As I reflect on my recent conversation with Alethia, our very own OSRP board member and Protect Committee Chair, I am reminded of the importance of our shared experiences in psychotherapy and community engagement. Alethia has been a psychotherapist since 2017, but her journey spans over two decades, working with adolescents and adults in various hospital settings. Her extensive background in emergency departments and psychiatric stabilization units has shaped her understanding of mental health care for Black and marginalized communities.
Our dialogue delved into the evolution of mental health interventions, particularly concerning the Black community. Alethia raised valid concerns about the initial Eurocentric focus of these interventions, emphasizing the necessity for culturally sensitive approaches that consider family involvement and community support. This perspective resonates deeply with me as I find it so important that as psychotherapists, we create treatment plans that are not only effective but also respectful of individual identities and cultural backgrounds. Throughout our discussion, I was inspired by Alethia's commitment to personal growth and community outreach.
Alethia also spoke about her practice called , where she not only offers individual therapy, along with two interns, she also organizes wellness retreats that incorporate mindfulness, meditation, yoga, and nutrition — her first event attracted 50 attendees! She brings the same energy for community outreach and self-healing to the OSRP through the various offerings of the Protect Committee.
Alethia’s two student interns are offering free counselling to young adults ages 18-30 until April 2025, and starting in November, Alethia is starting a DBT group for women of colour.
Feel free to reach out to her via alethia@mindsilike.com, or through her website to find out more.
Thank you for your continued support of the OSRP. As a valued member, you had the opportunity to vote on proposed by-law amendments that will ensure you continue to have a voice while also supporting the advancement of the society and its mandate.
The amendments were released for electronic vote in July and the motions and results will be read into the minutes of this meeting to make them official.
Unfortunately, we were challenged with registrations for the August 30 Special Session of the Membership meeting (18 received) and proxies (9 received). Under our current by-laws, we require over 90 registrations and proxies to achieve a quorum, so we have rescheduled this meeting.
The new meeting date and time are:
Thursday, October 10, 2024 12 to 1 p.m. ET, Zoom
To register for the meeting, please use this link.
If you are unable to attend the OSRP Special Session of the Membership meeting scheduled for October 10, 2024, please click on the button below to complete a proxy form. There will be no voting during the meeting. Proxies are required so we can ensure we have a quorum to hold the meeting.
Click here to register your proxy.
Alice is a lively and passionate human. We spent our time talking about her journey to becoming a therapist and what matters to her in her work. She shared her positive experience with therapy during her teenage years, her volunteer work at Jesse's and Sistering, Assaulted Women's and Children's Counsellor/Advocate Diploma at George Brown College, and her ultimate decision to apply for a 5-year experiential psychotherapy training program at OPC to further her personal growth and become the therapist she aspired to be.
Alice does standup comedy and loves to read and see impactful films. She just saw the film “Hard Truths” at TIFF festival and recommended the book Love Me Tender by Constance Debray, which I’m looking into.
Alice has an office in central Toronto and offers a combination of in-person and virtual sessions. She works mostly with queer young adults and has a trauma-informed and anti-oppressive approach to therapy. She is accepting clients at the moment and can be contacted via: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists/alice-blackwell-toronto-on/1122544.
Thank you Alice for this inspiring conversation. Your energy is contagious!
On June 27, we were pleased to announce that the GST/HST exemption from counselling and psychotherapy services went into effect as of June 20, 2024, after having received royal assent.
As of June 20, 2024, certain psychotherapists and counselling therapists are no longer required to collect the GST/HST on their services. The Canada Revenue Agency wants to ensure that all providers of these types of services have the information they need to determine their tax situation and take any next steps, such as closing their GST/HST account. The CRA released a statement on July 15 which provides further clarity.
Please keep in mind that the exemption applies only to psychotherapy services. If you are providing other services (e.g., coaching, workshops, etc.) that you charge HST on, you should continue to charge HST on those services.
We would again like to thank all those who worked diligently over many years to make this happen, including those on the Tax-Free Therapy campaign, our partners at the Partnership of Registered Psychotherapy Associations (PRPA) and the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), and our very own OSRP Advocacy Committee.
Presented by RBC
Marty Nanasi, investment retirement planner-financial planner with RBC, will be presenting a free seminar only for OSRP members on how to best utilize RSPs to reduce taxable income, save for first time homebuyers’ downpayments, including advice towards how to invest and options available within an RSP at RBC.
He will also cover how to use a RSP vs TFSA to maximize results and First Home savers account, which is a new addition the Canadian government has put in place to allow further deduction from income taxes and save further in addition to first-time home buyers' account allowable in RSP.
Wednesday, September 18, 202412 to 1 p.m. ET, Zoom
Fees: Free for members
Click here to register.
By Brandon Hay (MES, Business) Founder of the Black Daddies Club Therapist-in-Training at the Gestalt Institute of Toronto OSRP member
Less than 1% of therapists identify as Black men in the USA. This statistic was shared at a Black Men Therapists conference in Chicago that I attended in February 2023. This number is even less for Black men practicing therapy in Canada.
This lack of representation of Black men in the mental health profession in Canada has impacts on the larger mental health crisis that Black folks across Canada are navigating. The Shining a Light on Mental Health in Black Communities report states that 60% of the Black Canadians surveyed "would be more willing to use mental health services if the mental health professional were Black". The report also indicated the importance of innovative mental health interventions for the Back community, as “Black persons in Canada have higher unemployment rates, as well as lower average incomes, which may preclude them from the wider selection of mental health services available to those able to pay privately or go through employer-covered insurance plans."
My name is Brandon Hay and I am a Black man who is a therapist-in-training in Gestalt therapy, and I am also the founder of the Black Daddies Club (BDC), which is a social grassroots movement that has been co-creating spaces for Black folks and Black men in Toronto for the past 18 years.
As a therapist in training, I believe the trauma that Black folks experience looks different due to racism and their other lived experiences that come with the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, class, etc. The events below will be co-created communal and decolonized spaces for Black therapists, counsellors, healers, and those who support Black folks to learn and network with each other.
On Sunday, August 11th, 2024, BDC is collaborating with community stakeholders from Canada, USA, and South Africa to do two events (virtual and in-person) that will focus on innovative approaches with Black folks and mental health. The event will take place at Movember Canada, Toronto, 588 Richmond Street West, Toronto,
The first event taking place from 11 am-2:30 pm, will be Sunday Brunch: A Decolonized Space for Black Therapists, Counselors, Healers, and those who work with Black Folks, a panel discussion and networking and knowledge-sharing event for the purpose of decolonizing therapeutic strategies for Black, Indigenous and Racialized therapists, counselors, healers and those who support Black folks with their mental health.
This event, the first in a series, will launch The Revelry Group, an Employment Assistance Program (EAP) that works with Black, Racialized, and Indigenous Counsellors, Therapists and Healers. We are currently working on inviting Black and Racialized therapists to be a part of this network.
The second event for the day, taking place from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm, will be Sunday Dinners: Conversations with Black Men. The purpose of the Sunday Dinner gatherings is for Black men to have conversations with other Black men to explore our similarities and differences. This conversation series is for Black men who identify as cis-gendered, heterosexual, trans-men, gay, bi-sexual, mixed race, living with a disability or non-binary Black men, etc.; as long as you identify as a Black man, the Sunday Dinners space is for you.
The Sunday Dinners initiative is innovative because it takes away the stigma of therapy which is still prevalent in some Black communities. The event is also free which helps to decrease the financial barriers that often stand in the way of Black men and their mental health and wellness. The design of Sunday Dinners is built on the Gestalt Therapy theories of dialogical relationship, awareness of our bodies, and being present in the here and now with the other person. Sunday Dinners also relies on Black men connecting (speaking and listening) with other Black men in a vulnerable way, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, as one participant who attended the in-person Sunday Dinners event which was held in March 2024 in Toronto, said,
“I love having an intergenerational space where I can learn from black men. Having a space to talk to other black men is healing, especially during COVID. I also like having this space because I can share my experiences and unpack some of my own insecurities and experiences. It feels like therapy’.” Sunday Dinner attendee
If you are a Black therapist or counselor, or a non-Black therapist or counselor who works with Black men, Black boys, and the Black community at large, please register for the Sunday Brunch (in-person or virtual).
If you are a Black man and interested in attending Sunday Dinners, please register (in-person or virtual).
As these events are not wheelchair accessible, we encourage folks who experience mobility issues, or those who will be out of the geographic area, to access both events via the virtual registration options.
I would love to see you at these events. Bring a friend!
It’s always a treat to chat with OSRP members and this one was no exception. Ellis has been a practicing psychotherapist for 20 years. Like most psychotherapists, he wanted his life to impact others positively. Through his training it became clear that he wanted to have a broader impact than on just an individual; he wanted to create the possibility of generational change. So, he pursued a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Tyndale University, believing that if a couple can change their negative patterns into positive, connected patterns, then a new normal would be modeled for their children, thus creating the possibility of generational change. I couldn’t agree more.
Ellis’ practice has two locations, one in Mississauga and the other in Downtown Toronto, and serves clients virtually and in person. His modalities include EFT, narrative therapy, CBT, and Internal Family Systems theory.
Ellis’ self-care practice includes running, and listening to podcasts, particularly one hosted by Lex Friedman, who explores the balance between science and the human condition
Ellis’ clinic is accepting clients at the moment, and can be found through the link below:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists/ellis-nicolsonassociates-relationship-specialists-mississauga-on/145297
Thank you, Ellis, for a lovely chat. I wish you and your practice health and success!
With love,
Mahshad
THANK YOU!
I want to thank all the members who have filled out the Member Spotlight form since the beginning, especially the ones I didn’t get a chance to meet in person. Unfortunately, I only have time to speak with one member each month, but I want the rest of you to know that I see you, and appreciate your engagement and courage in putting your name in the Member Spotlight hat.
Would you like to be featured in the next Member Spotlight? Just fill in our quick survey and tell us about yourself. If chosen, your spotlight will also be shared on OSRP's social media platforms.
I look forward to learning and sharing about members all over Ontario, especially the ones working in the more remote regions, and ones with diverse approaches, or serving diverse and marginalized populations.
Mahshad Aryafar, RP
Connect Committee Chair
This is a reminder for our 1,300+ wonderful members that membership fees were due July 1. Members know that the OSRP is the only Ontario association dedicated exclusively to RPs, keeping focus on our unique needs, abilities and goals.
Very well done for those who have already renewed your membership - 5 Gold Stars to you!!!
We have chosen NOT to raise our rates, in view of helping our members continue to thrive in your professional home, the OSRP.
BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP
If you have any questions, please contact Society Manager Evonne Brant at mail@psychotherapyontario.org or call 416-923-4050 – all messages with be returned during normal business hours.
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The OSRP is growing and developing as an organization representing a diverse group of 1,300+ RPs across Ontario. To do so, we need your voices. Please let us know what we can do to make joining our Board a good fit for you.
If you are Board-Curious and interested in learning more about becoming part of the OSRP Board, you are invited to an Open House on Friday, July 26, with Dan Sileshi, Chair of the Nomination Committee.
Friday, July 26, 2024 12-1 p.m. EDT Zoom
We are pleased to announce that the GST/HST exemption from counselling and psychotherapy services has gone into effect as of June 20, 2024, after having received royal assent.
Now for the big question on everyone’s mind: When do we stop charging HST?
While some of the national associations have suggested that their members can stop charging HST immediately, we would like to err on the side of caution and suggest that OSRP members wait for the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to publish guidelines. Since we are a provincial association, what applies to us may be different than what the national associations have suggested or advised.
At this time, the CRPO is recommending that your individual accountant or a CRA representative would be in the best position to provide guidance that is specific to your situation.
Please keep in mind that the exemption applies only to psychotherapy services. If you are providing other services (eg. coaching, workshops, etc.) that you charge HST on, you should continue to charge HST on those services.
Once again, this is exciting news that has been a long time coming.
We would like to thank all those who worked diligently over many years to make this happen, including those on the Tax-Free Therapy campaign, our partners at the Partnership of Registered Psychotherapy Associations (PRPA) and the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), and our very own Advocacy Committee.
Keep an eye on the CRA website in the coming days.
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