AGM & CONFERENCE

REGISTER FOR "THE WHOLE SHEBANG!" BY JULY 1 FOR A CHANCE TO WIN!

Early bird pricing is available only a few more days !!  Register before July 1, 2016 to be entered to win $100.00 off your registration.

We encourage you to reserve your space for the Association of Cooperative Counselling Therapists (ACCT) 2016 Annual General Meeting and Conference, Friday, September 30 and Saturday, October 1, 2016, at the Executive Suites Hotel & Conference Centre Burnaby.

Focusing on the theme of ‘Nurturing Our Craft, Nurturing Ourselves,’ the two-day conference will include professional development sessions centering on skill building and self-care, and opportunities to meet and connect with fellow members.

We have arranged for special hotel rates for attendees, travel discounts for our members, and a variety of conference packages to give our members the ability to attend as much or as little as they choose.

Early bird pricing is available through July 1, 2016. We encourage you to reserve your space today and join us for two days of learning, exploration, camaraderie, and celebration, as we continue to grow cooperatively and support excellence in competency-based counselling.

CONFERENCE PACKAGE OPTIONS:

We have taken special care in our scheduling so that members can attend the "Whole Shebang!" and only spend one night in the hotel.  We asked for member input and we put it into practice!

The Whole Shebang!  This option is the BEST VALUE, it gives you access to all the events and offers you a 45% discount on the dinner!

$175.00 per person for all of Friday and Saturday.  

This package includes:

• Friday's keynote speaker and professional development session plus evening dinner and entertainment;
• Saturday's continental breakfast, AGM and elections, lunch, coffee breaks/snacks and professional development sessions. 

Total five professional development hours.

(We welcome your dinner guests at $49.00 per person.) 

**EARLY BIRD PRICE $160.00 if purchased before July 1, 2016

No Dinner Please! This option does NOT include the Friday evening dinner or entertainment

$138.00 per person for Friday and Saturday (days only)

This package includes:

• Friday's keynote speaker and professional development session.
• Saturday's continental breakfast, AGM and elections, lunch, coffee breaks/snacks and professional development sessions. 

 Total five professional development hours.

EARLY BIRD PRICE $125.00 if purchased before July 1, 2016

The One Day'er!

$100.00 per person for Saturday only

This package includes:

• Saturday's continental breakfast, AGM and elections, lunch, coffee breaks/snacks and professional development sessions. 

 Total three professional development hours.

EARLY BIRD PRICE $90.00 if purchased before July 1, 2016

No charge for AGM only - but please make sure that you register!

REGISTER NOW

**Those purchasing the “Whole Shebang!” by the early bird date of July 1, 2016, will be entered into a draw for a $100.00 credit toward your package.  This means $60.00 for the entire weekend! 

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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

ACCT is a volunteer driven cooperative and we are always looking for volunteer, in particular we need volunteers to help on a couple of committees.

SEO Provider Committee - Do you have some experience working with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) providers? In particular, the volunteers would assist with preparing an RFP and will be part of the selection team for hiring a SEO contract provider to increase the web presence of our counselling directory. Please contact Mike Stephan at [email protected], if you have any questions.

 Social Media Policy Committee - with the ever increasing presence of social media ACCT would like to implement a social media policy.  We are looking for members who have experience with guidelines or principles of communicating in the on-line world to form a committee to create a policy.  Please contact Rob Brooks at [email protected], if you have any questions.

If you are interested in this, or any other volunteer position, please fill out an ACCT Volunteer Application on the website.

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SUPERVISION

The Importance of Supervision 

As counsellors and members of ACCT, we are all aware that supervision is important, but how important is it for personal and practice development?

Often supervision develops a counsellor’s professional judgement, self awareness, clinical knowledge and skills, including critical self-reflection. These are important skills for counsellors. In fact, it can help us as therapists to be more effective with clients, but is considered a key competency - "safe and effective use of self".

Supervision is critical to our personal and professional development and well-being.  It can help us builds skills, a network of support, confidence, critical thinking, self- awareness and many other important qualities.  It could be considered an integral part of our ongoing development and education as counsellors. 

It is now a requirement of membership with ACCT that all RTC/ACs and RCS receive a minimum of 10 hours of supervision each year and it will soon be mandatory for all counselling therapists as it is anticipated that entry into the new colleges will require a certain amount of supervision hours.

What are some of the ways/options for getting supervision? 

Supervision is offered in a variety of settings, individual, dyadic and group supervision. These options are all uniquely beneficial. Many who work in homes or mental health areas are already under supervision - although it may be more helpful to have an outside, neutral person to speak with about issues you might face.  Often supervision in an agency can be more clinically focused.

What can a counsellor expect in a supervisory meeting and how long will it take? 

Supervision is a unique experience. There are ethical responsibilities that we must meet, therefore, it is suggeted there is a contract in place between the supervisor and supervisee, which outlines the roles and responsibilities of each.  A sample contract is available on the ACCT website. 

The method of supervision may vary, depending upon the supervisor. You could meet individually with your supervisor for 2-4 hours a month depending upon your needs, this can be done in person, by phone or via Skype. 

Many supervisors offer group sessions, where you can learn from one another in addition to the group leader by sharing experiences and challenges. Group sessions also have the advantage of being time-efficient and cost-effective. 

The beauty of the different formats is the richness of the experience they can create.  In individual sessions, personal issues often arise as well as discussion of client cases. The group format can be more structured with an agenda but again, a very rich experience. For new RTC/ACs this is a great way to start as it can be more affordable. 

What is Structured Peer Group Supervision?

RCS members also have the option of creating a contractual agreement between group members with a minimum of 5 years experience (post eligibility for clinical membership of their respective professional associations) to provide reciprocal supervision of counselling practice. A sample contractual agreement can be downloaded here. 

How do I find a supervisor?

Supervisors for ACCT members are required to:

• Be a Master Therapeutic Counsellor (MTC) OR;

• Have an equivalent professional designation from another association OR;

• Be an instructor employed by a counselling school with a minimum of 5 years of counselling experience in counselling practice in a private or agency setting.

You can find a list of all ACCT Registered Counselling Supervisors (RCSs) on the ACCT website here.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Professional Development Policy Change

Prior to ACCT implementing the policy for mandatory supervision for all Registered Therapeutic Counsellors (RTC), Accredited Counsellors (AC) and Registered Counselling Supervisors (RCS), all supervision hours could be counted towards your annual professional development hours.

Due to ACCT now requiring 10 hours of supervision for RTCs, ACs and RCSs, the following new policy has been implemented:

"That the required 10 hours of supervision for RTC/AC and RCSs be applied only once and solely to the hours required for supervision, thus requiring all RTCs, ACs and RCSs to obtain 10 hours of supervision and 15 hours of professional development annually"

ACCT counsellors are required to earn a minimum of 15 professional development hours specifically related to counselling, that may include: courses, workshops, seminars, receiving mentorship, self-directed learning, self-care education and workshops, learning through contribution by volunteering, including volunteering with ACCT. In addition RTCs, ACs and RCSs may use any supervision hours received above the 10 hours required to meet their annual professional development requirements.

Professional Development Session

Our first ACCT sponsored Professional Development session held in Vancouver on April 2 was a huge success. Thank you to all members who attended and a special thank you to our presenters, Kerry Vega, Sarah Lipsett and Joseph Eliezer as well as our Operations Manager, Sarah Hughes for looking after the logistical needs. It was a great afternoon of learning, sharing and connecting. We will be having more of these PD sessions in the future, so stay tuned for more info!

If you have additional suggestions for professional development, we would love to hear them.  Please email your suggestions to Mike Stephan at [email protected]

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MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

Our membership continues to grow; in the first 5 1/2 months of 2016 alone we have approved 55 new member applications! That’s amazing!  It’s also been a lot of work for our membership team. Fortunately, we’ve also had some great new volunteers show up to join the team. A big thank you to all our volunteers, past & present, and to Shannon for all your hard work and diligence. We couldn’t do this without you. If you’re interested in learning more about how membership works or getting involved (it earns you those all-important PD hours!), please don’t hesitate to reach out to us: [email protected]

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MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY

What makes ACCT different? Input from our members is sought, welcomed, valued and used, which is exactly why a new Counsellor Directory was released last year improving the existing directory's appearance, function and optimization. 

We are investing in some SEO work for the directory to build search ranking and presence on the web, and we ask everyone to complete their profiles including a professional image, if you haven't already done so.  This will not only benefit you individually, it will increase the effectiveness of the directory and benefit all members with profiles.

If you require assistance, please click the link below to download a handy User Manual.

ACCT Directory User Manual

Or email [email protected] or call 1-844-369-ACCT (2228) and Shannon would be happy to help.

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2020 - 2021 BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND COMMITTEES

Recent Change to the Board of Directors

In April, Board Director Darrin Taylor, stepped down due to unforeseen circumstances that resulted in more business travel than he had anticipated.

"It was with regret that I have to tender my resignation to the ACCT Board. I served this great organization for only about six months but was blessed to have learned so much from our colleagues who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep this organization running as smoothly as it does. Business obligations combined with an unpredictable travel schedule made it difficult for me to consistently contribute the way I would have liked. I began to feel that I was letting my fellow board members down. Stepping aside was the right thing to do at this time, however I may well be in a position to serve in the future if asked. I wish our board, my replacement, and ACCT continued success."

Thank you for your contribution Darrin, and we hope to see back in the future!

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REGULATION UPDATE

Currently all provinces have regulated, or are in the process of regulating. Once regulated, it is anticipated that each province will move toward creating their professional colleges. Recently, the Canadian territories have also expressed an interest in regulating counsellors.

Regulation in each province is different, and may protect “title only” or “title and scope.” Where there are both ‘title and scope’ regulations, the regulations cover not only who can use the provincial counselling title, BUT ALSO who can actually work as a counsellor in that province. (See bracket beside each province)

British Columbia (Title protection only.)

• Regulation activities are still underway.

• The update is complete, and a survey of BC practitioners was conducted in February 2016 to validate the competencies.

• There are very serious discussions occurring within the BC Cabinet and high level meetings are occurring.

Saskatchewan (Nno regulation yet.)

• A small group formed in Saskatchewan to conduct the initial research regarding how a health profession is regulated in that province.

• A list of organizations related to counselling was compiled.

• They are now hoping to hold quarterly meeting to get the process going.

• They have requested permission to use the FACBC Competency profile (2016)

Manitoba (No regulation yet.)

• An informal coalition has been in existence for over four years.

• The Coalition is planning a larger meeting for September 2016, to which all organizations related to counselling will be invited. They have requested permission to use the FACBC Competency profile (2016)

• ACCT  is looking for members in Manitoba to represent us at this group.

Ontario  (Protected Title and Controlled Act – expected to be proclaimed)

• It is anticipated that the Controlled Act will be proclaimed in 2016.

• The College currently has approximately 3,000 practitioners. This number is growing daily.

• The College has indicated that over 6,000 practitioners have established accounts.

Alberta (No regulation yet)

• They have requested permission to use the FACTBC Competency profile (2016).

• They have formed FACT-ALBERTA.

• A governance structure, committee structure, meeting dates for the remainder of the year have been established, and a website is available – www.fact-alberta.org.

Quebec (Titles and Scope)

• The Quebec College, formed in 200 the Ordre des Conseillers d’orientation has approximately 2,450 members.

New Brunswick  (Title Protection ONLY)

• Various groups in New Brunswick have been pursuing legislation for more than 21 years. More recently they joined to form a federation.

• No College formed yet.

Nova Scotia (Title Protection ONLY)

• The Counselling Therapist Act was proclaimed on October 11, 2011.

• NSCCT is a relatively small College with approximately 200 members.

• Additional information is available at www.nscct.ca.

Prince Edward Island (No regulation yet)

• The Prince Edward Island Counselling Association (PEICA) formed a Chapter for Counselling Therapists and has vigorously pursued legislation for many years.

• On December 20, 2013, the PEI Health Ministry indicated that the RHPA (Regulated Health Professions Act), Bill 42 was now in effect.

• No College formed yet.

Newfoundland and Labrador (No regulation yet.)

• Beginning in 2009, the provincial government department of Health began researching the development of umbrella legislation to govern health related professions and self-regulation was passed in 2010- entitled the “ Health Professionals Act”. 

• An organizing /strategy meeting occurred on April 30, 2016,The groups present agreed to work together.The next meeting is currently being scheduled.

• ACCT is looking for members to be part of this ‘working group’.

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WORDS OF WISDOM

“Remember that nurturing yourself is as important (if not more so) than nurturing others” …….Mary Ann Radmacher

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