Supervisor certification overview


The two CCPA certifications, Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) and Canadian Clinical Supervisor (CCS), are different from membership. Supervisor certification is intended for CCPA Certified Professional Members (CCS) who provide clinical supervision to other professional clinical counsellors.
Achieving Canadian Clinical Supervisor (CCS) status includes recognition of professional credibility standards for clinical supervisors, continuing education and a formal code of ethics. As a non-statutory self-regulatory organization, CCPA provides guidance and discipline to members on ethical issues.

Overview of supervision

Supervision is a specialized activity within the overall practice of counseling and psychotherapy, and is one of the most important elements in the development of a competent practitioner. It is in supervision that supervisees begin to develop their professional identity and examine their own beliefs and attitudes about clients and therapy (Corey, Corey & Callanan, 2007, p. 360).

Clinical supervision is “an intervention provided by an experienced member of the profession to one or more new members of the same profession. This relationship is evaluative and hierarchical, extends over time and simultaneously includes the objectives of improving the professional functioning of the new member(s), monitoring the quality of professional services rendered to clients and controlling access to those who wish to practice the said profession” (Bernard and Goodyear, 2009, p. 7).

After completing their university studies, new practitioners often embark on a journey that transforms them from anxious novices into confident and competent counsellors/psychotherapists*. The transition from this first stage to competent professional depends on the work of seasoned and dedicated clinical supervisors, who provide supervisees with personalized and appropriate levels of guidance, direction and support. During the supervisee’s training, the clinical supervisor’s primary responsibility is to ensure competence, both clinical and legal. The supervisor’s ability to convey the attitudes, knowledge, skills, approaches and traditions of counseling and psychotherapy will need to be carefully tested.

Certification fees

The CCPA certification fee (CCC certification by itself) is $280.00 per year, including a $195.00 membership fee and a $85.00 certification fee. The CCS certification evaluation fee is $195.00. The annual renewal fee is $45.00. The total annual fee to maintain CCC and CCS designations is $295.