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The OSRP office staff is getting ready to wind down for the winter season, and hopes to have time to rest and spend time with loved ones.

The OSRP’s office will be closed from 5 p.m. ET on Friday, December 23, 2022, until 9 a.m. on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, which means we won’t be returning phone calls and emails until January 3 or 4, 2023.

We wish you all the best for a healthy and prosperous new year!

OSRP’s 30th AGM was a resounding success!

A new complement of inspired and talented Members were voted onto the slate and became Board Directors on November 18, 2022.

This year’s AGM ended with a crescendo of cheers, applause and a commitment to elect the largest group of volunteer Board Members that the OSRP has ever seen or dreamed of! This is a clear sign of a thriving Association, and it is thanks to your votes, your membership, your volunteer work and your ongoing commitment to the OSRP that we are here.

Your feedback (in the chat and verbally) was unanimously positive and supportive, and you not only voted in the 2022-2023 slate, but provided a clear mandate (“yes” vote rates of 95% or higher, zero “no” votes on any resolution) to the new Board as represented by the leadership of the AGM. Quorum was achieved and maintained until the end of the three-hour meeting, which concluded with cheers, claps and expressions of gratitude and trust that the OSRP is in good hands.

A few examples of Member contributions from the AGM via Zoom “chat” – all of which were read aloud, because YOUR voices are important – include:

When at first we were a few members short of quorum, a number of you made valuable suggestions, and pitched in to help:

~ “...could folks reach out by email or phone to see if we can get a few more attendees?”

~ “...let's shoot to get 15-20 more, via proxy or attendance”

Many positive comments followed the Land Acknowledgement video prepared by Kimberly Cato, following a description of the Board’s work in this area over the past year:

~ “Beautiful  ❤️”

~ “Beautiful land acknowledgement, Kimberly. Thank you.”

~ “Thank you. So beautiful, thoughtful.”

~ “We just reached quorum”

~ “well done everybody!”

Below is the link to the Land Acknowledgement video, as requested by members who attended the AGM.

Click here to view Acknowledging the Land Within video

Honouring fellow psychotherapists who passed away since the last AGM is our way of acknowledging their contribution to this work. We lost three people this past year, one of whom was a former Board member. We sincerely thank the member who shared the name of one of these three at the AGM, who we did not yet know had passed away, so we could commemorate together.

Rest in Peace to the dearly departed:

Joan Lacroix, Clinical Member, Retired. OSRP Member Nov 1994–Oct 2022

Richard Lowery, Clinical Member, former Board Member-at-Large. OSRP Member March 2017–Nov 2022

Mikela Ronning-Philip, Clinical Member, Retired. OSRP Member Sept 1996–June 2022

***

Members expressed felicitations and gratitude to Sonya Gotziaman and Rozanne Grimard as each received the “Honours of the Society Award”:

~ “Congratulations to Sonya and Rozanne!”

~ “Thank you for such a heartfelt acceptance speech. Congratulations!”

Re: the www.taxfreetherapy.ca campaign:

~ “I’m so grateful for all the hard work done to table this issue with the government - Thank you to all on the Task Force!”

~ “Nikki has taken this [Connect] committee and transformed it into a massive member benefit, keeping people informed and connected and supported, which is what makes an association a home. Way to go, Nikki!!

RE: The 11 BIPOC Bursaries provided last year:

~ “I agree Kimberly…I’m so very proud of our organization...taking action, not just words. Excellent.”

~ “Kimberly, thank you so much for all your hard work in EDI which is paramount. Your weaving of EDI into everything we do is necessary!”

Re: Sarah Posh and the CRPO Committee:

~ “Thank you for representing us so well. Much appreciated.”

Re: 2022-23 Slate of Board Members:

~ “This is so exciting! We dreamed of a day when the board would have many members…”

~ “Congratulations to all of you! Thank you and may you have a wonderful experience!!”

~ “This AGM is so exciting to me. I am recalling our first AGM 30 years ago. What wonderful work you are all doing and have done to bring our organization to this place. Congratulations!”

~ “Many thanks to everyone who worked and prepared things for this meeting, beyond all the work that you do throughout the year :)”

***

The Nomination Committee is honoured to welcome and orient all new Directors during this Interim period before our first Board Meeting on December 9.

Before the end of the calendar year, you and all members in good standing will receive:

• A link to the video of the AGM
• Draft minutes of the AGM (which will be voted on at next year’s AGM), including all motions passed and vote tallies.
• A copy of the AGM Zoom chat PLEASE NOTE - IF YOU WANT TO REMOVE YOUR NAME FROM YOUR CHAT COMMENT, PLEASE EMAIL EVONNE at mail@psychotherapyontario.org. IF WE DO NOT HEAR FROM YOU IN THE NEXT WEEK, WE WILL TAKE THAT AS CONSENT TO PUBLISH YOUR ZOOM NAME ABOVE YOUR COMMENT.
• A link to updated bios and photos of all current OSRP Directors
• A list of Executive Committee members and committee Chairs, with open calls to join committees where there is a need for more volunteers

We thank you for your time, your energy and your trust in us to serve the OSRP faithfully over the coming year. It is thanks to you that we are in this wonderful position to do meaningful work on behalf of our honourable profession.

May you have a victorious day,

Kimberly Cato (Co-Chair, Nomination Committee)

Rachel Fulford (Co-Chair, Nomination Committee)

The month of December is filled with various festivals, religious events, national days and a multitude of celebrations that bring people together for food, fun, and frollicking. This may include Festivus, Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Independence Days for Kenya, Qatar, Bahrain, Libya, Mongolia, Finland, Tanzania, Portugal, and many more.

Though these are just a few significant dates people may celebrate or take time off to take care of themselves, friends or family, there are many different traditions associated with each holiday or significant day. Learning about the significance, stories and histories of various holidays can help broaden our perspective beyond the holidays we celebrate year after year.

According to AbacusData, a survey was done in 2019 asking Canadians if they celebrate Christmas and if they celebrate Christmas as a secular or religious holiday. 87% of respondents said they celebrate Christmas (51% secular holiday and 35% religious holiday), while 13% responded “no”. While this may or may not be representative of our OSRP population, it supports our awareness of those who may not celebrate Christmas or any of the many holidays during the month of December.

As active, retired and student Psychotherapists, we know that there are many for whom this time of year is uncomfortable, lonely, isolating or riddled with thoughts of traumatic experiences, grief and loss. We are well aware of the tumultuous emotional rollercoaster of this season for many. As we continue through this month of December, we may wish to use inclusive language in how we greet each other and not make assumptions about how people are getting through this time. In addition, we might consider providing our clients and loved ones with a crisis line number/website and other culturally-sensitive community resources to help get through this time safely.

We might practise asking open-ended questions of each other first, so we are not making assumptions. For example, “What are you doing over these next few weeks?” This question does not assume someone will be on holidays because they may choose to or have to work; it doesn’t assume they will be with family members; and it doesn’t assume they celebrate a specific holiday.

Another open-ended question might be, “How do you spend your time in these winter months?” This example invites discussion without imposing a specific belief, expectation, mood or pattern of behaviour. Once we’ve learned more about the person we’re talking to, we can then decide how to wish them well.

May all OSRP Members find peace that surpasses all understanding as you engage with these last weeks of 2022 and prepare for victorious showers of Health, Wealth, and Wisdom in 2023!!!

Thank you amazing OSRP members for your overwhelming support! The House of Commons Petition now has 8,100+ signatures and counting! If you haven’t had a chance to sign and share: please do so here!

As a next step, would you consider writing your MP/calling your MP/asking your network to do so? If so, please visit www.taxfreetherapy.ca for a pre-written letter, and a tool to email it to your rep. Or use this tool to find your MP’s contact info using your postal code: https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en

All the info you need is at www.taxfreetherapy.ca.

Check out CTV.ca’s coverage of our campaign: Should therapy be tax-exempt? New campaign calls out "bureaucratic semantics."

None of this momentum would be possible without engaged members like you. Thank you so much!

Let’s keep it going, so we can one day see this tax in the rearview mirror, and know that we did everything we could to make it history.

For questions or comments, please contact advocacy@psychotherapyontario.org

With locations across the province, Goodlife offers group exercise, personal training, group fitness classes and classic fitness amenities.

Additionally, your discounted corporate rate can be extended to one family member to enhance the health and wellness of your loved ones.

Registration is now open. To join, log in to the Members Only section of our website and look on the Member Benefits page.

We have been following the development of a new initiative that enables mental health providers to respond to mental health crisis and wellness checks among vulnerable, marginalized and racialized groups in Toronto. Now, by calling 211, people in crisis can receive support from non-police-based multidisciplinary teams working from a harm reduction, consent and trauma-based response framework.

“The Toronto Community Crisis Service (TCCS) is a new, alternate approach to responding to someone in crisis that focuses on health, prevention and well-being. The service provides an alternative to police enforcement, creating a community-based, client-centred, trauma-informed response to non-emergency crisis calls and wellness checks.

This service aims to respond to the needs and desires of the communities most impacted by policing and establish trust and confidence in a new community-based response model.

The service is available six days a week and closed on Saturdays, and serves individuals 16 years of age and older.”

Click here to learn more.

On Wednesday, June 1, the CRPO hosted a Stakeholders meeting for representatives from the cooperative relationships they have been building with the OSRP, CCPA, OAMHP, CAPT and OEATA.

Summary of meeting:

CRPO acknowledged that through the outlook of the nursing and midwifery profession, that quality of care and protection of the public involves a partnership, ongoing relationships and healthy tension between the Regulator, the Educators and the Associations in order to provide care in the best interests of clients.

• CRPO has now surpassed 10,000 registrants (10,035 at the time of the meeting).  This is a 41% increase in overall applications and demonstrates the accelerated growth of the profession.
• CRPO application processing timelines should be reduced to 4-6 weeks (recognized programs) or 4 months (non-recognized programs) by the end of June.
• Ninety percent pass rate for the Entry to Practice exam (90% in ON, 91% in other provinces, 86% USA and 72% International).
• They are currently reviewing the Clinical Supervision criteria and reduced group maximums from 12 to 8 participants as of April 2022.
• Standards of Practice should be reviewed every five years and the Standard Review Policy may be extended to association leaders to contribute and become more involved.
• Jurisprudence will be reviewed and updated, as it has not been since 2013 and laws, knowledge and experience have grown since the program launch.
• Breakdown of Complaints detailed in the presentation slides, with General Conduct representing almost 42%.
• Governance Reform Proposal: The CRPO is aiming for a 50:50 split between the Public and RP members (currently 49:51).  Term limits may be introduced and the removal of the previously considered RMHP title may be removed.
• CRPO will continue to work remotely, with Council meetings potentially becoming hybrid starting in the fall. The exam will continue to be offered remotely.

Click here to view the Stakeholders Meeting slides.

We are excited to announce that enrolment for the new OSRP Group Health Benefits Plan is now active! The plan start date is July 1, 2022.

Our comprehensive and competitive new plan, through Equitable Life, will be administered online through a company called Effortless Admin. The plan contains all the benefits included in our first plan and does not require a medical examination in order to join. This makes it one of the most inclusive in our field in Ontario and will not preclude anyone with pre-existing medical conditions.

There are two levels of coverage options: Entry and Essential. You can choose the level of coverage that is right for you and/or for you and your family. Core benefits include prescription drugs, paramedical services (including coverage for RP services), dental care, vision care, long-term disability (Essential Plan only), travel coverage, as well as life, dependent life and AD&D coverage.

The Entry plan monthly premium is:

• Single — $147.88
• Family — $394.85

The Essential plan automatically includes Long Term Disability (LTD) coverage. At $2,000 LTD* coverage, the monthly premium is:

• Single — $199.87 + $52.14 = $252.01
• Family — $521.68 + $52.14 = $573.82

*To note, the LTD volume may be different, as the amount of coverage depends on your income. The maximum coverage amount that you can receive is $4,000 per month. If your income requires that you receive the maximum LTD coverage, your monthly premium for the LTD benefit will be $104.28 (instead of the $52.14 indicated above).

The premiums, including the maximum LTD coverage, are:

• Single — $199.87 + $104.28 = $304.15
• Family — $521.68 + 104.28 = $625.96

Below you will find a link to a document containing the plan details and rates. Please review the specific coverage level details, as the coverage level can only be changed every two years after the initial selection has been made. All plan information, as well as helpful webinars to learn more about the offerings and how to manage online claims, can be found on the Member Benefits page once you log in to osrp.ca

To enrol in the plan, please contact our broker, Joanne Rose, who will start the process for you. Joanne will require the following information from you:

• Business Name (if different than your personal name)
• Employee (to note you are an employee of your business) Legal Name
• DOB
• Gender Identification
• Hire Date – must be longer than 6 months
• Job title
• Salary
• Address
• Email address
• Coverage — single or family
• Plan — Entry or Essential
• Email address

Adonis can be contacted at
Email: joanne.rose@hubinternational.com OR
Phone: (416) 597-5723.

Our OSRP Blog is our public-facing communication about a few things: showcasing our members and sharing relevant professional information. Nikki Bianchi, the Chair of our Connect Committee, kick-started the blog again in 2021 with some wonderful member stories. You can read them here (http://blog.osrp.ca/).

We are looking for an OSRP member who has a passion for writing/editing to take on the blog!

Is this you?

If so, please reach out to Nikki via email connect@psychotherapyontario.org

On March 21, 2022, the Board responded to a member’s request for decision-making transparency (regarding posts in Central) with a commitment to meet on June 3, 2022, for a Town Hall discussion about the impact of the Ukraine statement on the membership.

In preparation for this Town Hall, the Board sought an external, third-party consultant to facilitate an internal audit of our decision-making process and communication strategies and to review the purpose of Central moving forward. This consultant has also been asked to assist with ensuring that your Board is well prepared with insights to offer when we do meet at the Town Hall to hear what’s in your hearts and minds.

As our membership has grown exponentially over the past two years, so too has the demand of time and level of commitment from the Board. During our Friday, May 27 Board meeting, we realized that more time is required to complete the work we have begun with the third-party consultant. Furthermore, we ran into an unforeseen issue with the registration process for the Town Hall. Subsequently, because there has been no notice or registration information posted in Central, we are postponing our June 3 Town Hall until the internal audit is complete and we have given sufficient notice for registration and participation to occur.

Please know that the need to postpone this Town Hall in no way diminishes our appreciation for the importance of this discussion. On the contrary, we understand the magnitude of this issue and require the time necessary to address the multifaceted implications of this discussion on the work that we do for you as a Board.

We extend the hope that you continue to provide us with the grace we require to grow as a Board as we grow in membership.

Sincerely,

The OSRP Board