Quality Assurance Program

Quality Assurance Program Requirements

CRPO’s Quality Assurance (QA) Program and QA team, including staff and peer coaches, are here to support Registered Psychotherapists in providing safe and effective care to their clients.

Please note that as of midnight on December 31, 2024, CRPO’s portal will be offline for upgrades.

 

This means that registrant accounts will not be accessible. If you need to complete your professional development attestation, please make sure you do so before December 31. This page will be updated when accounts are accessible.

 

Please email QA@crpo.ca if you have any questions.

About the QA Program

 

As a CRPO Registered Psychotherapist, you belong to a regulated health profession. Along with the privilege of professional regulation comes responsibility – namely, that you practise safely, effectively, and competently. You demonstrate safe, effective, competent practice by consistently meeting the standards of the profession and upholding the laws and regulations that apply to your professional practice. The public (your clients) share a similar expectation that you demonstrate professionalism and accountability and that you provide competent care. While CRPO recognizes that the vast majority of Registered Psychotherapists are safe, effective, competent practitioners, both you and CRPO share a mutual obligation to assure the public that you possess these qualities. One of the ways that this is accomplished is through your engagement in the Quality Assurance (QA) Program.

 

The QA Program is designed to encourage Registered Psychotherapists to be self-reflective and think critically about their practice, their professional growth, and their obligations as regulated health professionals. The QA Program supports life-long learning, a critical component of providing safe and effective care.

 

All registered health professionals are expected to participate in the QA Program, as required by the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA).

QA Program Components

The QA program consists of three main components:

  • QA Program Components

    1. Self-assessment and professional development, which requires the ongoing participation of every registrant.

  • QA Program Components

    2. Peer and practice review activities including:

     

    • case-based assessment;
    • self-directed professional development; and
    • peer-assisted review and reassessment.
  • QA Program Components

    3. Remedial education as directed by the Quality Assurance Committee.

About Professional Development (PD)

 

Under CRPO’s Quality Assurance Program, all registrants must participate every two years in self-assessment and professional development activities in order to maintain the knowledge, skill and judgment required to practise the profession in accordance with the Standards and Regulations for Registered Psychotherapists and CRPO’s Code of Ethics.

 

Registrants are required to complete their self-assessment and professional development activities every two years by December 31. This two-year cycle is referred to as a “PD reporting cycle.”

PD Requirements Overview

Required activities every two years within each reporting cycle:

  • PD Requirements Overview

    1. submit at least one self-assessment;
    2. engage in a minimum of 40 hours of professional development activities; and
    3. report whether they have completed Items A and B to CRPO by submitting an online attestation form.

     

    If you have any questions or concerns regarding your requirements, or your capacity to complete them on time, please contact QA staff.

Professional Development

PD Requirements Information

All registrants are required to complete the following activities every two years within their reporting cycle:

Self Assessment

The self-assessment is an online questionnaire, which is available to complete in your CRPO user account. It is intended to help you reflect on your practice and identify areas for improvement that will inform your professional development. The self-assessment is intended to help you build awareness of the current state of your practice by capturing a snapshot of your current knowledge, skill and judgment. You must complete all sections of the self-assessment and provide responses that are complete, coherent, and related to the subject matter. The self-assessment consists of two sections, as described below.

 

The General Professional Obligations Inventory will help you assess your own knowledge, skill, and judgement in select competency areas related to professional regulation. It incorporates the  Professional Practice Standards and addresses changes in your practice environment and advances in technology.

 

The Reflection Section consists of a series of exercises designed to help you contemplate the more interpersonal aspects of your practice, such as your professional relationships, support systems, and safe and effective use of self (SEUS).

 

You can complete more than one self-assessment and are encouraged to refer to your answers as you plan your professional development (learning) activities. You are encouraged to invest your efforts in professional development activities that will allow you to address any opportunities for growth related to your professional obligations.

Professional Development Learning Activities

All registrants are required to engage in at least 40 hours of professional development learning activities during their two-year professional development reporting cycle.

 

Engaging in learning activities is an important part of maintaining your ongoing competence. Professional development helps you maintain and enhance your knowledge, skill, and judgement with respect to the Professional Practice Standards, relevant legislation, and regulations. It also keeps you abreast of current practices, issues, trends, and new techniques.

 

What you need to know about the 40-hour learning activity requirement:

 

  • You must engage in a minimum of 40 hours of learning activities during the relevant two-year reporting cycle. Activities which took place before the reporting cycle or are recorded in anticipation of future completion will not be counted towards the minimum requirement.
  • The activities must take place while you are registered with CRPO.
  • At least one of the activities must be didactic (i.e., an activity intended to instruct or teach).
  • At least one of the activities must be experiential (i.e., an activity that provides or involves an experience).
  • Learning activities must be documented in a learning record log and maintained in your professional portfolio.
  • Learning activities must be credible and require some form of participation, relevant to the practice of the profession, and verifiable.

 

You should record activities in your professional portfolio soon after you complete them. The learning record template can be used  to track your participation.

 

CRPO may request verification that you participated in the documented learning activities. Retain a record of any materials and notes that could be used to support your participation in a learning activity in your professional portfolio. The table below lists examples of learning activities and acceptable supporting documentation.

 

If you are engaged in an activity that unfolds over a significant span of time (for example a semester-long course), you are welcome to include that in your learning record before the course has ended, but only record the hours you’ve completed already (not the hours you expect to complete).

Learning Activity Examples

CRPO does not provide a list of “pre-approved” courses or learning materials. Registrants are expected to rely on their professional judgment to identify opportunities that will meet their individual learning needs and goals.

 

Registrants are encouraged to engage in a broad range of activities. The type of evidence that would be considered acceptable depends on the activity.

 

Didactic Learning Activities & Acceptable Evidence of Participation (Non-Exhaustive List):

 

  • Attending education/training programs or courses
    • Transcripts, letters, or certificates of completion

 

  • Attending workshops, seminars, conferences, or webinars
    • Letters or certificates of completion

 

  • Conducting research
    • Proposals, abstracts, or agreements

 

  • Engaging in independent study/self-guided learning
    • Journal entry: list of reading materials/activities and summary of learnings

 

  • Preparing for the Case-Based Assessment (CBA)
    • Journal entry: list of reading materials/activities and summary of learnings

 

  • Reading the Professional Practice and Jurisprudence Manual
    • Journal entry: list of reading materials/activities and summary of learnings

 

  • Preparing for teaching programs, programs, courses, workshops, seminars, conferences, or webinars
    • Course/workshop/seminar outline or syllabus in addition to a list or reference materials used to develop course content

 

  • Writing for a scholarly publication (e.g. journals, textbooks, and other education resources)
    • Link to the publication or copy of the articles title page, which bears the name of the Registrant as author (or contributing author)

 

  • Self-directed review of the Professional Practice Standards and resources to address gaps identified by the CBA
    • The type of evidence that would be considered acceptable depends on the activity.

 

  • Other
    • The type of acceptable evidence would depend on the activity.

 

Experiential Learning Activities & Acceptable Evidence of Participation (Non-Exhaustive List):

 

  • Participating in a study group
    • List of reading materials/activities and summary of learnings

 

  • Peer consultation
    • Letter of confirmation or outline of the consultation and contact information of the consultant

 

  • Receiving clinical supervision
    • Letter from supervisor, copy of contract, or supervision log

 

  • Receiving personal psychotherapy
    • Letter from psychotherapist, payment receipts for service provided

 

  • Other
    • The type of acceptable evidence would depend on the activity.

Report Learning Activities

You must report whether you completed your PD by submitting an attestation form every two years by a date specified by CRPO. The attestation form is only available to submit in your CRPO user account during the year when your PD requirements are due (i.e., every other year).

Professional Portfolio

You are required to keep records of your professional development activities in a professional portfolio. Your professional portfolio contains all the information related to your professional development activities.

 

The professional portfolio must include at minimum a learning record log and documentation to verify your participation in the learning activities.

 

You must maintain the records in your professional portfolio for the current and previous reporting cycles (i.e., four years). You are not required to submit your professional portfolio to CRPO unless requested to do so by QA staff.

 

Activities reported in the professional portfolio must be

  1. relevant to the practice of the profession;
  2. credible and require some form of participation; and
  3. verifiable where some form of documentation exists that enables a registrant to demonstrate that they have completed the activity.

 

CRPO does not provide any specific direction on what a portfolio should look like, nor does the College provide a way for you to download documentary evidence. How you organize your professional portfolio is up to you. Some registrants simply keep copies of any evidence of participation in learning activities in a paper folder; others store these materials electronically on their computer. Whatever you choose, be mindful that your professional portfolio must include at minimum a learning record log and documentation to verify your participation in the learning activities.

 

We have developed a learning record template that can be used to help track your participation in your professional development. This fillable template is linked below.

 

You are not required to use the template and may use another method to track your learning activities, so long as this information, along with documentary evidence of participation, is saved in your professional portfolio and retained for at least 4 years.

 

If you would like to use the template, you must first save a copy of the file to your own device.

 

The template has a space to record all the PD learning activities you have engaged in throughout your reporting cycle. Please start a new template for each reporting cycle. You are encouraged to participate in a wide variety of activities and to engage in different kinds or formats of learning. Most importantly, you are encouraged to reflect on each learning activity and describe the impact it had on your practice.

Expert review concerning the death of a child

This article was first published in the February 2023 Communiqué

 

In October 2022, CRPO received a letter and expert review from Ontario’s Child and Youth Death Review and Analysis (CYDRA) unit at the Office of the Chief Coroner (OCC). The CYDRA unit at the OCC “directly supports the development of effective recommendations for the prevention of further deaths of young persons in Ontario.”

 

Based on recommendations issued in the review, CRPO reminds all registrants of the enhanced duty to report child abuse and neglect.

 

Because of this duty, CRPO expects registrants to review training (e.g., self-directed reading or an appropriate training course/webinar identified by the registrant) on their duty to report once every two years. Beginning with the 2023 professional development reporting cycle, under CRPO’s Quality Assurance Program, registrants will be required to attest that they have completed this review. As with all professional development activities, registrants should keep relevant documentation about this training in their professional development portfolio.

 

The following resources may be useful in considering this issue.

Duty to Report Training Review Resources

Resources to consider for the duty-to-report training review

  • Duty to Report Training Review Resources

    Canadian Centre for Child Protection

    Visit the Canadian Centre for Child protection website for more information.

    Read more here
  • Guidelines

    Disclosing Information to Prevent Harm

    This guideline document explores when and how a Registrant of the College can disclose information under this provision.

    Download PDF
  • Filing a Report

    Mandatory Reporting Obligations

    Confidentiality is a cornerstone of psychotherapy practice. However, there are situations in which other factors override this duty.

    Download PDF
  • Government of Ontario

    Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017

    See paragraphs 125 to 128 on Duty to Report

    Visit website
  • Government of Ontario

    Child Welfare and Child Protection Services

    Learn about services for children and youth who need protection because of abuse or neglect, or risk of abuse or neglect.

    Visit website
  • Government of Ontario

    Report Child Abuse and Neglect

    Learn about how to identify and report child abuse and/or neglect.

    Visit website
  • Government of Ontario

    Report Child Abuse and Neglect

    It’s Your Duty Your responsibilities under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 (brochure, August 2021)

    Download PDF
  • Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario

    Dispelling the Myths About Sharing Information with CAS

    Common misunderstandings about privacy are frequently cited as reasons for not sharing information with a children’s aid society (CAS) about a child who may be at risk.

    Visit website
  • Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies

    Duty to Report

    If you have reasonable grounds to suspect a child is in need of help, you need to make the call.

    Visit website
PD Learning Record Templates

Download the learning record template

  • PD Learning Record Template

    This template is for your records only. You do not need to submit this template to CRPO unless requested by QA staff.

     

    The template has a space to record all the PD learning activities you have engaged in throughout your reporting cycle. Please ensure to start a new template for each reporting cycle.

     

    Please note you need to download and save a copy of the learning record template on your own device. Information entered in the templates is not saved automatically on our website, and the templates are not connected to your CRPO user account.

    Download PDF here
  • PD Learning Record Template: Word Version

    This template is for your records only. You do not need to submit this template to CRPO unless requested by QA staff.

     

    The template has a space to record all the PD learning activities you have engaged in throughout your reporting cycle. Please ensure to start a new template for each reporting cycle.

     

    Please note you need to download and save a copy of the learning record template on your own device. Information entered in the templates is not saved automatically on our website, and the templates are not connected to your CRPO user account.

    Download Word version here
  • Sample Learning Record Template

    Learning record sample for the case-based assessment (CBA) self-directed review.

    Download PDF here

Professional Development Due Dates

 

  • Year of Registration – 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021
  • Reporting Cycle Period – January 1, 2024-December 31, 2025
  • Attestation Form Due Date – Due by December 31, 2025. The Attestation form will be available for submission in your CRPO user account starting November 2025.

 

  • Year of Registration – 2016, 2018, 2020
  • Reporting Cycle Period – January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2024
  • Attestation Form Due Date – Due by December 31, 2024. The Attestation form will be available for submission in your CRPO user account starting November 2024.

 

  • Year of Registration – 2022
  • Reporting Cycle Period – Initial date of registration – December 31, 2024
  • Attestation Form Due Date – Due by December 31, 2024. The Attestation form will be available for submission in your CRPO user account starting November 2024.

 

  • Year of Registration – 2023
  • Reporting Cycle Period – Initial date of registration – December 31, 2025.
  • Attestation Form Due Date – Due by December 31, 2025. The Attestation form will be available for submission in your CRPO user account starting November 2025.

 

  • Year of Registration – 2024
  • Reporting Cycle Period – Initial date of registration – December 31, 2026
  • Attestation Form Due Date – Due by December 31, 2026. The Attestation form will be available for submission in your CRPO user account starting November 2026

 

See the Professional Development FAQ for new registrant expectations.

Professional Development FAQ

If you are experiencing significant difficulties with completing your QA requirements by the end of the year, you may be eligible for a deferral or an extension. An extension allows you to extend your PD cycle by 60 days and a deferral allows you to defer your requirements to your next PD cycle (i.e. 80 hours of PD in four years). If you would like to request an extension or a deferral, you will need to submit “no” on your attestation form. Once you select “No” and submit the attestation form, a link to the deferral / extension form will appear.

 

Extension or deferral from requirements related to QA Program components may be granted for the following reasons:

 

  1. personal illness;
  2. selected to complete PPR activities but currently not practising due to parental leave;
  3. not practising due to parental leave for one year or more during a reporting cycle;
  4. pending resignation at the time they are due to complete PPR activities;
  5. pending resignation within the four months following a reporting cycle deadline,
  6. illness of an immediate family member, or where the registrant is the primary care giver;
  7. bereavement; and personal crisis or other extenuating circumstances that impact the registrant’s ability to cope with additional responsibilities.

Yes, you are expected to participate in and document a minimum of 40 hours of professional development activities in a two-year-long “reporting cycle.”  At the end of each reporting cycle, you must report whether you have completed your PD activities by submitting an attestation form in your CRPO user account. Submission deadlines are based on your initial year of registration.

 

CRPO expects all registrants to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to professional growth and development so long as they practice the profession and are registered with CRPO.

 

The professional development component of the QA Program provides a general framework that is designed to help you reflect on your practice and consciously shape the course of your professional growth.

As a new registrant you will begin your participation in the QA program by completing a self-assessment within 60 days of your date of registration. The self-assessment is available to complete in your CRPO user account.

 

As a new registrant, you are encouraged to use the self-assessment tool to identify any gaps that may exist in your knowledge, skill, or judgement; set professional goals; and consider professional development, or learning, activities to achieve those goals. The self-assessment is meant to be a reflective and thought-provoking exercise. Completing the self-assessment could take an hour or longer.

 

The new registrant requirement is an introduction to your ongoing reporting obligations for the QA Program. All registrants are responsible for completing their professional development requirements on an ongoing basis and reporting to CRPO every two years.

 

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your requirements, or your capacity to complete them on time, please contact QA staff.

 

If you are unable to complete a self-assessment within 60 days of your date of registration, you may be eligible for an extension. Requests for extension must be submitted in writing by completing the Deferral/extension form (PD) linked above, before your respective due date and must meet the criteria outlined on the form.

Yes, the self-assessment you complete within 60 days of your initial date of registration, can be counted towards your PD requirements due every two years. This means that when you complete your first attestation form, you can attest that you completed at least one self-assessment during the reporting cycle. However, you may and are encouraged to complete more than one self-assessment during your cycle. For example,

 

Your first two-year PD reporting cycle begins on your date of registration and ends December 31, two years after your year of registration.

 

Example: If your date of registration were January 1, 2023, your self-assessment would be due March 2, 2023. Your two-year PD reporting cycle would begin January 1, 2023 and end December 31, 2025.

Registrants of the College are asked to rely on their professional judgment to select, and then participate in, learning activities that are credible, related to the practice of psychotherapy, and that will meet their individual learning needs. At present, the College does not require that registrants engage in “pre-approved” activities, and so it is expected that registrants would rely on their own prudence and judgment to invest their time and financial resources in learning activities that meet their individual learning needs.

 

Learning activities reported in your professional portfolio must be:

 

  • Relevant to the practice of psychotherapy.
  • Credible and require some form of participation. Examples include: courses where a registrant must attend/participate in lectures, course readings, and evaluation; seminars or workshops, where a registrant  attends/participates in lectures, discussion groups or role playing; reading/study groups, where a registrant  must interact with learning materials and discuss the subject matter with others in the group; and so on. In the case of an independent study, participation may involve the reading of materials and engagement with other kinds of learning resources.
  • Verifiable where some form of documentation exists that enables a registrant to demonstrate that they have completed the activity, and the College, if needed, to verify that the activity occurred. Ideally, this would be a letter or certificate of completion which identifies: the activity, the organization’s contact information, the date or period in which the activity occurred, the duration of the activity, and the name of the participant. Where a registrant engages in independent study, they should maintain careful records of learning resources that were used.

As a self-regulated professional, you have a responsibility to identify your own learning needs and invest in activities that will improve your practice and protect the public.

 

CRPO offers two tools to help you decide where to direct some of your professional development activities:

 

  1. The self-assessment: This is an online questionnaire that you can complete at any time in your CRPO account.

 

The self-assessment will help you assess your knowledge, skill, and judgement in select competency areas related to professional regulation. The self-assessment also has series of reflection exercises designed to help you think about the more interpersonal aspects of your practice, such as your professional relationships, support systems, and safe and effective use of self (SEUS). After you complete the self-assessment, you are encouraged to identify learning activities that will allow you to address any opportunities for growth related to your professional obligations.

 

2. The case-based assessment (CBA): This is an online assessment, which is the first stage of a peer and practice review. You will be notified when you have been selected to complete the CBA.

 

After you complete the CBA, you will receive a feedback report. The feedback report outlines your performance and identifies where you might have gaps in your knowledge of the Standards. Where gaps are identified, you are required to dedicate some of your professional development activities to addressing those gaps.

You are only required to provide your professional portfolio if such evidence is requested by CRPO.

 

You must retain your learning record and documentation (e.g., certificates of participation) that can verify your participation in learning activities in your own professional portfolio.

 

Registrants are expected to retain their professional portfolio in their own records for at least 4 years.

Yes. We encourage registrants to use the learning record template.

 

To use the template, you must first download and save a copy of the file to your own device. The templates on our website are not linked to your CRPO account or automatically saved by CRPO.

As you engage in PD activities, keep track of the following details in your learning record:

 

  • activity name and details;
  • provider’s name and contact information;
  • full date or date range in which the activity occurred; and
  • specific number of hours spent engaging in the activity.

 

Most importantly, reflect on the impact the activity may have had on your practice and record any notable changes you may have made to your practice as a result of completing the activity.

 

Save your learning record and all supporting documentation in a professional portfolio.  Supporting documentation should verify your participation in an activity and can include things like completion certificates, journal entries, transcripts, receipts, etc.

If you do not report or complete your professional development activities on time, you may be asked to submit your professional portfolio for review.

No. In the same way that providing psychotherapy services to a client for a wage or fee cannot be counted, teaching programs, courses, workshops, seminars, conferences or webinars is also not an activity that may be counted towards your 40-hour PD requirements. Paid work does not qualify as a personal professional development activity. Preparation for teaching programs, courses, workshops, seminars, conferences or webinars can be counted towards your 40-hour PD requirement.

Information shared because of participation in the Quality Assurance (QA) Program is confidential and, with limited exceptions, the information provided can only be used for QA purposes. CRPO will not post QA review results on the public register or share your information with current or future employers.

 

You, as a registrant, are therefore strongly urged to provide honest responses that are an accurate reflection of your current level of knowledge, skill and judgment.

 

If the QA Committee believes that a registrant may have committed a serious act of professional misconduct, or may be incompetent or incapacitated, the QA Committee may disclose only the registrant’s name and the allegation against the registrant to the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC). The ICRC may carry out an independent investigation if it elects to do so.  However, in cases where a registrant knowingly gave false information to the QA Committee or a peer assessor, the QA Committee may disclose this information to the relevant College Committee that is dealing with the matter.

QA Program staff will ask you to submit a learning record in the following situations:

 

  1. PD audit 

Staff conduct PD audits in the following situations: if you request an extension or deferral for a PD cycle; or if you are returning to active practice and missed completing a QA Program requirement before you changed your registration category.

 

For a PD audit, your learning record must demonstrate that you completed 40 hours of learning activities during the PD cycle. If you received a deferral, your learning record must demonstrate that you completed 80 hours during your current and previous PD cycles.

 

Tip

During the 2023 PD cycle audits, a common oversight was not including details about the new requirement to review training on the duty to report. See “Duty to Report Training Review” for more information.

 

2. CBA self-directed review 

If you are in the self-directed review category after completing a CBA, you are required to submit a learning record for review. The learning record must demonstrate how you have addressed the knowledge gaps identified by the CBA.

 

Before the end of your PD reporting cycle, you must submit your learning record for review. If you are in the self-directed review category, and you are unsure when your learning record is due, please contact staff at QAassessments@crpo.ca

The Quality Assurance Committee requires that you focus some of your 40 hours of learning activities to address any gaps identified in the CBA during your professional development (PD) cycle.

 

Your learning record must demonstrate how you have addressed the gaps identified by your CBA results. This means that for Standards where your performance was lower than that of the successful average, you should complete learning activities related to those sections of the Standards, including a reflection on the impact the learning had on your practice or changes you might have made to your practice as a result of the activity.

 

When you receive your CBA feedback report, you are encouraged to begin planning and recording your professional development activities well in advance of your next PD reporting cycle deadline.

 

QA staff will write to you before your deadline requesting a copy of your learning record.

 

We have developed a sample learning record to assist you.

About Peer & Practice Review

 

The peer and practice review (PPR) is a mandatory component of CRPO’s Quality Assurance program and is a normal part of being a regulated health professional in Ontario. The objective of a peer and practice review is to help CRPO registrants assess their knowledge, skill and judgment in key areas of professional practice and identify ways to improve and maintain quality of care.The PPR is an assessment and coaching process that guides registrants on where to focus their professional development efforts. PPR activities include the following:

 

  • case-based assessment (CBA);
  • self-directed professional development; and
  • peer-assisted review activities with a peer coach.

 

The first stage of the PPR for all registrants is to complete the CBA. The CBA is an online, risk-based screening tool that consists of a series of 30 situational judgement scenarios (“cases”). The cases have been developed by members of the profession and are based on the CRPO Professional Practice Standards. Each case has five answer options. Registrants are asked to rank the options from most aligned to least aligned with the Standards.

 

All registrants are expected to participate in a PPR and complete the CBA approximately once every five years. Depending on the CBA result, registrants will receive guidance for professional development that is one of the following:

 

  • self-directed;
  • self-directed with suggested resources and reporting requirements; or
  • peer-assisted with support from a peer coach or College staff

 

The CBA is intended to provide registrants with evidence-based feedback that will assist them in engaging with the Professional Practice Standards and continuing to think critically about their practice, professional growth, and obligations as a regulated health professional. The CBA supports reflective practice and life-long learning, both of which are critical components of providing safe and effective care.

 

Registrants with low scores on the CBA might be at risk of not understanding or demonstrating the Standards in their practice. These registrants will proceed to the second stage of the PPR and participate in a peer-assisted practice review.

 

Peer-assisted reviews will be conducted by peer coaches. Peer coaches are CRPO registrants who have been trained to conduct practice assessments and provide peer coaching. They, and the CRPO, are committed to collaborating with registrants and supporting them to meet their professional obligations, many of which are laid out in the Professional Practice Standards for Registered Psychotherapists.

Peer & Practice Review (PPR)

The Peer and Practice Review (PPR) Process

All registrants are required to undergo a PPR when selected. The first stage in a PPR is to complete the case-based assessment (CBA). The second stage of a PPR is a peer-assisted review with a peer coach.

Stage 1: CBA Steps

Step 1: Notification

CRPO will notify you when you are randomly selected to write the CBA (approximately 3 months before the scheduled administration).

 

Step 2: Confirmation
Complete the “confirmation to write’ questionnaire by the specified deadline.

 

Step 3: Preparation
Review the Professional Practice Standards and other resources linked below. See also our FAQ “How do I prepare for the CBA?” below. College staff will also send you a series of emails to help you prepare for the CBA.

 

Step 4: Login instructions and unique code
College staff will send you login instructions as well as a unique code to access the CBA.

 

Step 5: Complete the CBA

The CBA online platform will be open for a 10-day window. The CBA can be completed comfortably within a 4-hour timeframe. However, the window to complete the assessment is 7 hours. Registrants who need time beyond 4 hours, for any reason, have access to extra time without having to submit a separate request.

 

Step 6: Feedback report
College staff will send you a feedback report by email approximately six weeks after the CBA administration window closes. Your feedback report will outline your CBA outcome and next steps, if any, in the PPR process.

Outcomes

The CBA is designed to be an educational tool to help you identify potential gaps in your knowledge, skill and judgment and make effective use of your professional development activity hours. You will receive a feedback report on your performance. Depending on the CBA result, you will receive guidance for professional development that is either self-directed or peer-assisted.

 

Successful
If you are successful on the CBA, you are expected to continue your professional development by engaging in any relevant activities that meet your learning needs and goals. You can expect to complete the CBA again in approximately 5 years.

 

Your CBA feedback report will outline your performance in each area of the Standards, along with the performance of others who were successful on the assessment. With this information, you will be able to note where your performance could benefit from further development and consider continuing professional development activities to strengthen these areas.

 

Self-directed professional development 

If you are in the self-directed review category, you will be required to complete professional development activities. You can expect to complete the CBA again in approximately 5 years.

 

Your CBA feedback report will outline your performance in each area of the Standards, and you will receive resources and recommendations on where to direct your professional development efforts during your next PD reporting cycle.

 

At the end of your PD reporting cycle, you will need to demonstrate how you used some of your 40 hours of learning activities to address the Standards where your performance was lower than that of the successful mean. (For information about these requirements, see Professional development requirements and FAQs.)

 

Peer-assisted review activities with a peer coach
If you are in the peer-assisted review category, you might be at risk of not understanding or applying the Standards in your practice. Your CBA feedback report will outline your performance in each area of the Standards. QA staff will offer you an appointment to discuss your performance and assessment strategies. You will be given an opportunity to write the CBA again at the next administration (referred to as “reassessment”).

 

If you remain in the peer-assisted review category after your reassessment, you will proceed to a peer-assisted practice review with a peer coach.

 

The peer coach will further assess your practice, collaborate with you to come up with a meaningful learning plan, and support you with meeting your professional obligations.

 

After you have completed a learning plan created with your peer coach, you will be required to complete the CBA again at the next available administration.

 

If you are in the peer-assisted review category after reassessment, you will be referred to a panel of the Quality Assurance Committee for review and further direction.

Stage 2: Peer Coaching

If you have been identified for peer coaching (i.e., your CBA results indicate potential gaps in knowledge, skill, and judgement), you will receive further support and assessment. This happens through a peer-assisted review with a peer coach.

 

All registrants identified for peer-assisted review must do the following:

 

  • Complete a pre-questionnaire.
  • Submit examples of professional advertising and self-representation materials.
  • Submit five clinical records and corresponding financial and clinical record checklists.
  • Collaborate to coordinate dates and times to participate in peer coaching sessions conducted by a peer coach.

 

The PPR is designed to engage you in the process of identifying your areas of strength as a healthcare professional, as well as any areas that may benefit from enhancement.

 

Like all other components of the QA Program, your participation in peer coaching is one of your mandatory obligations as a CRPO registrant.

Remedial Education

The remedial education component of the QA Program engages registrants who, as determined by a panel of the QA Committee, require additional support to address identified learning needs. Only those registrants who have been identified in the Peer and Practice Review process who require directed remediation will engage in this component. Directives from the QA Committee may include remediation or specified continuing education.

 

In certain circumstances, the QA Committee may direct the Registrar to impose terms, conditions and limitations on a registrant’s Certificate of Registration, for example:

  • if a registrant’s Peer and Practice Review demonstrates egregious gaps in knowledge, skill or judgment; or
  • if the registrant did not successfully complete a program of specified continuing education or remediation.

Peer & Practice Review FAQ’s

There are two assessment periods each year.

 

Those registered on or before December 31, 2022, will be randomly assigned to complete the CBA in one of the next five years (2023-2027).

 

Registrants registered on or after January 1, 2023, will be assigned to complete the CBA in the fifth year after their initial year of registration.

 

CRPO will notify registrants approximately 6 months in advance when they have been selected to take the case-based assessment.

We understand that registrants may have extenuating circumstances which might prevent them from completing the CBA when selected.

 

If you are unable to participate in a PPR activity when selected, you might be eligible for a deferral. To request a deferral, please contact QAassessments@crpo.ca before the CBA administration window begins.

No. The CBA is hosted on an external platform and is only available to selected registrants twice a year.

 

Other elements of CRPO’s QA Program (e.g., the self-assessment and attestation form) are available in your CRPO user account. Please see Professional development requirements and FAQs for information.

See the CBA Preparation Resources linked below.

 

The CBA is intended to be a low-stress, educational experience that inspires reflective practice. The CBA is an  “open book” assessment, which means RPs will be able to refer to the CRPO Professional Practice Standards and other resources they might want to use. The CBA is online and not proctored (i.e., it is not monitored or supervised).

 

The CBA consists of 30 situational judgment cases. Each case has five answer options numbered from A to E. You are asked to rank each option from most aligned with the applicable Standard to the least aligned. The CBA platform requires you to type your answers in an answer field. For example, if you determine the correct rank is ABCDE, you will need to type “ABCDE” in the answer field.

We have used the term “open book” to indicate that CBA takers will be able to refer to the Professional Practice Standards and other resources they might want to use during the assessment. See “How do I prepare for the assessment” above.

 

The CBA is on-line and is not proctored (i.e., supervised or monitored). Registrants will be able to complete the CBA at any point during the 10 days of each assessment sitting and are encouraged to have whatever materials they wish available to them.

Most registrants successfully complete the case-based assessment (CBA) in less than four hours. Nevertheless, in the interest of using universal design to make the CBA as accessible as possible and to support registrants in approaching the CBA as a learning opportunity, the Quality Assurance Committee decided to increase the time allotted for completing the CBA to 7 hours. This way, anyone who needs more time will not have to make a separate request.

 

For clarity, the number of cases is not increasing. Rather, the time window to complete the CBA is now longer.

 

The CBA is an open-book assessment that is not proctored (i.e., registrants are not monitored during the assessment). This means registrants are provided the opportunity to think about each situation, look at resources for guidance, and consider the proposed options. In fact, registrants are encouraged to refer to the Professional Practice Standards and any other relevant College resources as they complete the assessment.

 

Data from the pilot and first three CBA administrations indicates that the average time to complete the CBA is less than 3.5 hours. While we are confident most registrants can complete the CBA within a 4-hour period, the evidence also demonstrates there is little correlation between the time it takes to complete the CBA and someone’s outcome. Meaning, people who performed well on the CBA did not do it more quickly or more slowly than those who did not perform well.

 

We understand from registrants that there are varying approaches to how RPs complete the CBA. Given the interest we had in increased time for the 2023 administrations, and to support RPs in using the CBA as a learning exercise, the Quality Assurance Committee decided to increase the time so anyone can access more time without having to make a separate request.  Increasing the time for everyone allows for individual needs, such as taking breaks or needing time to process information.

 

The Quality Assurance Committee is determined to support registrants in using the CBA as an opportunity to engage meaningfully with regulatory-specific professional development. The intention of this open-book, non-proctored assessment is to give RPs a chance to review the Professional Practice Standards and any other relevant College resources. The additional time for the assessment is not an indication that the assessment has proven to be overly difficult or that we have seen registrants struggling to complete the assessment successfully in a 4-hour window.

 

What is ‘universal design’?

 

“Universal Design is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood, and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age … ability or disability. An environment (or any building, product, or service in that environment) should be designed to meet the needs of all people who wish to use it. This is not a special requirement, for the benefit of only a minority of the population. It is a fundamental condition of good design.”

 

[Source: https://universaldesign.ie/about-universal-design]

As the cornerstone of CRPO’s Quality Assurance Program, the case-based assessment (CBA) is intended to assess registrants’ knowledge, skill and judgment (i.e., competence). It is designed to identify potential risks in practice, so the College can direct its resources where they are most needed and where they will be most effective.

 

CRPO registrants work in various employment and practice settings with individuals, groups, couples and families. CRPO registrants also work with a wide variety of psychotherapy techniques and modalities. Any assessment method must consider this complexity and nuance.

 

To ensure a fair assessment process that is not setting- or modality-specific, CRPO based the CBA on the CRPO Professional Practice Standards. The Standards represent foundational knowledge that all registrants are expected to meet, regardless of modality, setting, or clientele.

 

A situational judgment assessment presents a series of practice scenarios or cases. For each case, registrants are asked to rank five answer options from most aligned to least aligned with the Standards. The cases reflect actual situations registrants encounter in practice, and registrants must apply their knowledge and judgment to specific situations.

 

Given the diversity of practice settings and modalities described above, CRPO recognizes there may be more than one correct course of action or way to apply a Standard. Offering five responses, instead of three, allows the CBA to

 

  • offer a broader range of possibilities, requiring a higher level of judgment when selecting responses
  • encourage a balanced thought process when considering responses
  • present realistic complexity, in an open-book setting
  • engage registrants with the material at a level beyond guessing and the “process of elimination”

 

A five-option assessment is a very common format and reflects the complexity of practice facing Registered Psychotherapists. Five answer options ensure that the CBA is a robust and reliable assessment.   

As noted above, each case in the CBA presents a practice scenario and five possible answer options.

 

Registrants must judge the appropriateness of each response and rank, or prioritize, them from most aligned to least aligned with the Standards.  Ranking all options, including incorrect ones, helps CRPO highlight areas where some participants might have a gap in their understanding or application of a Standard in their practice.

 

All possible answer combinations on the assessment are assigned a score. Since partial marks are awarded for each answer position, the assigned score depends on how close the answer is to the most and least aligned options.

The case-based assessment (CBA) consists of 30 situational judgment cases.

 

The number of cases was reduced from 40 to 30 after reviewing data and feedback from registrants who participated in standard-setting workshops and the November 2022 pilot assessment.

 

30 is the minimum number of cases needed to assess registrants across all areas of the Professional Practice Standards. (See “What is the blueprint?” below.)

The cases are written, reviewed, and tested by members of the profession. CRPO aims to include and represent multiple perspectives and communities of practice. To date, over 50 RPs have been involved in various stages of the Quality Assurance Enhancement Project.

 

CRPO has taken an iterative approach to case development. This means each case goes through several stages including writing, revising, and testing before being finalized and added to the CBA.

The case-based assessment (CBA) consists of 30 situational judgment cases. Each case has five answer options. RPs are asked to rank all five options from the most aligned to the least aligned with the relevant CRPO Professional Practice Standard.
The current version of the CBA platform requires you to type your answers in an answer field. For example, if you determine the correct rank is ABCDE, you will need to type “ABCDE” in the answer field.

 

The CBA is scored by applying the registrant’s responses (ABCDE for example) to a pre-determined answer key or ‘ideal sequence’. Points are awarded to registrants responses for each element (letter) of their sequence in accordance with their alignment with the key sequence. For example, a perfect match for any given element would result in 4 points (Registrant placing A in the first position where the key also has A in the first position) with the number of points awarded diminishing as respondent response position moves further away from the key position. This occurs for each of the five sequence elements (A, B, C, D, and E). The points awarded for each sequence position are totaled which provides the case score. For example, if the key sequence for a case is A-B-C-D-E and the registrant’s response sequence is A-B-C-D-E (identical) then these responses would earn 20 points, or 100%.

 

This type of ranking is typical of “situational judgement scenarios,” which are designed to recognize that in many situations, there is more than one correct answer. For example, this means that if an RP selects the top two answers, but has them in a different order, they will still do very well on the assessment.

The College has adopted an 80% mastery level as the cut score for registrants completing the CBA.

 

The online CBA will be used by the College to identify risks in practice and direct resources where they are most needed to help registrants provide safe and effective care. The cases in the CBA are based on the CRPO Professional Practice Standards.

 

Practice standards for any regulatory body represents essential foundational knowledge that members of the profession must be aware of and uphold. Therefore, the required assessment score of 80% is in the interest of the public and the profession itself.

 

Accordingly, registrants achieving a score of 80% or higher on the assessment will be classified as “successful”.

The Quality Assurance Committee established a blueprint for the CBA using a risk register (risk frequency and risk severity) based on data as described below:

 

Risk frequency is based on how often the issue arises within:

 

  • College committees (e.g., complaints, applications for registration)
  • Practice advisory inquiries
  • System partner input (e.g., reports of ‘horizon’ issues or emerging risks)

 

Risk severity is determined by reviewing:

 

  • Significance of outcomes (e.g., referring complaints to the Discipline Committee, refusing applications for registration)
  • The priorities of stakeholders (e.g., the public, government, registrants, Council and committees)

 

Registrants completing the case-based assessment are presented with proportionally more cases corresponding to “high-risk” Practice Standards. The number of cases for each section of the Standards corresponds to the level of risk identified by the risk register.

 

The blueprint below outlines the Professional Practice Standards that are being assessed in the 2023 CBA:

 

Standards Section 1: Professional Conduct

Weight – 29%

Number of Cases Selected – 10

 

Standards Section 2: Competence

Weight – 20%

Number of Cases Selected – 4

 

Standards Section 3: Client-Therapist Relationship

Weight – 21%

Number of Cases Selected – 6

 

Standards Section 4: Clinical Supervision

Weight – 11%

Number of Cases Selected – 3

 

Standards Section 5: Record-Keeping & Documentation

Weight – 12%

Number of Cases Selected – 5

 

Standards Section 6: Business Practices

Weight – 7%

Number of Cases Selected – 2

Approximately six weeks after the CBA administration window closes, you will receive information about your result. See CBA Outcomes above.

 

The CBA is part of CRPO’s Quality Assurance Program and differs significantly from the Entry-to-Practice Registration Examination, which is offered by the COMPASS Centre for Examination Development, a national body established to develop and administer the exam.

 

The CBA does not affect your registration status. The CBA is designed to be an educational tool to help you identify potential gaps in your knowledge, skill and judgment and make effective use of your professional development activity hours.

 

In addition, the CBA is intended as a tool to help CRPO identify potential risks in practice and determine where and how to direct College resources in a way that ensures registrants are providing safe and effective care to Ontarians.

 

Information shared through participation in the QA Program is confidential and, with limited exceptions, the information provided can only be used for QA purposes. CRPO will not post CBA or other PPR activity results on the Public Register or share your information with current or future employers.

 

If the QA Committee believes that a registrant may have committed a serious act of professional misconduct, or may be incompetent or incapacitated, the QA Committee may disclose only the registrant’s name and the allegation against the registrant to the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC). The ICRC may carry out an independent investigation if it elects to do so.  However, in cases where a registrant knowingly gave false information to the QA Committee, QA staff, or a peer coach, the QA Committee may disclose this information to the relevant College Committee that is dealing with the matter.

Yes. As part of the College’s QA program under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA), starting in 2023, CRPO began assigning approximately 20% of registrants to complete the case-based assessment (CBA) each year. The CBA is the first stage of a peer and practice review (PPR). Being selected to participate in a PPR is a normal part of being a regulated health professional in Ontario.

 

The CBA will help determine which registrants would benefit most from engaging in peer coaching.

CRPO aims to assess all registrants over a 5-year period.

 

Registrants in the peer-assisted review category may be re-assessed in fewer than 5 years. For example, registrants in the peer-assisted review category will be offered support and an opportunity to be reassessed. Registrants whose reassessment results are in the peer-assisted review category will be assigned a peer coach. Once a registrant has completed peer coaching and any associated learning plan, they are required to complete the CBA again.

 

Once a registrant is placed in a cohort, they will be assessed approximately every 5 years, subject to any reassessment as described above.

The CBA is an online, open-book format and will be available 24-hours a day for 10 days.

 

When selected to complete the CBA, registrants are required to sign in once during the 10-day period and complete the assessment in one sitting. In other words, the CBA cannot be completed over several days or in multiple sittings.

 

The CBA can be completed comfortably within a 4-hour timeframe. However, the window to complete the assessment is 7 hours. Registrants who need time beyond 4 hours, for any reason, have access to extra time without having to submit a separate request.

CRPO will send you your feedback report by email approximately six weeks after the CBA administration window closes.

The College is gradually eliminating the random selection process for registrants to participate in peer and practice reviews. Instead, all registrants will be required to complete the CBA, an online, “open-book” assessment, on a regular and recurring basis, approximately every five years. The CBA will be used by CRPO to identify risks in practice and direct resources where they are most needed to help registrants provide safe and effective care.

 

As the cornerstone of CRPO’s QA Program, the CBA is a sustainable resource that assists CRPO with identifying risks in practice and directing resources where they are most needed to help registrants provide safe and effective care.

 

The CBA is intended to provide evidence-based feedback that will encourage registrants to engage with the Practice Standards and continue to think critically about their practice, their professional growth, and their obligations as regulated health professionals. The CBA supports reflective practice and life-long learning, critical components of providing safe and effective care.To date, CRPO has engaged with over 50 RPs in various stages of the Quality Assurance Enhancement Project. These registrants attended training workshops and contributed their time as case writers, reviewers, standard setters.

 

CRPO has taken an iterative approach to case development. This means each case goes through several stages with different groups of RPs, including writing, revising, and testing, before being finalized and added to the CBA.

Yes. We will send you a link to a feedback survey once you have received your feedback report. CRPO welcomes respectful, constructive feedback.

There is no cost to registrants participating in the case-based assessment or in peer-assisted reviews. These activities are a core part of CRPO’s work of public protection. Registrants who receive coaching from a trained peer coach will not be charged a fee. As well, since RPs will continue to be able to choose which educational activities they undertake as part of the existing required biennial 40 hours of professional development, it will be up to the individual registrant to decide whether they want to engage in activities that have an associated cost.

 

Registrants may be charged fees for non-compliance. Please see Quality Assurance Program Policy 5.0 for compliance expectations.

All regulated health professionals are expected to participate in their regulatory college’s Quality Assurance (QA) Program, as required by the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA). CRPO’s QA Program includes the following activities:

 

  • professional development (self-assessment and 40 hours of learning activities every two years);
  • peer and practice review; and
  • professional improvement.

 

The case-based assessment is the first stage of the peer and practice review activity. It is a risk-assessment activity that has been developed with members of the profession and is based on the CRPO Professional Practice Standards. The intention is to engage registrants with the Standards, help them reflect on their practice, and identify where they might need to focus some of their professional development (learning activities). It will also help identify which registrants might be at risk of not understanding or applying the Standards in their practice. Registrants at risk will be provided with supportive coaching and guidance from a peer to address potential gaps in their knowledge, skill, and judgment before the gaps develop into a risk that might result in harm to the public.

 

All registrants are expected to participate in a peer and practice review approximately once every five years.

 

 

Case-Based Assessment Dates

Case-Based Assessment (CBA) dates are:

  • Spring 2025: April 25 to May 4
    Fall 2025: October 24 to November 2

     

    Spring 2026: April 24 to May 3
    Fall 2026: October 23 to November 1

CBA Prep Resources

To help you prepare for the CBA, see the resources below:

  • Registrant Information

    Professional Practice Standards - Web Version

    The practice standards deal with issues of general professionalism and conduct, such as conflict-of-interest, confidentiality of client information, consent and record-keeping.

    Read more here
  • Registrant Information

    Professional Practice Standards - PDF Version

    The practice standards deal with issues of general professionalism and conduct, such as conflict-of-interest, confidentiality of client information, consent and record-keeping.

    Download PDF
  • CBA Prep Resources

    CBA Practice Cases

    Use these practice questions to help you prepare for the CBA.

    Complete practice questions
  • Apply to CRPO

    Jurisprudence e-Learning Manual - Web Version

    This manual describes the professional and legal obligations of registered psychotherapists.

    Read more here
  • Apply to CRPO

    Jurisprudence e-Learning Manual - PDF Version

    This manual describes the professional and legal obligations of registered psychotherapists.

    Download PDF
  • CBA Prep Resources

    CBA Instructional Video

    Watch this instructional video for a step-by-step walkthrough of the CBA.

    Watch video here
  • CBA Prep Resources

    CBA Printable Guide

    See this printable guide for a step-by-step walkthrough of the CBA.

    Download Guide here

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