Check that includes the abuse registry conducted within the last 12 months. See Certification Criteria for more information.
    * The appropriate administration fees: $145.00 ($80 Evaluation fee + $65 annual certification fee).

(Course description and Description of Practicum Report do not need to be completed for students graduating from CACEP Accredited programs)

For example, a client tells you that they’ve been harassed by a member of the community, the CCPA Standards of Practice states that “Counsellors have a fundamental ethical responsibility to take every reasonable precaution to respect and to safeguard their clients' right to confidentiality…”(p. 7) However, the policy at your place of employment may dictate that you are to prevent and report discrimination and harassment by others. The CCPA Standards of Practice, Section A (p. 6), states that “when counsellors are confronted with demands from an organization with which they are affiliated or from an employer that is in conflict with the CCPA Code of Ethics, they take steps to clarify the nature of the conflict, assert their commitment to the Code, and to the extent possible, work to resolve the conflict that will allow adherence to their Code of Ethics”.

The counsellor is responsible for safeguarding the notes that they keep regarding their clients. The notes belong to the client, but the counsellor acts as a guardian of those notes. The counsellor is also responsible for ensuring that the client’s records are not misused in any way. This can become an issue in situations where multiple counsellors are contributing to a client’s care over time or where a supervisor may be involved. However, informed consent pertaining to access of records still applies. The CCPA Code of Ethics (B7) states that “Counsellors understand that clients have a right of access to their counselling records, and that disclosure to others of information from these records only occurs with the written consent of the client and/or when required by law”. Therefore, if the client has not consented to the disclosure of their records, the counsellor must ensure that all confidential files and case notes are not shared without the client’s permission, even with a supervisor.

There are many factors to consider when switching to electronic record keeping, especially when the software is shared in a multi-practitioner environment. The first point of concern would be to ensure that others do not have access to a specific counsellor’s client files or case notes. This includes other counsellors, supervisors, database administrators or IT support workers. Client files should be dated and signature stamped. The software must not allow documents to be altered without being detected (for example, unalterable PDF files).

Briefly put, you would not have an obligation to report these crimes. In fact, a counsellor would be breaching confidentiality if s/he were to do so. According to the CCPA Standards of Practice (p. 7), counsellors are required to keep all information confidential, with the exemption of the following circumstances: - There is an imminent danger to an identifiable third party or to self; - When a counsellor suspects abuse or neglect of a child; - When a disclosure is ordered by a court; - When a client requests disclosure, or - When a client files a complaint or claims professional liability by the counsellor in a lawsuit.

This question is of a legal nature and the answer varies per province/territory. Many provinces/territories have a child safety act (can have many various names) that would mandate a specific, legal response to this question. For example, the Child and Family Services Act of Ontario states that “A services provider may provide a counselling service to a child who is twelve years of age or older with the child’s consent, and no other person’s consent is require, but if the child is less than sixteen years of age the service provider shall discuss with the child at the earliest appropriate opportunity the desirability of involving the child’s parents.” (RSO 1990, c. C.11, s. 28) If you are unsure of the laws regarding consent to counsel a minor within your workplace context in your province/territory, it is suggested that you contact the regulatory college/ordre in your province (where one exists), your supervisor, or the legal department of the provincial/territorial ministry responsible for the Act(s) that relate to your context. It is important to note that Federal Law (such as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms) supersedes any provincial/territorial law.

The CCPA Code of Ethics, Section B19, states that “...counsellors make reasonable efforts to facilitate the continued access to counselling services when services are interrupted by these factors and by counsellor illness, client or counsellor relocation, client financial difficulties and so forth”. If another counsellor is taking over your practice or has agreed to see your clients, it may be helpful for the client if you can arrange a short meeting with the next counsellor. This helps reduce the client’s anxiety. Your files should all be signed off and either transferred to the next counsellor or returned to your central filling centre according to policy.

Page 28 of the CCPA Standards of Practice says that “Counsellors do not use testimonials by clients, former clients, or by relatives or friends of clients. Testimonials may be acceptable from an organization or business which receives the counsellors’ services”. If testimonials unrelated to a client are used, they should clearly indicate who or what organization they are from such that the testimonial cannot be mistaken as having been provided by a current or past client, or their relatives or friends.

For a variety of reasons, clients do sometimes find it more convenient to be seen by the counsellor in their own home. While there is no ethical reason why a counsellor could not practice in this manner, there are issues to be considered prior to that first meeting. The counsellor should check with their insurance company to ensure that coverage is available for home counselling. Issues related to privacy and confidentiality should be discussed openly with the client. Additionally, there are safety factors to be considered. Is the client known to the counsellor? Is the client considered to be of any risk to the counsellor? Is the client’s family, associates, or home environment considered to be of any risk to the counsellor? Does the counsellor have access to a cell phone and contact with his/her office should there be a problem? Someone, such as a managing director or supervisor, should know the address of the client and should be able to reach the counsellor at an agreed upon time if the counsellor has not contacted them. These considerations should be discussed with the client prior to the session so that confidentiality is not violated.