History

The Counsellor Educators and Supervisors Chapter (CES) is one of the oldest chapters of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association. It was established very early in the Association’s history, back when the name was still the Canadian Guidance and Counselling Association.

The objectives of the CES Chapter are as follows:

  • To provide an opportunity for counsellor educators and clinical supervisors to meet for discussion of critical issues in teaching, supervision, and research in the area of counsellor education and clinical supervision.
  • To provide a forum for ongoing information exchange and professional development (skill and knowledge based).
  • To serve as a vehicle for lobbying appropriate university departments and facilities, governments and agencies to help counsellor education programs meet their primary goal of preparing professionally competent counsellors.
  • To provide a means by which counsellor educators and clinical supervisors can help one another to develop and obtain research support provincially and federally through increased collaboration.
  • To serve as a direct link with the National Association, thereby providing for the presentation of mutually sought aims and objectives.

These objectives are met in a number ways, including: with the CCPA managed Chapter listserv, the Chapter website, and the hosting of a CES Chapter workshop at each annual national CCPA conference.


Joining the Chapter

All CCPA members are welcomed to join the Counsellor Educators and Supervisors Chapter (CES), under the appropriate category of Chapter membership:

  1. Voting Member. For anyone involved in teaching or clinical supervision of individuals preparing to become professional counsellors and in the professional development of counsellors across the career span (e.g., entry to practice, mid-career, and beyond) and in diverse academic and non-academic work settings. Retired counsellor educators and clinical supervisors are also welcomed as members.
  2. Student Member. For anyone currently registered in a doctoral degree program in counselling or a related field. Students are non-voting members.
  3. Associate Member. For anyone else wanting to join the Counsellor Educators and Supervisors Chapter who do not meet the requirements of voting members.

The annual fee for Voting Members and Associate Members is $20. There is no fee for Student Members.

For more details on how to join the Counsellor Educators and Supervisors Chapter, please call the National office (Toll free:1-877-765-5565).


Circle of Practice Events

The Counsellors Educators and Supervisors Chapter holds recurring Circle of Practice in Supervision Events, each focused on different aspects of clinical supervision. Each Circle is free for Chapter members and is approved for CECs by CCPA (1 credit per hour).

Email CCPA’s membership department to become a member of the Chapter in order to join!

2023 Schedule:

Friday January 13th from 3:30-5:00pm Eastern Time
Friday February 24th from 3:00-5:00pm Eastern Time

Speaker for February event: Lambers Fisher, LMFTMDiv, is a licensed marriage and family therapist, author, and national speaker on the topic of multicultural awareness and diversity.  For over 20 years, Lambers has counseled individuals, couples, and families from a variety of cultural backgrounds, in private practice, non-profit, and ministry environments.  Lambers’ Diversity Made Simple training has helped thousands of professionals around the country increase their cultural competence and strengthen cross-cultural relationships.  Lambers helps professionals in various fields feel more comfortable, competent, and confident in their ability to meet the needs of whomever they have the opportunity to serve.  For more information visit www.DiversityMadeSimple.com

Friday March 24th from 3:00-5:00pm Eastern Time
Friday May 5th from 3:30-5:00pm Eastern Time
Friday June 16th from 3:30-5:00pm Eastern Time

To register, log in to the membership section of CCPA, go to the Events tab (events calendar) and scroll to the event titled, Circle of Practice for each date listed below.

Some feedback from previous Circle of Practice in Supervision Events attendees:

“The Circle means that we are collaborative, supportive and cross pointing in terms of knowledge.”
“The Circle is a place for supervisors across the country to gather, grow, connect and cultivate self-awareness.”
“The Circle allows us to connect with others and reflect on our supervision practice; increases our accountability and collaboration; introduces us to the many faces of clinical supervision.”
“A Circle of connection, community, collaboration, and whole-hearted leadership.”
“The Circle is a learning opportunity where counsellors and therapists meet each other as practitioners and share ideas, teach and learn, and collaborate, offering a sense of belonging and connection.”


Clinical Supervision Workshops

Clinical Supervision Workshops

Introductory to advanced workshops brought to you by experienced Clinical Supervisors and special presenters!

Click here to register for upcoming workshops and earn CEC’s.


Chapter Executive

Position Name
President Kelly Brenton
Past-President Gillian Smith
Secretary / Treasurer Tanya Surette
President-Elect
Co-Director Counsellor-Educators Amora Sun
Co-Director Counsellor-Educators Rosina Mete
Director of Supervision Blythe Shepard
Doctoral Student Liaison Meg Kapil
Board Liaison Sylvie Arseneau

Gillian Smith - President

I am the current president of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association – Counsellor Educators and Supervisors Chapter. I have served on the executive board of this chapter for over 4 years. I work as a counsellor educator and practicum coordinator at Simon Fraser University, and I also work as a counsellor educator at Adler University in British Columbia. I have been working in counsellor development and supervision for over 25 years. My previous professional work was as a school counsellor in both elementary and secondary schools.

Blythe Shepard - Director of Supervision

I am President Emerita of Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) having served on the Board and Executive for 10+ years. In 2009 to 2011, I co-chaired the National Symposium on Counsellor Mobility and worked on the BC Task Group (now FACTBC) responsible for the creation and revision of entry to practice competencies for counsellors. In 2018, I co-chaired the CCPA Clinical Supervision Competency Framework project. I am co-editor of the CCPA published books, Clinical Supervision of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Profession and co-editor of Clinical Supervision Vignettes, and author of Clinical Supervision of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Profession Handbook. And my favourite supervision related focus is being Director of Supervision for the CES Chapter and running the Circle of Practice of Clinical Supervision. 

Meg Kapil - Doctoral Student Liaison
Picture of Meg Kapil

I received my MA in Counselling Psychology from UVic and am currently a PhD candidate in Educational Psychology at UVic. My research explores associations between stress regulation, self-regulated learning, and social emotional and academic outcomes. Integrating clinical and research experience, I recently delivered a project titled Stress Stories to support students to effectively manage stress at school as part of my PhD research. I have worked in postsecondary settings as an instructor, practicum coordinator, clinical supervisor, and counsellor prior to my current adventures as a PhD candidate. Currently in private practice, I support children, youth, and adults across a range of ages and presenting challenges and developed the “Creating Calm” series of workbooks for managing stress and anxiety (2021 recipient of the CCPA Counselling Resources & Training Materials Award). I am passionate about communicating mental health research and practice and have have delivered over 25 public presentations to students, teachers, counsellors and published an article for counsellors outlining the integration of mental health, stress regulation and learning for supporting clients with ADHD. My community engagement has included volunteer counselling for non-profit counselling organizations and engaging in reducing barriers to mental health support by developing and facilitating family anxiety and ADHD support groups, anxiety support groups for at risk youth, and stress management workshops for postsecondary students. 

Tanya Surette - Secretary/Treasurer

I am the current secretary and treasurer of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association—Counsellor Educators and Supervisors Chapter. I work as the program coordinator and a counsellor educator for Acadia’s M.Ed. in Counselling program in Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia), as well as a counsellor supervisor and psychologist. I have a research interest in counsellor resilience as well as feminist approaches to counselling and supervision that centre social justice and culturally responsive practices.

Kelly Brenton - President- Elect

I am currently the president-elect of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association – Counsellor Educators and Supervisors Chapter. I work as a counsellor educator and clinical coordinator for Acadia University’s M.Ed. Counselling Program, which is located in Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia), the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaw nation. I am also a registered counselling therapist – candidate and work in private practice. Previously, I have worked as a school counsellor in both elementary and secondary schools. My research interests are in counsellor wellness and resilience, as well as professional counsellor identity development.

Amora Sun - Co-Director Counsellor-Educators

Amora Sun is a gender-fluid clinical supervisor and director of Re-Creation Healing Psychotherapy. They specialize in healthy relationships and providing prevention, intervention and postvention therapy for those impacted by intergenerational abuse as a result of colonialism and have 13 years of experience treating the complications of institutionalized betrayal, domestic violence, addictions and recidivism in the criminal justice system.

They are passionate in providing psychological treatment and advocacy for any gendered survivor of sexual, physical and psychological abuse as well as providing psychological treatment and safety planning for perpetrators of domestic violence. It is a privilege to be able to offer support and new ways of thinking in solving problems for those willing to stop and/or exit out of the cycle of violence.

Amora is passionate about serving residential school survivors and their descendants, RCMP, military families and the government workers who interact in larger bureaucratic systems. They are an academic working toward registering as a teaching psychologist as well as a practical Buddhist who is always happy to speak about the bardos with anyone who will listen.

Amora is a settler living on Indigenous lands belonging to the Dene, Tlicho, Gwich’in and Coast Salish peoples. They are continuously listening, researching and paying attention to elders recommendations of modern-day practical acts of reconciliation after years of government injustice against Indigenous Canadians. They speak about what they have witnessed and what research has proven to be effective ways of healing through a lens of objective rationalism (and a healthy dose of compassion).

Rosina Mete - Co-Director Counsellor-Educators

I am currently one of the Directors Elect – Counsellor Education with the Counsellor Educators and Supervisors Chapter. I work as the Director of Faculty in the Masters of Counselling Psychology Program at Yorkville University where I was previously the Course Lead for Assessment. I have worked as a counsellor educator and adjunct professor at other educational institutions. I am also a Registered Psychotherapist and Canadian Certified Counsellor and have experience in community health, academic, and private practice settings. My research and publications include equity and access to mental health care, stress management, addressing stigma, values-informed leadership in higher education, problem-solving and decision-making, and technology in education.


Contact the Counsellor Educators and Supervisors Chapter president!

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Constitution and By-laws

The Chapter’s bylaws are a set of rules that control the actions of its members and govern the internal management of the Chapter.


Webinar: Counsellor Educators Chapter: Who are we?

An informative webinar on the Counsellor Educators and Supervisors Chapter was presented by the executive of the Chapter themselves in 2018. This webinar is free and you can have access to the recording here. A webinar focused on clinical supervisors will be available soon.


Consultation

Members from the Counsellor Educators and Supervisors chapter have volunteered to make themselves available for consultation on a range of clinical and research issues. Click here for the current list of available consultants, and their contact information.


Award

The Doctoral Student Dissemination Award is awarded by the Counsellor Educators and Supervisors Chapter.