"Thriving in the Mental Health Landscape: A Symposium for Ontario Practitioners"
You Asked. We Heard. We Listened.
We’re excited to announce a significant change to our annual gathering! Listening to your feedback, we discovered that you prefer shorter, online workshops and on-demand courses, with a focus on ethics, standards, and navigating regulatory processes. We’ve also heard your requests for more live-streaming options, affordability and accessibility. Taking your feedback to heart – as well as your needs as mental health professionals – we have decided to shift from our traditional multi-day conference to a dynamic one-day symposium: "Thriving in the Mental Health Landscape: A Symposium for Ontario Practitioners," where we tackle the pressing question: What does it truly mean to be a mental health professional in Ontario today?
In Person & Live-Streamed!
Agenda
8:00am Breakfast & check-in
9:00am Navigating Change: Thriving as a Mental Health Practitioner in the Digital Age
10:00am Sustainable therapy: Preventing burnout through self-preservation and schedule management
11:00am Break
11:15am Financial Planning for Mental Health Professionals
12:15pm Lunch
1:15pm Standards of practice and ethical decision making
2:15pm Break
2:30pm Regulatory Colleges Updates: Breakout Groups
3:30pm Wrap-up
4:00pm Annual General Meeting
5:30pm President's Reception
7:00pm Event ends
Symposium Sponsor
Sessions & Speakers
Stephanie Tenhaeff, RP, BCC
Navigating Change: Thriving as a Mental Health Practitioner in the Digital Age
As therapists, we’ve faced significant challenges, like adapting to the demands of the pandemic, which tested our ability to connect and support our clients. With Artificial Intelligence (AI) becoming increasingly relevant in our field, it’s essential to build resilience personally and professionally. By staying adaptable and grounded in our core therapeutic skills, we can effectively navigate these new changes while continuing to offer the support our clients need. Drawing on her experience and knowledge of resilience as a psychotherapist and health and wellness coach, Stephanie will share strategies to help you build a resilience toolkit, helping you continue to thrive in your practice amidst technological change.
Learning Objectives: Gain actionable strategies for developing resilience, incorporating knowledge of neuroscience and positive psychology to navigate technological changes effectively.
Understand Standards of Practice: Learn how to maintain the integrity of the therapeutic relationship while adapting to new demands, ensuring alignment with professional and ethical standards.
Application in Professional Contexts: Explore practical strategies for incorporating resilience into your therapeutic practice, helping you navigate the evolving landscape without compromising your core competencies.
Pending Updates and Future Directions: Stay informed on the future implications of AI in mental health care and beyond and learn how to continuously update your skills to remain resilient and effective in your practice.
Raechel Pefanis, MSW, RSW, ICF Certified Coach
Sustainable Therapy: Burnout Prevention Using an IFS Approach
In this session, Burnout Prevention for Therapists Using an IFS Approach, Raechel Pefanis, an experienced IFS practitioner, focuses on debunking common myths around burnout, emphasizing that burnout is not just about self-care or overworking, but is instead rooted in organizational and environmental factors. Raechel will guide participants through understanding burnout from an Internal Family Systems (IFS) perspective, identifying different "parts" within us that contribute to burnout, and offering strategies for sustainable therapy practices. Participants will also engage in practical exercises to connect with their inner selves, recognize signs of burnout, and learn how to manage them effectively.
This session will be valuable to members of the OAMHP as it not only addresses a critical issue facing many mental health professionals—burnout—but also provides tools and frameworks that can be applied both personally and professionally.
Alexandra Stadnyk
Financial Planning Essentials for Mental Health Professionals
This workshop will provide an overview of the critical aspects of financial planning tailored to mental health professionals. We will have three main areas of focus:
- An Overview: the building blocks for comprehensive financial planning, given the unique challenges faced by private practice practitioners.
- Significance of estate planning: what is estate planning, what it entails and how it fits into your overall plan.
- Practical tools: Lastly, we will discuss the integration of financial tools like investments, registered accounts, and estate tools to help you achieve your financial goals.
Stephen Douglas, RP
Standards of Practice: A Living Document Guide to Ethical Best Practices
This workshop will explore the current Standards of Practice, their relationship to the Code of Ethics, and how they can be applied in various professional contexts. Attendees will learn how to use the Standards for self-reflection, peer consultation, clinical supervision, meeting CRPO registration requirements, and ongoing continuing education (e.g., Peer Circles). The session will also discuss pending updates to the Standards, including cross-references to CRPO Standards and adjustments for societal changes in technology, equity, and inclusion. The workshop will conclude with a Q&A session.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand Standards of Practice: Gain an overview of the current Standards and their connection to the Code of Ethics.
- Application in Professional Contexts: Learn how to apply the Standards for self-reflection, peer consultation, clinical supervision, and meeting CRPO registration requirements.
- Pending Updates and Future Directions: Explore upcoming updates to the Standards, including societal changes and progress in technology, equity, and inclusion.
CRPO, CPBAO, OCSWSSW
Regulatory Colleges - Breakout Sessions
Meet with Representatives from Your Regulatory College at OAMHP’s Symposium
OAMHP is pleased to announce that representatives from three Ontario regulatory colleges will again be coming to speak with OAMHP members and Symposium attendees. The College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO), the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO), and the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW) will present a topic of interest in a 1-hour presentation and Q&A.
These talks will give you the chance to connect with the college and ask questions that will help you better understand the role of the college and how it can support you in your work.
Speakers:
- CPBAO: Barry Gang, MBA, Dip.C.S., C.Psych. Assoc. Deputy Registrar & Director of Professional Affairs
- CRPO: Deborah Adams Registrar and CEO
- OCSWSSW: Sue Botelho, MSW, RSW Professional Practice Associate
Learning Objectives:
- Understand Standards of Practice: Gain an overview of the current Standards and their connection to the Code of Ethics.
- Application in Professional Contexts: Learn how to apply the Standards for self-reflection, peer consultation, clinical supervision, and meeting CRPO registration requirements.
- Pending Updates and Future Directions: Explore upcoming updates to the Standards, including societal changes and progress in technology, equity, and inclusion.
2024 Annual General Meeting
The OAMHP’s Annual General Meeting will be held in hybrid format following the 2024 Symposium on September 19th at 4:00PM. Members can attend in-person at the Ontario Bar Association or virtually via Zoom. Please register below to confirm your attendance!
If you have already registered for the Symposium and indicated you will attend the AGM, you don’t need to register again here.
(Registration button)
Can't Attend? Complete a Proxy!
Can’t attend? Please complete a proxy!
**Please note that pre-registration for the AGM is required and changes in attendee format (in-person to virtual or vice versa) must be made a minimum of 24 hours in advance.**
Date: September 19, 2024 (Symposium 8:00am-4:00pm)
Location: 20 Toronto Street, 2nd Floor Toronto (Ontario Bar Association)
Please note that the Annual General Meeting and a President’s reception will follow the symposium. This event is scheduled to end at around 7:30pm.
Accommodations
One King West Hotel
As we prepare for the symposium, we want to ensure that attendees have options for accommodations. While our preferred rate has closed, many participants are staying at One King West. This location provides a convenient option for those attending the event and offers a comfortable stay in close proximity to the symposium venue.
