Peer Circles

Are you looking for meaningful professional development that is tailored to you helping you:

- understand your obligations as a mental health professional in Ontario?
- develop more familiarity with informed consent, particularly in complex cases?
- make connections with other mental health professionals?

Informed consent is an important legal concept in health care and is set out in the Health Care Consent Act, 1996. In general, practitioners are required to obtain informed consent for any intervention of a therapeutic, diagnostic, preventive, palliative or other health-related purpose. Practitioners must ensure that clients receive relevant information, including information about possible risks or adverse effects and other treatment options, in order for consent to be considered informed. Cases that involve children, contentious custody issues, couple and family groupings, court proceedings, third-party reports or the need to disclose information to prevent harm can add to the complexity of the informed consent process.

As a group-based learning experience, peer circles will bring mental health professionals together for a deep, collaborative exchange of knowledge to support complex decision-making within Ontario’s legal and regulatory framework.

Those who attend Peer Circle events will:

  • participate in collaborative learning with other mental health professionals
  • analyze practice scenarios by applying an ethical decision-making framework
  • be better able to make judgement about how to meet the standards of practice related to consent, confidentiality and information sharing

CRPO has partnered with OAMHP to offer mental health professionals an opportunity to work with a trained peer facilitator to discuss and learn about informed consent in a safe, supported way.

OAMHP is pleased to be offering Peer Circle sessions this year led by 6 amazing facilitators.

Sessions

Stay tuned for the next available session.

Facilitators:

Katharine De Santos Peer Circles Photo

Katharine De Santos

Katharine De Santos is a Registered Psychotherapist in Toronto with over 20 years of experience treating adults with various clinical symptoms and concerns including: depression, anxiety, trauma, relationships, substance use/addiction issues and eating disorders in Canada and the United States.  She maintains an active engagement in Ontario’s psychotherapeutic community as a Board Director for the Ontario Association of Mental Health Professionals (OAMHP) and as Chair of the Ethics and Conduct committee at the OAMHP.  As a compassionate and understanding therapist, she encourages self-discovery, self-acceptance and provides a positive space to heal and grow.

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Laure-Marie Carignan

Laure-Marie Carignan, PhD, RP, T.C.F./R.C.F.T., has maintained a clinical practice for over 25 years in direct intervention and clinical supervision and training within community service agencies in the national capital region. She is a Post-Doctoral Fellow and part-time professor at Saint-Paul University, teaching psychotherapy and couple and family intervention skills, psycho-spiritual development of children and adolescents, couple and family development, ethics, and relational and clinical implications of neurodiversity. Her current research relates to the psychological impact of climate change. Laure-Marie has been active with CRPO as a quality assurance case writer and peer circle facilitator. She has also been active with OAMHP, facilitating a peer support group for supervisors, presenting a workshop on neurodiversity at the 1st OAMHP Annual Conference, and facilitating a number of peer circle on ethical issues.

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Elizabeth Scarlett

Elizabeth Scarlett has worked in the mental health field for nearly 20 years, specializing in concurrent disorders, complex trauma and suicide intervention in a wide range of settings. Through her work as a clinical supervisor, CRPO trained peer circle facilitator, CRPO practice advisor, and workshop presenter, Elizabeth is committed to providing a collaborative, open and encouraging environment to support the development of mental health professionals at all stages in their career.

OACCPP Photo 17 Linkedin

Jane Alway

Jane Alway is an RP with a private practice in York Region who also has experience working within clinics and agencies. She has been a board member of the OAMHP since 2013 and has served as Chair of the Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee, the Governance and Risk Management Committee and as President; she currently serves as the Past-President and Chair of the Nominations Committee for OAMHP.

Terri Headshot

Terri Roberton

Terri Roberton, RP, has 15 years experience as an Expressive Arts Therapist in private practice and works alongside clients with concurrent disorders through agencies in the downtown eastside. She was on the original executive, 2009, and is a 3 term ex-officio president of the Ontario Expressive Arts Therapy Association (OEATA) where she continues to sit on the Governance and Ethics Committees.  She researched and co-shaped the OEATA Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. Terri represents OEATA at the Partnership of Registered Psychotherapist Associations. She has been a member of OAMHP since 2009."

For more information about this program, email services-coordinator@oamhp.ca