Members of the OAMHP are governed by our Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice regulation. For further clarification, we've also outlined documentation pertaining to what we consider an accredited institution for the purposes of applying for membership; as well as, supervisory requirements to participate in the liability insurance program we offer.

This section also outlines federal and provincial laws that mental health professionals must be aware of and follow.

OAMHP Policies

Privacy Legislation

Every OAMHP member who is in independent practice should be aware of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and the Health Care Consent Act. Everyone who has a private, independent practice will need to have the following documents on file:

A full privacy policy, and an appointed privacy officer (usually the practitioner herself or himself);
A brochure or outline of the information contained in this document which is to be handed out to clients. This information needs to on to them in "user-friendly" language; and.
A confidentiality agreement, signed by the client, indicating that they have read, understood and have agreed to the contents.

If you are in independent practice and employ staff or hire consultants, you must have similar such documents for them as well.

If you work for an agency, an EAP provider, a community health centre, or a similar organization, it is likely that the organization has its own privacy policy in place. You should check to make sure you are aware of the contents, and that the clients you are seeing on their behalf have access to an information brochure.

There are ten principles contained in this legislation and you need to be able to document how you are responding to each principle.

Your client brochure should also contain an explanation of the Federal government's position with respect to businesses (in this case, practices) conducting commercial activities, and point out how you are responding to PIPEDA to ensure the confidentiality and privacy of your clients and your staff.

Applicable Canadian privacy legislation has been in place since January 1, 2004. As a mental health professional, it is essential that you have a privacy policy in place that includes:

A user-friendly client brochure; and,
A confidentiality agreement.

For more information, please view The Privacy Tool Kit created by the Privacy Commission.

Code of Ethics

Standards of Practice

Privacy Policy

By-law Documentation

Email Broadcast Policy

Accredited Institutions Criteria

Our Association will consider any academic credentials obtained from an accredited post-secondary institution in Canada and the U.S.

'Accredited' for purposes of admissions signifies that the program or institution is:

1) Recognized at the Provincial level by the relevant ministry of training as a degree-granting institution (ie Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities) or;

2) Listed in the U.S. Department of Education Accreditation database

3) Canada-wide accredited schools (see the list here)

Additionally, the online Masters in Counselling Psychology programs at Yorkville University and Athabasca University also meet our criteria for accredited institutions eligible for admissions. Graduates of programs from any of the above institutions can be considered for membership with the OAMHP.

For credentials obtained outside of Canada and the U.S., any degrees received overseas (and relevant to your practice as a mental health professional) must be evaluated by an equivalency service for consideration in the admissions process. The three services that we recognize (at the suggestion of the Government of Ontario) are:

After we have received an equivalency report on your credentials we will be able to determine what, if any, type of membership we can offer to you. The OAMHP needs only the document-by-document report; we do not need the course-by-course report.

Supervision Policies

Affiliate and Student members must be supervised by an eligible supervisor to access the OAMHP Professional Liability Insurance through McFarlan Rowlands.

Supervision for insurance purposes denotes a formally established relationship of consultation with a senior/regulated mental health services provider in the event a member should meet a practice issue beyond their expertise.

	SUPERVISOR CRITERIA
OAMHP Member with Certified Designation	General member who has completed the OAMHP Certification process, i.e., an active member who has the letter ‘C’ in their Member ID (#1234-1234C)
Active Registration with Regulatory Body	Supervisor that is a qualified registrant of a regulatory mental health college in Canada (qualified to supervise):
	SUPERVISORY LETTER CONTENT
Your letter must contain:	Supervisor’s Full Name OAMHP Member ID (if applicable) Regulatory Body Registration Number Current Date 2-3 sentences describing the supervision arrangement Supervisor’s signature Supervisor’s contact Information
	SUBMISSION PROCESS
Submit a copy of your letter:	Scan and email to membership@oamhp.ca Fax to 416-298-9593 Mail to 164 Eglinton Ave E., Suite 208, Toronto, ON M4P 1H4

Resources

Proclamation of the Controlled Act of Psychotherapy

Legislative changes concerning psychotherapy were proclaimed into force on December 30th, 2017. These developments affect those who practise psychotherapy and/or those who wish to use the title “psychotherapist”.

On April 1, 2015, the government proclaimed into force the provisions of the Psychotherapy Act which created the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO).

What does this mean for you?

As of December 31st, 2019, the performance of the controlled act of psychotherapy is restricted to members of the following regulatory colleges:

Not Sure if You're Performing the Controlled Act of Psychotherapy?

If you're uncertain whether the work you do falls within the controlled act of psychotherapy, the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) offers a helpful decision-making tool to guide you. This short, step-by-step tool is designed to help practitioners assess whether their current role or practice involves elements of the controlled act—and whether they may be required to apply for registration with CRPO.

Visit CRPO’s tool here: Do I Need to Apply? – CRPO

This resource is especially helpful for supervisors, students, and professionals working in adjacent roles who want to better understand how their work fits within Ontario’s regulatory framework.

Information About Professional Regulation

In Canada, the regulation of trades and professions is done at the provincial level. The typical model for professions is self-regulation. Self-regulation refers to an approach or system where regulatory powers are delegated (in the case of the CRPO, through the Regulated Health Professions Act by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care) to a body that is comprised of members of the profession and that has the responsibility of protecting the public’s right to safe, effective and ethical health care.

Learn more!

Registration with CRPO

This video is a quick and easy way for new registrants to get oriented to their obligations and timelines once they've joined CRPO.

Click Here

Registered Psychotherapists Insurance Committee (RPIC)

Helping RPs gain inclusion in third-party benefits!

The OAMHP is a key member of the Registered Psychotherapist Insurance Committee (RPIC), a joint committee dedicated to advancing third-party insurance coverage and recognition of RPs.

Click here for more information.

Associations and Directories

Mental Health Organizations & Associations

American Psychological Association
ACEP - Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology
Canadian Association for Integrative and Energy Therapies (CAIET)
Canadian Counselling Association
Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)
Canadian Mental Health Association - Ontario Division
Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Energy Medicine
Health Canada - Mental Health Site
Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario (LDAO)
The NADD
National Association of Psychometrists
National Association of Social Workers
Ontario Psychological Association
Rainbow Health Ontario
Schizophrenia Society of Canada

Research and Educational Resources

Research Sources

Canadian Institute for Health Information
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Dr. Michael Fenichel's Current Topics in Psychology
Free Mental Health and Addiction Resources by RehabCentre
Electronic Periodicals & Journals
Medical World Search - 100,000 Web pages from thousands of SELECTED medical sites
National Library of Medicine
Problem Gambling Project with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Mental Health Education

Continuing Education (a service of At Health.com)
Health Quality Ontario Standards
Psych Web
Trauma Information Pages
Toolkit for e-Mental Health Implementation (Mental Health Commission of Canada)
Mental Measurements Yearbook ($)
E-Mental Health

OAMHP

Policies & Resources

OAMHP Policies

Download Code of Ethics HERE

Download Standards of Practice HERE

Download the OAMHP Privacy Policy HERE

Below you'll find the OAMHP By-Laws, as voted upon and approved by the membership at the last Annual General Meeting.

Click Here to Access By-Laws

Read Email Broadcast Policy HERE