Latest News

Submission to House of Commons Standing Committee on Health (HESA)

In January 2021, CCPA submitted a brief to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health (HESA) regarding their project on the Emergency Situation Facing Canadians in light of the second wave of the pandemic. You can read the document here.

Advocacy Toolkit for Members

Mid-November 2020, launched an Advocacy Toolkit to help members feel empowered to advocate for the profession alongside the association. This toolkit can be accessed by members in the member portal under “workspaces”.

Request for Permanent Inclusion in the Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP)

In April 2021, as part of an ongoing collaboration with the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW), CCPA requested that the Public Service Alliance of Canada negotiate permanent inclusion of registered social workers, psychotherapists, counsellors and counselling therapists as eligible mental health practitioners under the PSHCP. Read the letter and the full response from the Public Service Alliance of Canada National President, Chris Aylward.

Key Messages

1 in 5 Canadians experience a mental health issue or illness. 4,000 Canadians die every year as a result of suicide. 500,000 employed Canadians miss work on any given week due to mental health issues. In Canada, counselling is the most prevalent but least likely fulfilled mental health care need.

With over 8,000 professionally trained counsellors and psychotherapists, the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) is excited to be a part of a move to expedite much needed access to mental health care.

• Counsellors and psychotherapists are in a position to assist in reversing the trend of unfulfilled mental health care needs of Canadians, and provide one of the most cost-effective mental health services available.
• Expanding services to include counsellor and psychotherapists results in greater access to much needed mental health care and in turn a reduction in wait times.
• The role of counsellors and psychotherapists is complementary to the work of other service providers. Including this resource in the continuum of care helps address the shortage, growing demand, and increasing costs of mental health services.
• Counsellors and psychotherapists are trained to deliver culturally appropriate services.

Advocacy Initiatives

CCPA has made great strides in recent years to raise the profile of the counselling/psychotherapy profession, but there is much more to be done. The Association is committed to continuing our work on a focused and proactive advocacy strategy. Advocacy initiatives vary from Provincial and Federal Governments, public and private sectors, and messaging for the public. Collaboration with other organizations and defining scope of practice within the continuum of care facilitates appropriate, accessible and cost-effective services for all Canadians.

These images represent some of CCPA’s current advocacy priorities.

Hover over each picture to view the priority

Remove the HST/GST on services provided by regulated counsellors and psychotherapists

Add counsellors and psychotherapists as recognized providers in third-party health insurance plans

Reinstate CCCs in unregulated provinces to the National Health Insurance Benefits plan for Indigenous Canadians

Permanently include counsellors and psychotherapists in the Public Service Health Care Plan

Meet with members of the Federal and Provincial Governments to improve accessibility to services provided by counsellors and psychotherapists

Encourage employers to provide new mental health resources for employees to attract and retain employees and become an employer of choice

Improve mental health resources for union or association membership

Engaging with the public through our Talking Can Help website to support mental health awareness and resources

Availability to media to speak on issues of mental health and access to care by counsellors and psychotherapists

Supporting professional regulation

Collaborate with our partners in health and mental health fields to ensure Canadians have appropriate access to care during the pandemic

Advocacy Resources

Partnerships

CCPA is committed to collaborating with multiple organizations, associations, and alliances to promote mental health and wellness in Canada.  As an active member of such national groups as CAMIMH, CCCD and HEAL, CCPA works with other organizations and leaders in the health, mental health and career development fields, both providers and consumers, on shared priorities.

Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health http://www.camimh.ca/

CAMIMH is an alliance of mental health organizations comprised of health care providers and organizations representing persons with mental illness and their families and caregivers.  CAMIMH’s mandate is to ensure that mental health is placed on the national agenda so that persons with a lived experience of mental illness and their families receive appropriate access to care and support.

Canadian Council on Career Development http://www.cccda.org/cccda/

CCCD provides a national advocacy voice for the career development field and promotes provincial/territorial collaboration on common issues such as certification, training, practitioner mobility, quality service and building the career development evidence base.

Organizations for Health Action https://healthaction.ca

HEAL is a coalition of over 40 national health organizations that represents a broad cross-section of health providers, health regions, institutions and facilities.  The coalition supports and promotes the federal role in health care.