by Gwen Shandoski, RP, M.Sc.
Moving my practice out of Toronto to Picton was hard, unplanned, unknown.
I always thought being a psychotherapist meant living in Toronto. My future was me, 80, in my basement office in Leslieville in the city’s east end, seeing clients face to face.
When the world shut down, anything seemed possible.
I had never worked virtually before. Once I used Zoom to meet new clients and it worked, I downloaded real estate apps. I checked out gorgeous homes on Haida Gwaii, waterfront in Newfoundland and Muskoka. Old homes in Goderich. California for kicks. Winnipeg, Sudbury for a change. Window shopping a new life was a fun way to spend those lockdown evenings.
What I could not know or google was — what is it like to work and practise psychotherapy outside Toronto?
I picked a town based on activities I enjoy — coffee shops, an active movie theatre and film community, artists, and a bookstore. Prince Edward County had all those.
Dissociation wore off as soon as our offer on a Picton house was accepted. I panicked and said to my partner, I can’t do this. Thoughts jammed. A vision of me working as a psychotherapist outside Toronto was not there. I’d depended on the senior therapists who trained me to demonstrate life as a psychotherapist. I had not seen any RPs living rurally without commuting to work.
photo: Gwen (left) and her partner, Barb Hannah, on “move day,” realizing that they accidentally dressed as “City Mouse” (Gwen) and “Country Mouse” (Barb).
However, I took the leap. I was soon discouraged from trying to share an office with a therapist renting on Main Street. The rules were that no other therapist could be in that building. My friends from Picton kept assuring me there was work and possibilities for office space nearby.
Eventually, I rented an office by the water and hung my shingle. I had many inquiries and enough referrals this winter. Few this summer.
I’m finding my footing here. I volunteer at a queer youth group out of the library. I was hired for the "Arts Together" pilot program to facilitate connectedness and expression through art for those at risk of social isolation and mental health challenges (not therapy though). Once funding is secured, I have the promise of 20 hours of expressive arts therapy work at an afterschool program for young girls.
My rent is paid but there’s room to grow. I’ve left my card at coffee shops and other local spots. I need to do more. I have savings after selling our house, so retirement is a possibility at some point. I am living a good life in a beautiful part of Ontario. One I hope to enjoy for the next 15 years.
photo: Gwen’s porch for group work
Would you like to write about your experiences and POV for this newsletter? We would love to work with you! Please email us with your ideas at mail@psychotherapyontario.org and let’s get writing!
Join us for a unique two-part opportunity for guidance from a world expert in how Sexual Boundary Violations (SBVs) happen in a clinical setting; who is at risk; and how to become aware of the risks in your practice.
Dr. Andrea Celenza has spent more than 20 years studying, writing about, and advising regulators about SBVs, and providing remediation, expert witness testimony, and therapy to over 300 clinicians who have transgressed, as well as to over 100 victims. She literally wrote the book on Sexual Boundary Violations. She brings a deeply compassionate, personal and insightful approach to her work and her lectures, and shares examples to help others practise safely and effectively. This is a do-not-miss event.
Part One: October 10–October 17, 2023
Video Release available 24hrs/day to screen at your convenience
Registrants will have access to Dr. Celenza’s 90-minute video and PowerPoint presentation Sexual Boundary Violations: How Do They Happen? in which she debunks the myths and illuminates the realities of this prevalent phenomenon, and offers a psychological profile of clinicians at highest risk.
Two-minute teaser: SBV: How do they happen? | Andrea Celenza
This video would normally cost $450 USD per individual viewing. The OSRP is exclusively offering this on a one-week basis for you to screen at your own pace, with the unique Q&A opportunity below.
Part Two: October 18, 2023
Q&A with Presenter Noon to 1 p.m. ET on Zoom — NOT RECORDED Dr. Celenza will address questions and comments arising from her 90-minute video.
This is an opportunity for a live community interaction in a confidential space to discuss your questions, responses and concerns.
The first part of her deck on Sexual Boundary Violations will be available by email to all registrants.
REGISTER HERE for both Parts 1 and 2
Dr. Andrea Celenza, Ph.D., is a Psychoanalyst,Psychologist, and world expert who literally wrote the book on Sexual Boundary Violations: Therapeutic, Academic and Supervisory Contexts. She is a Training and Supervising Analyst, Boston Psychoanalytic Society/Institute; faculty, at Mass. Institute for Psychoanalysis; and Assistant Clinical Professor, Harvard Medical School.
She recently released a new book, Transference, Love, Being: Essential Essays from the Field: books | Andrea Celenza
Her books are available in person in Toronto or online for shipment at Caversham Booksellers, PS Protect Seminar’s promotional partner.
To attend/receive materials for all five PS: protect yourself Protect Seminars, if you would appreciate financial support and identify as BIPOC, please email edi@psychotherapyontario.org
Feel free to share and post it far and wide.
If you have any questions about what you can do to help with this effort, or news about support from your MP or others, please don't hesitate to reach out to us by emailing advocacy@psychotherapyontario.org.
We hope you have a restorative Summer.
All the best,
Rachel Fulford & Dr. Natasha Tuletta-Bowman, Co-Vice Chairs, OSRP Board of Directors, Co-Chairs, Advocacy Committee of the OSRP
HST updates are always available on the OSRP Website’s Advocacy Corner.
The PC Bill is scheduled for a second reading/debate in fall 2023.
Meanwhile, we are keeping the pressure on with ongoing activism including letter writing, the two Bills, and the petition, all of which have been effective in raising awareness and opening doors for us to make our case.
Letter-writing tools and social media shareables can be found at TaxFreeTherapy.ca
The OSRP is growing and developing as an organization representing a diverse group of RPs across Ontario. With this top of mind, we intend to increase Black, Indigenous, Racialized, and LGBTQ2S+ awareness and engagement at the OSRP. 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 with Kimberly Cato and Dan Sileshi, Co-Chairs of the Nomination Committee.
Click HERE to register!
Scheduled Zoom Meeting date & time:DATE: Friday, August 25 TIME: 1-2 p.m. EDT
Please let us know if you can make it and if you have any specific questions we can prepare to answer when we meet. May your week be truly spectacular.
If this date and time don’t work for you, fear not –– we will host another Open House next month!
It can be uncomfortable for psychotherapists to talk about money. Some of us feel shame about how much we charge; many of us feel shame about how little we charge. For many, this is a calling, and how can you put a dollar value on a calling?
At the same time, it’s important for our profession that we gather data (anonymously) to discover how much we are charging for our services. To be clear: this is not about SETTING rates or even RECOMMENDING rates. This will help the PRPA (of which the OSRP is a dues-paying member, and which is lobbying the national association of insurance companies) to generate information that will help benefit plans better budget for MORE psychotherapy coverage for our clients. It will also give us data about how charging and remitting HST can depress our take-home fees.
So far, approximately 950 therapists have filled out the survey. Thank you!
However, we need at least 1,000 for the data to be significant. To encourage more therapists to fill out the survey, which takes about 10 minutes, the deadline has been extended to the end of this month.
Please feel free to share with colleagues. We believe this will be hugely beneficial to our advocacy efforts, and our profession, from coast to coast to coast.
Your voice matters!
PREAMBLE: The intent of the RP Rate Survey is to take a benchmark, at this point in time, of what RPs (RP-Qs) are charging clients.
The data will inform us as to the lay of the land regarding what rates are being charged. While different stakeholders are interested in this information (insurance industry, RPs, CRPO), PRPA and OSRP members will be consulted before any data is shared externally. There is no intent to set a minimum, maximum or standard rate.
All answers are anonymous.
The link to the survey is https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/823HVGT
Please feel free to share the survey with other therapists in Canada. The more data, the better.
If you have any questions about the survey, don’t hesitate to email advocacy@psychotherapyontario.org
With 147 already registered in the PS: Protect Seminar series, organizers headed into the third event with great expectations, which were exceeded by Lawrence Murphy’s informative and energizing Zoom presentation on July 7th. To quote Murphy: “This is not simply a modality. This is a place. It’s a space…and each online space has its own culture. If you don’t know the culture of this place, if it doesn’t feel authentic or natural to you,” Murphy advises caution and professional restraint.
Even those of us who thought we understood all regulations and best practices for ethical, safe and effective online therapy learned how to enhance our work. This is absolutely a must-see, including the excellent questions brought forward by our astute and curious members.
“I was blown away, and I really hope many more OSRP members will sign up and watch this particular video,” said Alethia Cadore, RP and Chair of the Protect SubCommittee. “I don’t want anyone to miss out on important tips for your practice, especially as many of us navigate the possibility of returning to (some) in-person work while managing online reputations, communications and self-care.”
A few of the topics covered in the seminar, co-presented by Jane, the therapy app:}
It’s not too late to register HERE and watch all three seminars, including CYBER THERAPY: PROTECTING OUR PROFESSIONAL IMAGE, ENSURING BOUNDARIES AND CONFIDENTIALITY, on your timetable.
To quote Lawrence Murphy: “[With remote therapy,] the pain enters our sanctuary…I want you to model self-care for your clients.”
If you are Board-Curious and interested in learning more about becoming part of the OSRP Board, you are invited to an Open House this Friday with Kimberly Cato and Dan Sileshi, Co-Chairs of the Nomination Committee.
Scheduled Zoom Meeting date & time: DATE: Friday July 7, 2023 TIME: 1-2 p.m. EDT
Lawrence Murphy, MA, Counselling Psychology, and Instructor, Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University. Lawrence Murphy is the founder of Worldwide Therapy Online, the world’s first online clinical practice, established in 1994.
Starting to transition back to in-person therapy? Continuing online but wondering about the impacts on you and your practice? Have you noticed yourself inviting some clients to in person and not others? What are the ethics of this?
What kind of social media messages should you be posting publicly? How do you interpret or document if a client adds a or a to you to your text or post? What if you find out the other player in a multiplayer game is your client? What happens when your client Googles you and wants to talk about your past? This seminar Zooms in on the difficult ethical and therapeutic questions we all face in this challenging time of continuous online presence.
CYBER THERAPY: PROTECTING OUR PROFESSIONAL IMAGE, ENSURING BOUNDARIES AND CONFIDENTIALITY on July 6 from 5-7 p.m. brings you an incredibly engaging expert on these topics, Lawrence Murphy.
Lawrence brings an incredible wealth of knowledge and a great sense of humour to everything he does. Bring your anxieties, concerns, hopes and clinical questions because we are planning for a lot of Q&A. Think of Lawrence as your “cyber-supervisor” for the day, and join us in community as we enhance our practice with someone who has been there, has done the research and hard thinking about these new issues that most of us were never trained to handle. Register HERE.
THANK YOU to the 144 registered members — your support makes it possible to continue offering these programs.
L to R: Alethia Cadore, RP, OSRP Board Member and Chair, Protect SubCommittee; Kusum Dole, RP, Protect SubCommittee Member; Dr. Chase Everett McMurren; Shanique Victoria Edwards, RP(Q); MDiv; Rachel Fulford, Board Member, Protect SubCommittee Member; Dr. Oren Gozlan
Caversham Booksellers table on-site. L to R: Joe Adelaars, Co-Owner, Caversham Booksellers; Dr. Oren Gozlan, Shanique Victoria Edwards RP(Q).
– by Christina Forde, RP (Qualifying), Member, Connect Committee
“What we’re uncomfortable with affects how comfortable others are to talk with us about certain topics,” stated Dr. Chase McMurren during the June 15 PS Protect Yourself hybrid Seminar: “Cultural Competency: What is It? An Introduction.” This statement has challenged me to consider how I can make therapy a safer space for the unique cultural experience of each of my clients. Dr. McMurren explained that he acknowledges the impact of power dynamics in therapy by “respecting all the things people are afraid to tell me or think that I can’t handle.”
As therapists, I believe that there is room for us to become better at viewing “clients as the experts to address our own biases,” as stated by Shanique Victoria Edwards, RP(Q).
Another statement she made that stood out to me is when she highlighted that race and culture are core aspects of humans and that “we are asking them to leave a part of themselves outside if we don’t acknowledge it.”
While reflecting on the fear of appearing uncomfortable about discussing culture, OSRP member Susie Costello asked the presenters: “Can you give some specific examples of what I might say to break the ice around cultural issues”? The presenters considered how to make the process more comfortable by “melting the ice instead of breaking it,” as per Dr. McMurren, and Dr. Gozlan responded with this great question: “Why does it feel like ice in the first place?” It resonated with me when he suggested that we ask about a person’s experience and “listen to their inner world and how they describe it.”
“Within each culture is many cultures and each person experiences it in a particular way,” as said by Dr. Gozlan during discussion about how we can better understand a person’s lived experience of culture. He further emphasized his point by saying: “I cannot stand in someone else’s shoes. I have my own shoes. It is still my own experience of their shoes.. This statement really helped me reflect on the beautiful uniqueness of every person I meet. The presenters appeared to all agree that there is always so much to learn about each of our clients. Edwards explained her perspective that we often rely on what we know, and I believe she made a significant point by saying that our professional training leads to the “fallacy that we’re never unprepared.” The solution, according to Edwards, is to be “consistently curious.”
The two-hour seminar video is available for purchase HERE for OSRP members only. The PS series is sponsored by Jane, who designed and printed posters and sent a representative to meet with members. Cross-promotion provided by Caversham Booksellers who also shared a curated booklist for all registrants. McFarlan Rowlands supports the OSRP’s BIPOC Bursary and Scholarship Program, to which you can contribute by clicking HERE.
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