Applicants who are not students or graduates of a CRPO recognized/accepted program must use the competencies mapping tool (available within the online application form) to demonstrate how their education and training can be considered substantially equivalent to a recognized program. The tool allows applicants to articulate how they have developed the knowledge, skill and judgment required for entry into the profession. The tool itself is accessible within a user’s CRPO account.
The Mapping Tool can take a significant amount of time to fill in. It requires applicants to contact the institution where they completed their psychotherapy program to obtain supporting documentation (i.e. course syllabi, details of clinical placements, etc.) if they do not already have the documentation listed in the Supporting Documents Checklist.
As of October 1, 2018, a $100 +HST fee was implemented for applicants who complete the competencies mapping tool. This fee is in addition to the $160 +HST application fee. Payment of both fees will be made as the last step in the application process in order to submit the application.
The mapping tool is based on the competencies described in the document Entry-to-Practice Competency Profile for Registered Psychotherapists. The competencies in the mapping tool are grouped into five main areas:
- Foundations
- Collegial and Inter-professional Relationships
- Professional Responsibilities
- Therapeutic Process
- Professional Literature and Applied Research
Within each grouping are 21 main competencies and several sub-competencies. In completing the mapping tool, applicants should focus on the 10 main competencies that will be the focus of review. They involve demonstrating how applicants:
- Integrate a theory of human psychological functioning and development.
- Work within a framework based upon an established psychotherapeutic theory.
- Integrate knowledge of comparative psychotherapy relevant to practice.
- Integrate awareness of self in relation to professional role.
- Integrate knowledge of human and cultural diversity in relation to psychotherapy practice.
- Engage in psychotherapy with clients and maintain a professional frame for therapy.
- Establish and maintain an effective therapeutic relationship.
- Apply safe and effective use of self in the therapeutic relationship.
- Conduct an appropriate risk assessment.
- Structure and facilitate the therapeutic process.
The other competencies in which applicants must demonstrate proficiency are:
- Use effective professional communication.
- Build and maintain effective relationships.
- Comply with legal and professional obligations.
- Apply ethical decision making.
- Maintain self-care and level of health necessary for responsible therapy.
- Obtain clinical supervision & consultation when necessary.
- Provide reports to third parties.
- Identify when and how to refer clients appropriately.
- Conduct an effective closure process to end a course of therapy appropriately.
- Access and apply a range of relevant professional literature.
- Use research findings to inform clinical practice.
The mapping tool consists of four parts:
- Detailed instructions on how to complete the online tool. These are provided at the start of the online mapping tool itself.
- Overview of education and training. The mapping tool asks applicants to describe, in their own words, how they obtained their education and training in psychotherapy. In responding, you should refer to all your programs in psychotherapy and any further education and training you have successfully completed. You should explain how each program and any other education and training contributed to your overall learning in psychotherapy. This section allows CRPO to form an overall understanding of how you have developed entry-to-practice competencies, and to assess whether various elements of your education and training may be regarded as substantially equivalent to a recognized program.
- Mapping learning activities to competency areas. This is the main part of the Mapping Tool where the 21 competencies are listed. Each competency is followed by two response fields:
- List Learning Activities and Describe How Each Enabled You to Develop this Competency. In this response field, you are asked to list each learning activity that supported you in developing a particular competency. Then, you are asked to describe in your own words how each learning activity enabled you to develop that competency. In your response, you should refer to the content and/or materials covered in the learning activity, the teaching/learning methodology employed and how student learning was evaluated. You may include the same learning activities under several competencies, but must relate the activity to the specific competency. You may also reference information included for other competencies rather than repeating the same information (e.g. “see response to competency 4.3”).
- Reference Supporting Documentation. In this response field, you should reference electronic/scanned descriptions for each learning activity you have listed.
- Identification of gaps. – Applicants are given an opportunity to identify and explain any gaps in their learning revealed through completion of the Mapping Tool, and to propose ways such gaps could be addressed. If gaps are minor and the applicant has shown awareness of them, the application may still be fully approved. Alternately, the application may be approved on the condition that the applicant completes further education and training either prior to or within a specified time period following issuance of their Certificate of Registration.
If gaps are numerous or significant, the application may be refused.