Supervision FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Question: When I renew, do I need a certain amount of individual vs group supervision hours?
Answer: For renewal, you can have a mix of individual and group at a 50/50 ratio (no more than 50% of group Supervision, meaning you must see your Primary Supervisor for at least 5+ hours annually.
ACCT recommends members to accumulate individual supervision hours for two reasons.
- For the MTC application, at least half of your required supervision hours must be individual or dyadic. The remaining hours may be completed through group supervision.
- For RTCc and RTC applications, we recommend that at least half of your supervision hours be individual or dyadic. This aligns with what we understand to be the industry standard and helps prepare you for future regulation in BC. While we don’t yet know exactly what the college will require, this recommendation is based on current best practices.
2. Question: ACCT recommends that Non-ACCT Supervisors may serve best as your Secondary Supervisor, as a modality specialist?
If you have a non-ACCT supervisor as your primary supervisor, they are required to complete the Non-ACCT Supervisor Attestation Form to confirm that their qualifications and supervision practices align with ACCT’s supervision standards. Once this form is submitted and approved, members may complete 5 or more hours of supervision per year with that supervisor to meet their supervision requirements.
If you choose to work with a non-ACCT supervisor as a secondary supervisor, you may receive up to a maximum of 5 hours of supervision per year from them without the need for the attestation form. This option is often helpful for members who wish to consult with a specialist in a particular modality, population, or area of practice, while maintaining an ACCT-recognized supervisor as their primary supervisor.
3. Question: ACCT recommends that supervisors attend supervision for supervisors. Can you give me some specifics on what this may look like, how many hours and who to go to for this?
Answer: We require supervisors have supervision for being a supervisor (vs a counsellor). Look for a supervisor who is qualified i.e. training to supervise supervisors. Reciprocal supervision can be used for this it follows the guidelines for structured supervision as set in the ACCT Supervision Guidelines.
4. Question: Can reciprocal supervision between MTCs and RCSs count as supervision hours?
Answer: If your reciprocal supervision follows the guidelines for structured peer supervision that are set out in the criteria document then yes it will qualify for supervision hours. But if it does not meet the guidelines (unstructured peer supervision) as set in the document then it will not. Ie. if no one in the group meets the RCS requirements (does not need to be an RCS but needs to have the qualifications). If there is only one person in the group that meets the criteria for example then when it becomes their turn to get support who is holding the supervisor reins and taking notes etc?
Only MTCs and RCSs can participate in reciprocal supervision. RTCs, RTCcs cannot.
5. Question: If your group supervisor recorded the # of hours in the group were devoted to your questions, can this be counted towards your individual supervision hours?
Answer: No, this counts as group supervision.
6. Question: Can we hear more specifically about what happened in Ontario, and all the grandfathering requirements they established besides and including supervision hours?
Answer: We do not have all of the documentation of the Ontario college grandfathering requirements as it happened over 10 years ago, and they had a few different waves, so we would not want to give inaccurate info. Having said that, the current CRPO application requirements gives us more accurate info on the current industry standards which have changed over the last 10 years. We also reviewed the current standards with the BCACC and CCPA
7. Question: If, as a therapist I don't meet the requirements in the grandfathering window of time, what would I then have to do to make it into a college?
Answer: We do not know the answer to that question. The college will likely have an application process for new counsellors that will be slightly different from counsellors that are currently practising. We will have to wait to see what that looks like. You can take a look at the CRPO’s application - it might be similar to that.
8. Question: How and when have all supervisors been informed on ACCTs interpretation of / guidance on this?
Answer: All ACCT supervisors (RCS) have been invited to all the meetings to discuss all of the potential changes and to participate in the development of the new criteria based on industry standards. ACCT is made up of all of us who are members. The interpretation of industry standards for ongoing supervision, and recommendations for ACCT were made by the ACCT supervision committee.
9. Question: If the MTC/ RCS criteria have changed, how are non-ACCT Supervisors supposed to inform themselves of this when it is not listed under those criteria?
Answer: The Website will be updated to reflect the new criteria. Members are responsible for ensuring that their supervisors' credentials meet the criteria.
10. Question: How and when do I report my supervision hours?
Answer: Supervision hours are reported by your renewal date on the CCD report online.
11. Question: Do my hours at the time I graduated in May 2023, count towards the full RTC? How does it work? I ended up with 107 direct client contact hours and 40 supervision, plus my 120 practicum hours…
Answer: Yes, your direct client hours (DCC) and your Supervision hours from your training count toward your RTC designation with the following caveat; Supervision from training must meet the definition of supervision as outlined in the criteria document.
