MANDATORY CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
DESCRIPTION AND EXPECTATIONS OF THE COLLEGE’S CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
This program affords members the opportunity to fulfill the mandatory requirements for continuing professional development (CPD) set out below through a combination of professional activities, along with participation in both formal and informal continuing education workshops and seminars. The CPD program is to be used in conjunction with the self- assessment which members are already required to conduct every two years, such that the CPD activities will directly address those areas identified for development in members’ CPD plans, as well as capture additional professional development activities undertaken over the course of the two-year reporting cycle.
EXPECTATIONS
- Continuing Professional Development shall be undertaken in activities related to: professional development; knowledge and skills in a member’s area(s) of practice; and legislation, professional standards and ethics.
- Continuing Professional Development shall be tracked on a two-year cycle.
- Continuing Professional Development shall be undertaken from a combination of activities in Section A – Professional Activities and Section B – Continuing Education Activities (see chart below). Any single activity may be used to fulfill only one of the minimum Continuing Professional Development requirements in either Section A or Section B and only to the maximums noted, per two-year cycle.
- A member shall obtain at least 50 credits of Continuing Professional Development every two years. In many cases, credits are equivalent to hours however there are some categories of Continuing Professional Development that are not “hourly”.
- In accumulating the required 50 credits of Continuing Professional Development every two years a member shall undertake a minimum of 10 credits from Section A – Professional Activities and a minimum of 10 credits from Section B – Continuing Education Activities. (See chart below.)
- To ensure maintenance of knowledge related to jurisprudence, a minimum of 10 credits of Continuing Professional Development activities undertaken shall pertain to legislation, professional standards and ethics related to the profession. These may be from either Section A or Section B or a combination of these.
- To avoid practices that may unfairly discriminate against, or would be experienced as oppressive by some individuals or groups, members must also ensure that a minimum of five credits address Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. These may be from either Section A or Section B or a combination of these.
DECLARATION OF COMPLETION
You must submit a Declaration of Completion at the end of your two-year CPD through your CPO Membership Account which is the College’s assurance and documentation that you have participated in the mandatory continuing education and professional development component of the Quality Assurance Program.
Unless specifically requested by the College, your Continuing Professional Development tracking records and supporting documentation do NOT need to be submitted but are to be retained in your files for a minimum of five years in accordance with O. Reg. 209/94: General. If you are randomly selected for a CPD Audit or other similar assessment by the Quality Assurance Committee following the end of your two-year cycle, you will be asked to provide these materials.
To learn more about CPD Declaration deadlines, please click here.
CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CHART
The requirements set out below refer to the minimum number of credits members are required to obtain over a two-year cycle. Maximums noted below refer only to the maximum number of credits one may use from each section to satisfy the overall requirements of the program. It is believed that most members will likely exceed the minimum requirements of the CPD program, and these requirements are not meant to discourage additional participation.
SECTION A – PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
(MINIMUM 10 CREDITS)
Members may record a maximum of 20 credits per category (A1, A2, A3…) with no more than 10 credits per single event or activity.
| A1 | — Professional Consultation /Interaction (1 hour = 1 credit) Examples: • Colloquia, attending invited speaker sessions, professional development meetings • Case conferences • Grand Rounds • Journal discussions with professional peers • Professional Listserv participation • Providing or receiving supervision or consultation • Subject of Peer Assisted Review (Voluntary or Required) • Mentorship or shadowing • Other similar activities that would enhance your professional practice with clients. May be undertaken in-person or via technology. — | |
| A2 | — (Preparation for) Teaching: (1 hour = 1 Credit, or 10 credits per semester course) Examples: • Preparing materials for teaching a university or community college course or guest lecture • Preparing a practicum course • Supervising student research — | |
| A3 | — (Preparation for) Delivering Workshops, Conferences and Presentations: (1 hour = 1 credit) Examples: • Developing materials for workshops, seminars, or other courses • Other similar activities — | |
| A4 | — Professional Writing, Reviewing, and Editing: (1 hour = 1 credit) Examples: • Professional or scientific paper • Book, chapter, journal relevant to psychology • Professional e‐ writing, (blogs, website posts) • Popular media where content is related to professional matters • Other similar activities Excludes reports and documentation prepared in the course of providing client care. — | |
| A5 | — Formal Research: (1 hour = 1 credit) Examples: Designing, implementing, collecting and analyzing research data — | |
| A6 | — College/Association Involvement: (1 hour= 1 credit) • Serving on College Council or Committee or Psychological Association Board or Committee • Serving as an Oral Examiner or Quality Assurance Committee Peer Assessor or Reviewer • Participation in College consultations — | |
| A7 | — Practice Outcome Monitoring: (1 hour = 1 credit) Examples: Assessing individual or group client outcomes using questionnaires or other formal outcome measures — | |
| A8 | — General Attendance at Conferences, Workshops, Seminars and Conventions: (1/2 day = 1 credit) Examples: Live events with educational content associated with the profession, examples listed in B1, below When participating in applicable live activities with other participants or professional peers, credits may be counted under both A8 and B1 or B2 categories. — |
SECTION B – CONTINUING EDUCATION ACTIVITIES
(MINIMUM 10 CREDITS)
Members may record a maximum of 20 credits per category (B1, B2, B3) with no more than 10 credits per single event or activity.
| B1 | — Programs/Courses/Workshops with content relevant to the practice of Psychology where formal CE credits are provided: (1 hour = 1 credit, or as provided by the accrediting organization) Examples: • Professionally relevant workshops, seminars, sessions • Professionally relevant programs, workshops or courses offered at an educational institute or professional or scientific meeting • Any structured program relevant to the practice of psychology would be acceptable CPO does not pre‐approve or endorse any specific CE programs; generally, appropriate CPD activities will have a structured agenda, learning objectives, attendance (either on‐site or online) and a specified number of required hours of attendance. Members are expected to use their own judgment in determining the appropriateness of specific CE crediting organizations. May be undertaken in person or via technology. — | |
| B2 | — Programs/Courses/Workshops with content relevant to the practice of Psychology whether or not formal CE credits are provided: (1 hour = 1 credit) Examples: • Barbara Wand Seminars. • Similar to activities listed in B1, but formal CE credits do not need to be provided by the organization for the activity to be applicable. This category can be used to record credits which may also be counted under B1 if the maximum for that category has been reached. — | |
| B3 | — Self Directed Learning: (1 hour = 1 credit) Examples: • Reading professional literature (journal articles, books, manuals for new tests and therapy tools, etc.) • Viewing archived webinars/podcasts related to professional activities • Other similar activities — |
Reference:
ASPPB Guidelines for Continuing Professional Development, as revised (2014), retrieved from:
https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.asppb.net/resource/resmgr/guidelines/revised_guidelines_for_cpd_2.pdf