CPD Program Description

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

  1. 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.
  2. Continuing Professional Development shall be tracked on a two-year cycle.
  3. Continuing Professional Development shall be undertaken from a combination of activities in Category A – Professional Activities and Category B – Continuing Education Activities. [See attached Chart] Any single activity may be used to fulfill only one of the minimum Continuing Professional Development requirements in either Category A or Category B and only to the maximums noted, per two-year cycle.
  4. 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”.
  5. In accumulating the required 50 credits of Continuing Professional Development every two years a member shall undertake a minimum of 10 credits from Category A – Professional Activities and a minimum of 10 credits from Category B – Continuing Education Activities. (See attached chart.)
  6. 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 Category A or Category B or a combination of these.
  7. 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 Category A or Category B or a combination of these.
  8. At the end of each two-year cycle, the member shall attest to the completion of the required Continuing Professional Development in a manner required by the Committee. The member shall provide the Committee with documentation of the Continuing Professional Development undertaken and/or other related documentation, as the Committee may require and in the form required by the Committee.

Most practitioners currently acquire more than the number of credits required by the CPD program and the program is not meant to discourage this.

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CHART

An electronic tracking sheet allowing for easy tracking of CPD credits is available from the College.

The requirements set out below refer to the minimum number of credits members are required to obtain over a two-year cycle. It is believed that most members will likely exceed these requirements. 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.

SECTION A – PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
(MINIMUM 10 CREDITS)

A1
Professional Consultation /Interaction
1 hour = 1 credit, to a maximum of 20, with no more than 10 credits for any single activity or event
Examples:
• Colloquia, attending invited speaker sessions, professional development meetings
• Case conferences
• Grand Rounds
• Journal discussions with professional peers
• Interactive professional list serve participation
• Providing or receiving supervision or peer consultation
• Being Peer Reviewed (either having been required or voluntarily)
• Mentorship or shadowing
• Other similar activities that would lead to impact on professional practice with clients
• May involve interaction either face to face or mediated by technology
• May be interdisciplinary
A2
(Preparation for) Teaching
10 credits per semester course, to a maximum of 20, with no more than 10 credits for any single activity or event
Examples:
• Preparation required for teaching a university or community college course
• May include teaching a practicum course or supervising student research
A3
(Preparing for) Delivering Workshops, Conferences and Presentations
1 hour = 1 credit to a maximum of 20, with no more than 10 credits for any single activity or event
Examples:
• Preparation required for delivering workshops, seminars or other courses
• Other similar activities
A4
Professional Writing, Reviewing, Editing and Reviewing
1 hour = 1 credit, to a maximum of 20, with no more than 10
Can include scientific papers and relevant writing for other media
Examples:
• Professional or scientific paper
• Book, chapter, journal relevant to psychology
• Professional e‐ writing, (blogs, website posts)
• Popular media
• Other similar activities, excluding reports and documentation prepared in the course of providing care to clients
A5
Formal Research
1 hour = 1 credit, to a maximum of 20 with no more than 10 credits for any single project
Designing, implementing, collecting and analyzing research data
A6
College/Association Involvement
Maximum of 20 credits, no more than 10 credits for any single activity
serving on College Council or Committee or Psychological Association Board or Committee; Serving as an Oral Examiner or Quality Assurance Committee Peer Reviewer; Participation in College Consultations
A7
Practice Outcome Monitoring
1 hour = 1 credit, to a maximum of 20 with no more than 10 for any single case
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, to a maximum of 20 credits with no more than 10 credits for any single activity or event
Reflects attendance at conferences in which there is live interaction with other participants
May be counted as additional credits when participating live in activities eligible for credit in Category B1, below

SECTION B – CONTINUING EDUCATION ACTIVITIES
(MINIMUM 10 CREDITS)

B1
Programs/Courses/Workshops with content relevant to the practice of Psychology
(Whether or not Formal CE Credits are provided)
1 hour = 1 credit, to a maximum of 20 with no more than 10 per single activity or event
Examples:
• Professionally relevant workshops, seminars, sessions
• Professionally relevant programs, workshops or courses offered at an educational institute or professional or scientific meeting
• May be undertaken in person or via technology
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 on line) 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
B3
Self Directed Learning
1 hour = 1 credit, to a maximum of 20 with no more than 10 credits per any single activity
Examples:
• Reading professional literature (journals, books, the College newsletter HeadLines, manuals for new tests, 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