BMS is producing an ongoing series relating to COVID-19.
- Overview of Canadian case law in relation to mandatory vaccines policies: Vaccination Policies in Workplaces 12/24/2020
- Sample consent form template: COVID-19 Consent to Treatment 06/03/2020
- This article provides practical considerations for determining and communicating the termination of a client relationship. Parting Ways The Right Way – Terminating the Client Relationship 05/27/2020
- This article includes an overview of considerations for health professionals who are able to re-open their businesses. There are also links to provincial resources and information relating to liability.
Considerations When Resuming Practice 05/07/2020 - These are designed to be practical resources to assist organizations in responding to and recovering from the COVID-19 crisis. Included are considerations and tips for items such as internal communications, supply chain impacts and opportunities to improve risk mitigation moving forward.
Business Continuity Planning 04/23/2020,
Risk Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic 04/23/2020 - This article outlines considerations in relation to employer’s obligations and employee’s right to refuse unsafe work. This includes looking at whether refusal to provide PPE constitutes an unsafe workplace and what healthcare providers can do to assess their risk if faced with this situation. COVID-19: Workplace Safety and Rights of Health Professionals to Refuse Work 04/15/2020
- This article provides considerations for health professionals when making clinical and ethical decisions as well as for handling potential confidentiality issues. Ethical Issues for Regulated Health Professionals in the Era of COVID-19 04/03/2020
- BMS has put together a document based on the common questions they are receiving from members: COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions 04/03/2020
- This article outlines crisis management considerations and best practices for organizations of all sizes.: Crisis Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic 03/31/2020
- As many members transition to a Telehealth environmente, BMS has created the attached Telehealth Consent Form: Consent to Use Electronic Communications to Provide Telehealth Services 03/27/2020
- Many retired members are seeking to return to the workforce during COVID-19: Returning to Practice During COVID-19 – Professional Liabilty Insurance Considerations 03/27/2020
- This article is designed to assist health professionals interpret and apply their obligations under PHIPA during a public health emergency: Protecting Privacy in a Pandemic 03/26/2020
- A resource in relation to tele-health: COVID-19: Virtual Health Care Services – Ensuring Continuity of Care 03/19/2020
- Position statement document as it relates to COVID-19 and insurance coverage within the CPA/CPAP program member policies: COVID-19: Insurance Coverage Position Statement 03/19/2020
Violence (psychological, physical, sexual) in the home has increased worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Click here for more information
Any CPA member, or any member of a provincial/territorial association of psychology, who purchased the Clinic/Business insurance package through BMS, in the year ending June 2020, and wishes information or advice about practice disruption coverage as the result of COVID-19, please contact Chris Blom at Miller Thomson cblom@millerthomson.com
The Montreal Behavioural Medicine Centre (www.mbmc-cmcm.ca), along with international team of over 150 researchers from more than 40 countries around the world, are trying to assess the public perceptions, attitudes, concerns, and responses to the various measures put in place to prevent or reduce the spread of COVID-19. The study, led by Dr. Kim Lavoie (UQAM, CIUSSS-NIM) and Simon Bacon (Concordia University, CIUSSS-NIM) in collaboration with several CPA members from across Canada, will link the survey to policy and case data from around the world to estimate the effectiveness and impacts of current strategies used to ‘flatten the curve’ of COVID-19.
Thanks to your help, we received over 35,000 responses for phase 1! (see preliminary result updates here: https://mbmc-cmcm.ca/covid19/stats-wave1/)
To find out more information or to take the Phase 2 survey (which is available in multiple languages), please go to: www.mbmc-cmcm.ca/covid19
Tell us how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting you and your research!
- We are recruiting academic faculty to participate in a short survey about the experience and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadian academics
- Survey duration: 20 minutes
- Participants can enter into a draw to win a $100 gift card for Skipthedishes or UberEats (odds of winning are approx. 1 in 20).
Click here to complete the survey: https://uregina.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6Qqe4GgmDJaO2Ut
The CPA sent a letter to the Federal Minister of Finance, The Honourable Bill Morneau, outlining its serious concerns that members in private practice were not eligible for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), and the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program. The CPA was pleased to see changes in the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) program which expands the payroll threshold from $50,000 to $200,000 to be eligible for a maximum loan of $40,000.
Given the impact of COVID-19, the CPA and the provincial-territorial psychological associations sent a letter to 6 of the largest insurers in Canada (i.e., Aviva, Canada Life, Greenshields, Manulife, Medavie/Blue Cross and Sun Life) to remove barriers to access psychological care across sponsored plans and evolve their coverage.
We, ACPRO, CCPPP, and the CPA Accreditation Panel recognize that this pandemic has had, and continues to have, a significant impact on the operation of professional psychology training programmes, and on their faculty, staff, and students…
CCPPP CPA ACPRO Statements COVID-19.pdf
The Extended Healthcare Professionals Coalition (EHPC) has sent a Joint Technical Briefing Request – COVID-19 Economic Response Plan to William Francis Morneau, Minister of Finance.
“This is a an urgent request, on behalf of the Extended Healthcare Professionals Coalition (EHPC) that represents 11 national professional health and social organizations, for a joint technical briefing on the newly introduced programs for businesses, employers and individuals as part of the COVID-19 Economic Response Plan to help mitigate the economic impact of the outbreak….”
Click here to read the full Letter
CPA WEBINAR – Held Wednesday April 8, 2020
Psychological Care of Frontline Health Care Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Issues to Consider – Dr. Anita Gupta, Clinical Psychologist.
This webinar will assist those providing psychological care to frontline health care providers during COVID-19 by increasing awareness of common stressors faced and implications for care. More …
The COVID-19 pandemic is having many life-altering short- and likely long-term effects. There are many potential applications of psychological theory, practice, and research that have can contribute to the public good at this time of national and international crisis.
American Psychologist (AP; https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/amp/) invites papers related directly to the pandemic. As for all APmanuscripts, we seek high-impact papers of broad interest covering science, practice, education, or policy. Manuscripts should be written in a style that is accessible to all psychologists and the public.
Dear Colleagues,
Please find attached a letter relating to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada sent on behalf of Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Tina Namiesniowski, President of the Public Health Agency of Canada, and Stephen Lucas, Deputy Minister of Health Canada. Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Office of the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada
Public Health Agency of Canada
Letter to Health Professional Associations Eng.pdf
The following interim guidelines were developed by the CPA Committee on Ethics. They were approved in principle by the CPA Board in June 2006, and distributed for consultation in draft form. The interim guidelines were provided in March of 2020.
https://cpa.ca/docs/File/Ethics/CPAe-therapyGuidelinesUpdate2020.pdf
COVID-19 is having a significant impact on the mental health of Canadians, none more so than those who are working on the front lines of health care. Canadians with COVID-19 depend on the expertise of health care providers. The health and well-being of those providers are critical to them being able to deliver this expertise. Hundreds of registered psychologists have signed on to an initiative of the CPA to provide psychological services, via tele-health, to health care providers working at the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. Click here to read more about this initiative and to find a psychologist in your area who has volunteered to provide psychological services at no charge.
If you are a psychologist registered to practice in Canada and would like to donate some of your time to provide psychological services to front line health care providers who may be feeling stressed, overwhelmed or distressed by being on the front lines of this COVID-related health crisis, please click here to register: https://web2.cpa.ca/membersurveys/index.php/451688?lang=en.
Dr. Christine Korol, Ph.D., R.Psych. YouTube videos on setting up your practice for Online Therapy
- Online Therapy – Ethics: https://youtu.be/c2IasrqN6ic
- Online Therapy – Tech: https://youtu.be/OJbdDfLlUHQ
- Online Therapy – Practice: https://youtu.be/8FFea0feIvg
The MHCC is here for you
Resource hub dedicated to mental health and wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic
ACCESS OUR NEW RESOURCE HUB HERE
Canadian Psychological Association / Council of Professional Associations of Psychologists co-hosted webinar on the current state of COVID-19 Telepsychology & Business Interruption Insurance. Dr. Karen Cohen of the CPA and Dr. Judi Malone of CPAP moderate this presentation by BMS and Gowling.
“Our approved sponsor Leading Edge Seminars will be doing a “virtual lunch” daily at noon for their community of mental health professionals and clients. This will begin with Lawrence Murphy (online counseling), Janina Fisher (psychotherapist, consultant), and Margaret Wehrenberg (author of books on the treatment of anxiety and depression).
To register for any of these free Virtual Lunches, follow this link.”
As the impact of COVID-19 is being felt worldwide, we recognize the pressure this evolving crisis is placing on educators, teachers, supervisors and practitioners of psychology throughout Canada. On behalf of the CPA, we extend our gratitude for the leadership roles so many of you are playing in your communities and your efforts to address the needs of your colleagues, students and patients.
To support your efforts, and to inform the public, we have compiled and created a variety of resources. We are also working with our partners and other associations to advocate for, not only on behalf of our members, but also for members of the Canadian public.