Naming Your Practice

Naming Your Practice & Professional Corporation Information

See the guidelines for naming your practice as a registrant. Whether operating as a partnership, professional corporation, or self-employed, ensure compliance with CRPO’s standards and Ontario business laws.

Naming Your Practice

Naming Your Practice & Professional Corporation Information

See the guidelines for naming your practice as a registrant. Whether operating as a partnership, professional corporation, or self-employed, ensure compliance with CRPO’s standards and Ontario business laws.

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Advertising and Self-Representation Checklist

Download the Advertising and Self-Representation Checklist

  • Advertising and Self-Representation Checklist

    Use the checklist to conduct a self‐review of your advertising and self‐representation practices, identifying how your practices align with CRPO’s Professional Practice Standard 6.2 on Advertising and Representing Yourself and Your Services.

    Download the Checklist

Business Practice Information

 

CRPO registrants are permitted to name their practice, whether they operate as a partnership or a professional corporation, or they are self-employed. In all cases, the name will need to comply with CRPO’s Standard 6.2: Advertising, as well as general Ontario law regarding business names.

 

An advertisement is any message communicated in a public medium intended to influence an individual’s choice, opinion or behaviour. This includes business names associated with a registrant’s practice.

 

The Professional Misconduct Regulation states that it is professional misconduct to permit the advertising of a registrant’s practice in a manner that is false or misleading or that includes statements that are not factual and verifiable. Therefore, the name registrants choose for their practice must not make claims that are false or misleading. Also, any specific or particular information contained in the name (e.g. location, name of practitioner), must be factual and verifiable.

 

On official documents, e.g., invoices, and when identifying themself to a client, a registrant must use their name as set out in the College’s Public Register, in addition to any business name. The practice name may appear alone in other settings such as on signage and various marketing materials.

 

Examples of appropriate practice names could include:

 

  • Harmony Family Counselling Centre
  • Deerhurst Psychotherapy Services (if the practice is located there)

 

Examples of inappropriate practice names include:

 

  • Best Therapy Services (claim is not verifiable and potentially misleading)
  • Guaranteed Results Psychotherapy Clinic (claim is not verifiable and potentially misleading)
  • M. Jones and Associates Psychotherapists (if there are no associates, the name would not be factual)
  • Brockville Municipal Care Centre (if it is not a municipally run practice, the name would be misleading)

 

College staff cannot provide advice or direction regarding business names. You should consult with your lawyer for further information.

 

You may find it helpful to review the Ontario Business Names Act linked below, for information relevant to naming a practice.

Professional Corporation Certificate Application

Application Form for a Certificate of Authorization for a Psychotherapy Professional Corporation

  • Professional Corporation Certificate Application

    To obtain a Certificate of Authorization, registrants must complete the Professional Corporation Certificate Application form, pay the fee, and submit detailed substantiating information. The certificate must be renewed annually.

    Download the Application
Professional Corporation Fees

Review the Professional Corporation Fees

  • Professional Corporation Fees

    Professional Corporation (Initial): $657.00 +HST An invoice for the fee will be added to your account after staff complete their initial assessment of your application form. Fees must be paid by Visa or MasterCard directly through . The alternative for individuals without credit cards is a prepaid credit card. Fees paid to CRPO are non-refundable.

  • Professional Corporation Fees

    Professional Corporation (Renewal): $438.00 +HST An invoice for the fee will be added to your account at least 30 days before your certificate expiry date. Fees must be paid by Visa or MasterCard directly through . The alternative for individuals without credit cards is a prepaid credit card. Fees paid to CRPO are non-refundable.

  • Professional Corporation Fees

    Professional Corporation (Late Renewal Notice): $53.00 +HST If a corporation’s certificate is not renewed by the expiry date, a late fee may apply. Fees must be paid by Visa or MasterCard directly through your user account. The alternative for individuals without credit cards is a prepaid credit card. Fees paid to CRPO are non-refundable.

Professional Corporations Information

 

A member of a regulatory College governed by the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA) can choose to practise personally, i.e., in their own name; through a partnership; or through a professional corporation. CRPO registrants who wish to practise through a corporation will need to establish a professional corporation and apply to CRPO for a Certificate of Authorization.

 

Normally, registrants employed by organizations such as hospitals, agencies and employee assistance programs are considered to be practising “personally”. Generally, they are not considered to be practising “through a corporation”; therefore, such organizations are not expected to follow the requirements for professional corporations.

 

Registrants are not required to practise through a professional corporation.

 

To obtain a Certificate of Authorization, the registrant must complete the Professional Corporation Certificate Application form linked above, pay the fee, and submit detailed substantiating information. The certificate must be renewed annually.

 

Professional corporations have a number of conditions and restrictions, including the following:

 

  • The professional corporation cannot be a numbered company (e.g. 1234567 Ontario Inc.).
  • The name of the professional corporation must include the words “Professional Corporation”.
  • The legal name of the corporation must indicate the health profession to be practised through the corporation, as well as the surname of one or more of the shareholders.
  • A registrant may use another business name aside from the legal name (e.g. a professional corporation could use the name “Danforth Therapy Clinic” for marketing purposes, while its legal name is “J. Smith Psychotherapy Professional Corporation”). All names must be on file with the College and Ontario law requires the legal name to be on all contracts, invoices, negotiable instruments and orders involving goods or services.
  • Only registrants of CRPO can hold shares.
  • The officers and directors of the professional corporation must be shareholders.
  • The professional corporation can only offer psychotherapy services or provide related or ancillary services.

 

Registrants cannot avoid professional liability through a professional corporation; injured clients can sue the registrant personally. However, registrants working through a professional corporation do have protection against trade creditors. For example, if suppliers or other creditors are not paid by the professional corporation, they cannot sue the registrant personally.

 

A number of provisions exist to ensure that registrants continue to meet their professional and ethical obligations while practising through a professional corporation. For example, the RHPA applies to registrants even if they practise through a professional corporation. The College has the same powers over the professional corporation that it has over the registrant.

 

CRPO staff cannot provide advice or direction regarding whether you should incorporate your practice or about how to create a professional corporation. You should consult with your lawyer and/or accountant for further information. 

Frequently Asked Questions

As a regulated health professional, if you are offering psychotherapy services through a business corporation, the corporation itself must be registered through CRPO as a psychotherapy professional corporation. This applies to all registrants.

 

You must apply for a psychotherapy professional corporation if you currently have an incorporated business that offers psychotherapy services. Individuals with private practices which are not already incorporated, do not have to apply for a psychotherapy professional corporation.

The legal name of a psychotherapy professional corporation must include:

 

  • The words “Professional Corporation”,
  • The health profession to be practised through the corporation (i.e., “Psychotherapy”), and
  • The surname of one or more of the shareholders.

 

For example, the following would be appropriate names for a psychotherapy professional corporation owned by a registrant with the name Jane Smith: 

 

  • Jane Smith Psychotherapy Professional Corporation
  • Smith Psychotherapy Professional Corporation
  • J. Smith Psychotherapy Professional Corporation

As stated in the application form, “Corporate profile report issued by the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services or by a service provider which is under contract with the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, that is dated not more than 30 days before submitting this application to the College. The corporate profile report must indicate that the corporation is active.” If you require further assistance in obtaining this document, please contact your lawyer and/or accountant.

Yes, there are specific restrictions on the activities that can be performed by a psychotherapy professional corporation. The Ontario Business Corporations Act stipulates that a professional corporation may only carry on a business other than the practice of the profession and related or ancillary services. This means that a psychotherapy professional corporation may only offer psychotherapy services, or related or ancillary services.

 

To determine whether an activity is a related or ancillary service, you should consider whether these services are something that most psychotherapists would view as reasonably supporting the treatment of the client.

No, a federal corporation cannot be issued a Certificate of Authorization. CRPO can only issue a Certificate of Authorization to a corporation that is incorporated under the Ontario Business Corporations Act. Please consult with your lawyer and/or accountant for more information about federal corporations.

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