CCPA has a growing number of grassroots advocacy initiatives
that are informed by our membership.
The Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association is a national bilingual association of professionally trained counsellors engaged in the helping professions. CCPA’s members work in many diverse fields of education, employment and career development, social work, business, industry, mental health, public service agencies, government and private practice. Since 1965, the Association has been providing leadership and promotion to the counselling profession.
CCPA’s National Office is located in Ottawa, with several regional and special interest groups. CCPA develops and cultivates formal and informal relationships with similar health and mental health organizations in Canada and internationally. The Association advocates in the interests of our growing membership on issues of access to care in order to improve the mental health of all Canadians.
CCPA has a growing number of grassroots advocacy initiatives that are informed by our membership. The Association publishes Issue Papers and News Releases on matters related to the profession and the mental health needs of Canadians, and is available to engage with media requests on these topics.
Learn more about CCPA’s key messages and how you can get involved in advocacy with our Advocacy Resources!
All of this, and more, can be found below.
Stay up to date on CCPA’s advocacy initiatives through social media on FACEBOOK and TWITTER, by becoming a member and joining our listserv, and following the CCPA At Work webpage.
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.
CCPA has developed an advocacy toolkit to help members feel empowered to advocate for the profession alongside the association.
This toolkit was launched in mid-November. See below for a link to the toolkit.
Please contact Monika Green at [email protected] with any questions regarding this initiative!
Read our request for permanent changes to the Public Service Health Care Plan put together
in collaboration with the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) in order to include
social workers, psychotherapists, counsellors and counselling therapists as eligible mental health
practitioners under the PSHCP past their temporary inclusion.
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.
Hover over each picture to view the priority
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.
Tools to help you feel empowered to advocate for your profession. Available in the Member’s Portal of the Website
CCPA recognizes and supports a variety of national and international special days and weeks throughout the year by distributing press releases to media acknowledging these important events.
Important issues deserve special attention. Read some of the Issue Papers we have developed to explain and advocate for some of our priorities.
With over 8,000 professionally trained counsellors and psychotherapists, we are excited to be part of a move to expedite much needed access to mental health care.
Presented to highlight top priorities and encourage the Federal Government to act on them.
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.