Ontario Coalition of Mental Health Professionals Information Bulletin
October 2010
By Sandi Deschambault

The Coalition continues to be a vibrant and necessary advocate for the process of regulating psychotherapy in Ontario.
My position within the Steering Committee has changed as of our AGM in September of this year. I now hold the position of Secretary for the committee and continue as well to represent OATA as a representative for the main body. This position will continue to be shared with Karen Gingrich.

At our most recent Coalition meeting held on September 25th in Toronto we were delighted to hear from the Chair of the Transitional Council, Joyce Rowlands. She provided us with an update on some recent draft work of the two committees (professional practices and registration). If you are interested in viewing the draft work of the committees I would be happy to forward a copy to you and answer any questions related to the work if I can. Please contact me at my personal email address info@peacebyepeace.org

In addition, we welcomed an update from Hill and Knowlton (our consultants who work on behalf of the Coalition and do the “heavy lifting” in the advocacy work)regarding activities of the past year and future directions. These include:

• Continuing to engage the Transitional Council and government with goal of ensuring diversity of therapeutic approaches for inclusion in the college
• Ensure that the two titles protected under the college have access to the Controlled Act of Psychotherapy and that specialty titles will be a consideration
• Continue to monitor the Mental Health Strategy for Ontario and look for opportunities to engage and influence the direction of the government’s strategy to include psychotherapy and counselling as part of the solution for Ontario health consumers

Long-term goals also include the investigation into the process of seeking private insurance reimbursement for members of the college once regulation is completed. This may include presentations and or forums with employers, private insurance companies, unions regarding the benefits of psychotherapy/counselling coverage for their members.
The college will not likely be up and running until the latter part of 2012. Once again I am encouraging each and every one of you to educate yourselves and remain abreast of the process as it unfolds. It is important to remember that membership to the OATA does not ensure admission to the college as each applicant will be considered on their own merits. However it has been suggested that being a  member of a self-regulated body such as the OATA is important. The Coalition will continue to advocate for the inclusion of a wide range of practitioners to the college and you can be assured that we as an organization have a strong voice for art therapy.

Once again, if you have any question, please do not hesitate to contact Karen of myself.

Ontario Coalition of Mental Health Professionals Informational Bulletin

www.mentalhealthcoalition.com

2010. The Transitional Council is in place! As of November 2009, members were appointed and they held their first meeting. At that meeting, the Registrar for the College of Psychotherapists and Registered Mental Health Professionals, Joyce Rowlands presented the draft work plan for the Transitional Council.

The Transitional Council will have three years to complete its work at which time the College will be ready to accept members. Up to that time the Coalition plans to remain active in supporting the work of the Transitional Council and will continue to utilize the support of the lobbyists we have enlisted. Hill and Knowlton have been retained by the Coalition to ensure that the lines of communication remain open and transparent throughout this process. They are assisting the Coalition to facilitate key messages and information to the government and to the Transitional Council. The common goal is to establish a College that not only meets the needs of its potential members, but equally important the public at large.

There are two committees that have been formed within the Transitional Council. The first is the Registration committee and the second is the Professional Practice committee. It has been suggested by the Steering Committee that, as the work of these committees unfolds, it may be prudent to collect input from the member associations and be prepared to advocate for specific needs. This may be done by forming parallel committees within our own associations (Registration and Professional Practice task groups), that will parallel the work of the Transitional Council and provide a forum for discussion and input.

Paramount to the success of an inclusive and multi-dimensional college is the education and engagement of its potential members. It will be important for art therapists to remain current to the developments of the College and to advocate for the issues that support our unique representation within its membership.

Prepared by Sandi Deschambault, Member at Large, Coalition Steering Committee.

Ontario Coalition of Mental Health Professionals Informational Bulletin

On May 11, 2009 the Ontario government introduced Bill 179 in the provincial parliament. The new legislation, entitled the Regulated Health Professions Statute Law Amendment Act, 2009, proposes several changes affecting a number of professional groups and will also have an impact on the regulation of the practice of psychotherapy.

Specifically, the bill proposes that:

1) The Psychotherapy Act, 2007 be amended so that the protected title “psychotherapist” is replaced with the title “Registered Psychotherapist”. The new title “Registered Psychotherapist” would only be available to those practicing under the College of Psychotherapists and Registered Mental Health Therapists of Ontario

2) Members of the five other Colleges who share the controlled act of psychotherapy will be entitled to refer to themselves as psychotherapist – but only within the context of also communicating their own college or professional designation. In any written communication those members must communicate their full name and college membership or professional designation prior to referring to themselves as a psychotherapist. For example, a nurse practicing psychotherapy could refer to himself on a business card or sign as John Smith, College of Nurse of Ontario, psychotherapist.

3) The mandate of the College of Psychotherapists and Registered Mental Health Therapists of Ontario is amended to include developing, “in collaboration and consultation with other Colleges, standards of knowledge, skill and judgment relating to the performance of controlled acts common among health professions to enhance inter-professional collaboration, while respecting the unique character of individual health professions and their members”. This change reflects the government’s desire to see the College play a role in setting standards related to the controlled act of psychotherapy which is shared across several professions.

The Ontario Coalition of Mental Health Professionals has remained alert about the activity within the Ministry of Health and has been engaged with the Ministry of Health and the Registrar of the Transitional Council of the College of Psychotherapists and Registered Mental Health Therapists of Ontario throughout the process informing the development of the legislation. The Coalition Steering Committee met with our consultants (Hill & Knowlton) and reviewed the proposed amendments and our initial assessment is that the proposed Bill strikes a good balance between protecting the public of Ontario , ensuring access to psychotherapy services and promoting inter-professional collaboration.

An important reminder that as the legislative process unfolds there will be ample opportunity for Coalition members to provide input with respects to the Bill – especially through the legislative standing committee review. It is anticipated that there will be numerous amendments to the legislation given its vast size and scope. It will be important for Coalition members to remain vigilant as the legislative process unfolds to ensure that the government continues to adhere to a policy consistent with the core principles of Psychotherapy Act of 2007.

We will keep you informed of further developments.

Naseema Siddiqui, M.A. (C) OACCPP
Chair, Ontario Coalition of Mental Health Professionals

Recommended Readings
November 2005 - Coalition Submission to HPRAC

Executive Summary of May 19, 2006 HPRAC Report
June 30, 2006 - Coalition Response to May 19, 2006 HPRAC Report
Position Paper of the OATA on the proposed changes to the Regulated Health Professions Act: Position Paper

Glossary of Terms

HPRAC = Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council
HPRAC provides independent policy advice to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care on matters related to the regulation of health professions in Ontario.

The Advisory Council consists of a maximum of seven members, headed by a Chair. Members are appointed by the Lieutenant Governor on the recommendation of the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care and are selected to provide breadth of expertise and experience as well as to reflect the geographical and cultural diversity of the province.

HPRAC's process is open, accessible and accountable. Before making recommendations to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, input is sought from a variety of sources including the public, interest groups, health professionals, health professional regulatory colleges and associations. Depending on the nature of the project, a variety of channels are used including written submissions, public hearings, focus groups, and community meetings.

The Ontario Coalition of Mental Health Professionals is one of the interest groups HPRAC consulted before making their recommendations.
Website: www.hprac.org

The Ontario Coalition of Mental Health Professionals (The Coalition)
The Coalition is an umbrella organization whose members are professional associations, like the OATA, in the field of mental health. The Coalition was formed to address the issue of regulating counselling and psychotherapy in Ontario.

The Coalition is an organization of like-minded partners dedicated to the recognition of the counselling and the psychotherapy professions in Ontario. In fulfilling its mandate, the Coalition promotes the development of policies and practices for the provision of accessible, competent, and accountable counselling and psychotherapy services throughout the human lifespan in a manner sensitive to the pluralistic nature of society.

The Coalition has been paramount in making recommendation to HPRAC on the issue of regulating counselling and psychotherapy in Ontario.
Website: www.mentalhealthcoalition.ca

RHPA = Regulated Health Professions Act
Legislative Act regulating 23 health professions, including physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners and psychologists. Establishes regulatory bodies to govern and hold professionals accountable.

Judith Ramirez
A Consultant hired by the Ontario Coalition of Mental Health Professionals to liaise with HPRAC and the Government on behalf of the coalition.

Brief History and Recent Actions of the Coalition of Mental Health Professionals (The Coalition):

2005: The Minister of Health asked HPRAC to advise him by March 2006 on:

1.1. "Whether psychotherapy should be an additional controlled act under the RHPA (Regulated Health Professions Act) and if so, which regulated professions should have psychotherapy in their scope of practice and how should standards be set and measured.
2.2. Whether psychotherapists should be regulated under the RHPA as a profession, what their scope of practice should be and what controlled acts they should be authorized to perform as well as any protected titles, and whether it is appropriate that psychotherapists be regulated under an existing profession specific act."

2005: HPRAC held a series of consultations throughout Ontario in September and October 2005. The Ontario Coalition presented at the Consultation in Toronto. The Coalition followed this with a written brief which was submitted to HPRAC on November 14, 2005. The Coalition supported the notion that Psychotherapy and Counselling should be regulated but should not be regulated as a Controlled Act.

2005-2006: From November 2005 to April 2006 HPRAC reviewed all submissions and formulated their report.

2006: HPRAC submitted its report to the Minister of Health on April 27, 2006.

2006: The HPRAC report was publicly released on May 19, 2006. The report was entitled 'New Directions'.

The report recommends the regulation of Psychotherapy using an Enforceable Scope of Practice. The report also narrowly defines Counselling and does not recommend its regulation.

2006: The Ontario Coalition met on June 17, 2006 to formulate its response to the HPRAC report. This response was submitted to the Minister of Health on June 30, 2006.

2007 - 2008: Passage of Bill 171 – What’s Next? By Beth Merriam

With the recent unanimous vote in the Ontario Legislature and passage of the Psychotherapy Act, Bill 171, many of you are wondering what is next and how this will influence the practice of Art therapy in Ontario.

The Ontario Coalition of Mental Health Professionals, of which OATA is a long-standing member, made a significant contribution to the passage of this bill with two successful lobbying efforts, in September 2006 and April 2007. The honorable George Smitherman, minister of Health, has acknowledged the Coalition as a major stakeholder in the next critical phase, the formation of a transitional council whose responsibility it will be to form the regulatory body, known as the “College of Psychotherapists and Regulated Mental Health Therapists”.

The work of the Coalition and OATA is not over! The Transitional Council will have the power to impact on the future of art therapy in Ontario and we must be ready to shape the thinking of the transitional council by continuing to provide our input. The individuals who are selected to sit on the council will be making important decisions regarding the distinction between psychotherapist and regulated mental health therapist and determining who will be able to become a member of the College and which members will be able to practice psychotherapy. An important issue for OATA will be the creation of specialty sub-titles, such as “art therapist” that will recognize our specific training and skills. This will be strategic in allowing us to maintain our professional identity as art therapists and thrive under the much larger umbrella of a College.

The current government is preparing for an election and the appointment of a council is not a priority, however, it is likely that the selection process will be complete by the end of this year. Two OATA members, Evelyn Keep and Teressa Micheienzi, have expressed their intention to apply for council membership. Usually six to nine people are selected to sit on a council and the process of forming a regulatory college can take anywhere from 2-3 years.

As public and employer awareness increase over the next few years, it will be more difficult to practice as an art therapist without being registered in the College. To qualify for membership in the College you will likely need minimal academic standing, which is yet to be determined. One possible scenario is that a master’s degree will be necessary to have access to “psychotherapy” in your practice. A regulated Mental Health Therapist might be someone with an undergraduate degree or graduate diploma.

It is not the government’s intention to eliminate from College membership, those professionals who may not have the academic credentials but have been practicing psychotherapy as a member of an unregulated body such as OATA. The transitional council will likely discuss grand parenting, which is a process to allow people without the necessary credentials, but accumulated experience, to become members of a College.

There is no need for OATA members to panic but this is not the time to be complacent either, because entry criteria to the College and grandparenting have yet to be discussed and determined. In the meantime, become a registered member of OATA or another self-regulatory body in Ontario if you aren’t already. Continue to support the Ontario Coalition of Mental Health professionals. This organization will have some clout in the decisions and policies that the Transitional council makes.