OSRP members have been working around the clock to prepare for this meeting of the minds tomorrow at 11 am to 1 pm to discuss “Cultural Competency: What Is It? An Introduction.” Over 70 have signed up, with almost 140 engaged with the PS: Protect Seminar series. It’s not too late to register here - you won’t want to miss it.
“We’re creating a space of respectful openness, where we can all feel comfortable enough to learn together,” says Protect SubCommittee Chair Alethia Cadore, RP. “We’ve shaped this seminar to allow enough time for questions and contributions from the room and from Zoom, to foster inclusion and true listening of each other.”
In prep meetings, all three speakers have emphasized that culture is vital to our work as therapists; but that none of us can ever become “experts” or truly “competent.” That’s why we are borrowing a page from Dr. Chase McMurren’s wisdom around “cultural humility,” as he described it in this podcast interview.
Happy Pride Month, Happy Indigenous History Month, and Happy Juneteenth to all!
The CRPO has clearly mandated all Registrants to continue developing Cultural Competencies. This roundtable event discusses what this actually means in practice.
Time: 11 AM to 1 PM ET Location: Central YMCA, 20 Grosvenor St, Toronto (Grosvenor Room) and online via Zoom
Date: Thursday, June 15, 2023
Shanique Victoria Edwards, B.Sc., M.Div.(c), a member of Black Mental Health Canada’s Circle of Leaders and Founder and CEO of the Eden Legacy Foundation, works as knowledge translation coordinator for the Cundill Centre for Child and Youth Depression at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).
Dr. Oren Gozlan, Psy.D., ABPP, FIPA, is a clinical psychologist and a psychoanalyst in Toronto. He is Chair of the scientific committee at the Toronto Institute for Psychoanalysis and a member of the Committee for Gender and Sexuality of the IPA. He is faculty at the University of Toronto (Applied Psychology and Human Development).
Dr. Chase McMurren (Spirit name: Water Song Medicine Keeper) is Michif/Metis (Turtle Clan) from Lethbridge, AB, located on traditional Siksikaitsitapi, Blackfoot Confederacy Territory and covered by Treaty 7. He currently lives and works in Tkarón:to |GichiKiiwenging and serves as the Indigenous Health Theme Lead in the MD Program and the Indigenous Practitioner Liaison within the Office of Indigenous Health in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.
THANK YOU to the 140 registered members - your support makes it possible to continue offering these programs.
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
We can’t wait to see you in the room or on Zoom.
The OSRP is growing and developing as an organization representing a diverse group of 1,300+ 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 this Friday with Kimberly Cato and Dan Sileshi, Co-Chairs of the Nomination Committee.
Scheduled Zoom Meeting date & time:
DATE: Friday June 16, 2023 TIME: 2:30 - 3:30 pm EDT
Zoom meeting information: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89919692020?pwd=d0NxcGlaSDhJWlFjMVc2V3dVblBOdz09Meeting ID: 899 1969 2020 Passcode: 997324
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!
Feel free to contact Kimberly Cato and Dan Sileshi at: nomination@psychotherapyontario.org
“The first place that you have to be at to execute change is understanding where you currently are,” stated Board Chair Kimberly Cato at the May 31st Lunch and Learn re:the OSRP’s Race-Based Data Collection Initiative. This initiative is included in the June 2023 Membership Renewal process in order to gain a better understanding of who is a part of the OSRP. I found this webinar to be very thought-provoking and enriching as I learned about how we can use this information to help address barriers caused by race-based oppression.
Click here to view a short video from Kimberly Cato.
Discussing the OSRP’s focus on inclusivity and their pursuit of creating change to reduce systemic barriers helped me understand why it is so important to know demographics. Race-based data gives us information we can use to help better serve all the members of a community.
Kimberly Cato hosted this meeting and posed a few questions to the panelists, Michael Bowe (Senior Equity and Inclusion Leader), Kafui Sawyer, RP (Canadian Psychological Association), Shequita Thompson-Reid (Senior Director of Equity), and Dr. Maria Wallis, Ph.D., Sociology (CASW, OSRP Member).
The panelists addressed the significance of race, intersectionality, and the benefits and challenges of collecting race-based data. Bowe made a couple points that really stuck with me. He explained that race is at the centre of this conversation because “you experience all of your other identities through your race.” Additionally, he emphasized the need for anti-racism efforts in support of black and indigenous people as we are “the most impacted in our society by racism.”
Click here to view a short video from Michael Bowe.
Each panelist brought diverse knowledge and expertise that helped attendees understand the purpose of race-based data collection. There seemed to be a consensus that this topic needs to be talked about. One long-time OSRP member shared the following reflection:
“I truly learned so much today in the webinar…as a therapist close to retirement, it is so deeply heartening to know that there are so many incredibly bright, socially conscious and engaged therapists coming up behind me! I feel I leave the profession in good, frankly better hands. Bravo!”
I found that there was a lot to reflect on after this webinar, including Thompson-Reid’s statement that there is “disproportionate access to care and all resources for BIPoC.” I believe this really highlighted the impact of race on lived experiences. I also agreed with Thompson-Reid’s perspective that data “always needs to be connected to context” in order to fulfill its intended need. Safeguarding this data is necessary so it can be used to develop actionable next steps.
Click here to view a short video from Shequita Thompson-Reid
– by Christina Forde, RP (Qualifying), Member, Connect Committee
Renewals are well underway for all 1,300+ members as we embark on the new OSRP year starting July 1st. Members know that the OSRP is the only Ontario association dedicated exclusively to RPs, keeping focus on our unique needs, abilities and goals.
We have chosen NOT to raise our rates, despite inflation, in view of helping our members continue to thrive in your professional home, the OSRP.
The Board and all your fellow members appreciate your continued commitment. We also hope that you invite your colleagues to join us with a membership invitation! To send one of these out, we've also created an email template for your convenience.
As our association grows in numbers, so does our capacity to do more for RPs in communities across Ontario. Join us!
Questions? Contact Society Manager Evonne Brant at mail@psychotherapyontario.orgor call 416-923-4050.
OSRP Connect — A members-only listserv for connection and resources
OSRP Central — A monthly newsletter to keep you in the know with events, resources and news you can use
Affordable group plan for liability insurance through McFarland Rowlands for full Legal Defence. Its premiums that do not go up if there is a legal case or College complaint against you
An extended group health benefits plan through Equitable Life that includes dental, prescription drugs, extended health care including psychotherapy, travel insurance, and much more – tailored to your and your household’s needs
Liaison with the CRPO to ensure your voice is heard
Opportunity to join vibrant committees including Advocacy, EDI, Wellness, Connect, Ethics and more
Opportunity to join the Board of Directors
The OSRP is committed to respecting and advancing our diversity and reducing inequities by gathering information about our community in order to establish a baseline that measures success. The collection of race-based data is an essential component of addressing disparities prevalent in Ontario's Health Care system.
We invite you to complete the five demographic questions found when you click, EDIT PROFILE, on the renewal page. The option to not participate in any particular question is available for those choosing “prefer not to say” for one or more data point.
This Initiative is part of a larger data collection project launched across Canada, in collaboration with the Black Psychology Section of the Canadian Psychology Association.
Thank you in advance for participating in the efforts to reduce barriers like systemic inequities in Ontario..
More Good News! We have chosen NOT to raise our rates, despite inflation, in view of helping our members continue to thrive in your professional home, the OSRP.
Annual Membership Rates for July 1, 2023—June 30, 2024 are as follows:
Clinical and Qualifying Members: registered as RP or RP (Qualifying) in good standing with CRPO — $195 + 25.35 HST = $220.35
Friend of the Society: individuals interested in helping professions in the wider community who wish to be affiliated with the Society — $125 + $16.25 HST = $141.25
Retired: former Clinical or Qualifying member no longer practising psychotherapy — $50 + $6.50 HST = $56.50
Student Member: registered in a CRPO-recognized program — $95 + $12.35 HST = $107.35
Your amount owing may be less if you or someone you referred took advantage of our membership invitation program.
Your discount code for 2023 isOSRP2023-150.If no discount code appears here, it is because you do not have one.
IMPORTANT: For information on how to renew (and apply your discount, if applicable), please read this document.
Don't have a password? Create it here https://osrp.ca/Sys/ResetPasswordRequest.
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.
Don't know your password? Reset it here https://osrp.ca/Sys/ResetPasswordRequest
Promises to do better, now that knowledge has come, by representing the communities being supported and served in leadership and decision-making positions to ensure Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion become centred in everything. The Ontario Society of Registered Psychotherapists (OSRP) made these kinds of commitments, with cries of outrage for the injustices seen, and intentions to continue to do better moving forward.
It has been three years, and though we have a diverse Board of Directors, implemented some BIPoC Initiatives, and initiated an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee, OSRP has no measurable way of demonstrating improvement, growth, or change beyond this. From the outside looking in, the efforts of the world’s Associations, Institutions, and Organizations who are similarly positioned are often labelled PERFORMATIVE because they lack any measurable signs of improvement.
With the intention of establishing a measurable benchmark to assess improvement, the EDI Committee of OSRP is excited to announce the Launch of their Race-Based Data Collection Initiative that begins this 2023-2024 Membership Renewal year.
The OSRP’s EDI Committee is working in collaboration with the Black Psychology Section of the Canadian Psychological Association to launch this Initiative. Race-Based Data Collection is in alignment with the February 2022 statement in the Communiqué made by Deborah Adams, “... we need work to reduce barriers like systemic inequities resulting from anti-Black racism and lack of representation in the profession to improve access to much-needed mental health care for the Black community in Ontario.”
In the collection of this data we can specifically identify gaps in representation, develop plans for inclusion, repair harms due to inequities, and explore the varies areas where much change is required.
It will also put the OSRP in position to justify our declaration of representing the community being served, because we will have the data to prove this, or show what efforts are being made to implement change.
This is a big and bold step for OSRP which requires much discussion, learning and unlearning to ensure its success. Given this, the EDI Committee is facilitating Lunch & Learn about the importance of Race-Based Data Collection in Ontario on May 31st, 2023.
This is an invitation to participate in a Panel Discussion about the importance of Race-Based Data Collection in Ontario.
Date: Wednesday, May 31, 2023 Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Venue: Virtual/Zoom Cost: none
To register: https://osrp.ca/event-5279392
Feel free to bring your own lunch and enjoy it during the session.
This Lunch & Learn is open to all OSRP members and the community. Please feel free to invite your peers, colleagues, and community to join in this exceptional learning and unlearning event.
Confirmed panelists:
This is an opportunity for you to learn more about OSRP's new initiative designed to reduce barriers like systemic inequities resulting from anti-Black racism and other systems of oppression, that perpetuate the lack of equitable representation in Psychotherapy in Ontario.
Rajni Sharma, RP, a Ph.D. candidate in Community Psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University, a practicing Art Therapist and Psychotherapist, is conducting a Ph.D. research study on how to address racial trauma in therapy. She will share the study with the OSRP to help better shape our programming.
“I am inviting you to participate in a research study entitled Addressing Racial Trauma in Psychotherapy by completing an online survey. The purpose of this survey is to understand how much we know and understand on the topics of racial trauma, as psychotherapists. A vast sample of practicing psychotherapists (18+ years of age) from across Ontario are being invited to complete this online survey…
This survey should take approximately 10-15 minutes. There are no wrong answers. This is an opportunity to identify gaps in training and practices that support the experiences of racialized (visible people of colour) communities. Your honesty, feedback and participation in this survey is highly valued. Your answers will remain anonymous.
To participate, you must be:
18+ years of age
Registered or qualified psychotherapist
Practise in Ontario
Participants in the survey are eligible for a chance to win one $50 Starbucks e-gift card.
Are you able to fill out the following consent form and survey (or direct link: https://wlu.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bq6fHqBxcwfV0Ds)?
If helpful, I or my supervisor, Dr. Melody Norton Ninomiya at mmortonninomiya@wlu.ca, are here to answer any questions or provide additional information about this process. This project has been reviewed and approved by the University Research Ethics Board (REB#8524).
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Rajni Sharma (pronouns: she/her), MACP, RP PhD Candidate | Community Psychology
Lab Coordinator, Interdisciplinary & Indigenous Pathways to Wellness
Wilfrid Laurier University
Waterloo, ON, Canada
I acknowledge that I am on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron (Neutral), Anishnaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Learn more at https://www.lspirg.org/knowtheland/"
BREAKING NEWS: the CCPA-ACCP and the Tax Free Therapy Coalition have released a statement in both official languages – please click HERE for more. It’s obvious to everyone that your letters to MPs are making a difference.
And now there’s a video making a difference too!
OSRP Advocacy Committee member extraordinaire Daniel Farb, RP, created and narrated this entertaining and informative piece on the GST/HST exemption issue.
It’s the video you didn’t know you needed!
Please post and share widely. (The link is also on the OSRP website “Advocacy Corner.”)
As reported HERE in the March 28th Central, and ongoing since then, several MPs and their staff have advised that their offices have been flooded with GST/HST exemption letters.
The newly-merged Advocacy Committee + HST Task Force met April 14, and brought renewed energy to meeting with politicians and decision-makers, now that we are all fully briefed on this important issue.
Write to your MP AGAIN, cc-ing the Minister of Finance chrystia.freeland@parl.gc.ca. Call on government to take action now that three parties, including the Finance Committee, have advocated for GST/HST exemption for all mental health professionals
Consider asking for a meeting with your MP. A member of the Advocacy Committee can join you. If your MP is interested in meeting, let us know at advocacy@psychotherapyontario.org
Ask your colleagues and friends to write to their MPs
Consider writing a letter to the editor of your local paper, as this person did
Join the Advocacy Committee - click HERE.
Read our updates - visit our webpage ADVOCACY CORNER.
Stepping up our work with partners (CCPA, PRPA, Impact etc.) on behalf of our members, to amplify our voices
Continue to call on the Federal Government to take action now that three parties have expressed support
Setting up more meetings with decision-makers
Stay tuned for a survey drafted by OSRP for all PRPA and CCPA members to learn more about rates for psychotherapy/counselling therapy in Canada, and how our rate-setting is affected by GST/HST
Important actions and meetings are arising from your activism, and we will keep you informed of all new developments.
The CRPO has posted five new practice CBA questions here, in addition to the five previously available: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y527JZ9. They have also added more detailed explanations for each option, to better explain the rationale behind the ranking.
They have also highlighted key resources for CBA prep, or simply to help all registrants understand the standards, and how to apply them to your practice.
These resources have been shared with all PRPA member associations, including the OSRP. Click HERE for two key documents.
The “COMPETENCY-BASED CASE STUDY WORKBOOK for ENTRY-TO-PRACTICE PSYCHOTHERAPISTS” was developed with a company called Compass which developed the Exam for non-grandparented RP(Q)s and RPs to take. The workbook is also helpful to review, or read for the first time, when approaching the CBA.
So is this document exclusively available to members of The Partnership of Registered Psychotherapist Associations (PRPA) of which the OSRP is a dues-paying and Voting Member:
“PRPA Study Notes, For the May 2023 QAEP-CBA Sitting: An Assessment of Our Knowledge as Good Enough Therapists & Helpful Hints on How to Do the Ranking”
Each month, the OSRP will highlight more key Practice Review documents that may be useful to members sitting for CBA, or simply for those of us wanting the opportunity to review.
L to r: Shanique Victoria Edwards B.Sc., M.Div.(c), Dr. Oren Gozlan, Dr. Chase Everett McMurren
Have you ever wondered how equipped you are to work with clients from a multiplicity of backgrounds, histories and lived experiences? So have we.
That’s why the OSRP Protect Subcommittee brought together three expert panellists with unexpected and unorthodox approaches, who so delighted us when we heard them speak individually elsewhere, to join each other and us for this Roundtable discussion. This inclusive space will allow for true conversation in a spirit of mutual respect in a desire to better understand.
Just in time for Pride Month and National Indigenous History Month!
And we heard you, so the Subcommittee is allowing much more time for members’ questions, discussion and sharing at this second PS: Protect Seminar with our eminent guests.
Here’s a link to a webcast interview (transcript included) with one of our esteemed speakers, just to give you a sense of how creatively they can approach this topic: CPSO invu Dr. Chase Everett McMurren
AN INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL COMPETENCY: WHAT IS IT?
Date: Thursday, June 15, 2023 Time: 11:00 AM-1:00 PM ET Location: Central YMCA, 20 Grosvenor St, Toronto (Grosvenor Room) and online via Zoom
No!
You still have a chance to buy a PS: Protect Seminars Flex Pass for $75 + HST.
This member-only benefit gives you access to the April 6 video, PowerPoint and other valuable materials from this event, allows you to attend the June 15 event at 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., or get the video and material afterwards…and the next three seminars!
The OSRP Board wants all members to have access to this incredible “Risk Mitigation” session. It’s a must-watch for your practice.
And we know the “Cultural Competency” June 15 roundtable will be memorable, fascinating, and eye-opening.
So a $2,000+ legal consult + CBA Prep Session + A Cultural Competency Supervision Session – all for the cost of:
$20 per session, or
$75 for all five seminars – whether you attend in person, online, or simply receive all materials sent to your inbox.
“It’s the deal of the century,” as one satisfied member told us.
***Flex Pass – availability extended to JUNE 1***
Click HERE for more information & to register.
Protect yourself with five seminars offered throughout 2023. Starting with CRPO QA, take a dive deep into culture, sexuality, our cyber world, and then land with you. Yes, you.
Can’t wait to see you, virtually or in person.
Registration is open! Flex Pass available till June 1, 2023.
Also - did you know that the OSRP has launched the second edition of its BIPOC Bursary Program?
See our HOME PAGE for details on how you can donate to help a fellow OSRP member, or someone who wants to join!
Or simply CLICK HERE TO DONATE
Have you considered becoming more involved in OSRP leadership around Advocacy, Professional Development, and more?
Are you Board-Curious?
Or Committee-Intrigued?
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with your friendly neighbourhood Nomination Committee at nomination@psychotherapyontario.org and we can help pair your talents and enthusiasm to work that needs to be done to advance our profession and our Society.
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