The CPA is a national, voluntary association of scientists, practitioners, educators, and students in Psychology, as well as members of other professions/disciplines related to Psychology. The CPA does not certify, license, or regulate its practitioner Members or Affiliates to practice in Canada. That is the responsibility of provincial/territorial regulatory bodies of Psychology under their respective statutory laws.
The CPA has neither the authority nor the mandate to investigate complaints regarding unethical practice or behaviour of its practitioner Members. As such, the CPA does not have the ability to professionally sanction its Members; it only has authority over whether those persons remain Members of the CPA.
Further, the CPA cannot contest or re-adjudicate complaints that already have been processed by regulatory bodies; since the CPA does not license its Members, we do not have the jurisdiction to affect that license in any way. The only thing the CPA can do, in the case of a substantiated complaint, is to revoke the membership of the individual in question, and then only after a review by the Committee on Ethics and a recommendation by the Committee to the CPA’s Board of Directors that the membership be revoked.
The Committee on Ethics (CoE) does not have the authority to expel or reinstate Members of the Association. The CoE’s opinions and recommendations on such matters are advisory to the CPA’s Board of Directors, who ultimately make the decisions about membership.
The CPA is a national, voluntary association of scientists, practitioners, educators and students in Psychology, as well as members of other professions related to Psychology. The CPA does not certify, license, or regulate its Members to practice Psychology in Canada. That is the responsibility of provincial/territorial regulatory bodies of Psychology under their respective statutory laws.
In addition, some Members of the CPA are not practicing Psychologists, and may be Members of other professions, or employed by organizations that have separate complaints processes (e.g., universities, hospitals, research firms).
The CPA has neither the authority nor the mandate to investigate complaints regarding unethical practice or behaviour of its Members, nor does the CPA have the ability to professionally sanction its Members; it only has authority over whether those persons remain Members of the CPA. Further, the CPA cannot contest or re-adjudicate complaints that have already been processed by regulatory bodies.
The professional practice of Psychology in Canada is regulated provincially/territorially; every province and territory has its own regulatory body by which professional Psychologists need to be licensed (or certified, registered, or chartered, depending on jurisdiction) in order to call themselves Psychologists and offer services. For more information on the regulation and practice of Psychology in Canada, please see our practice regulation page at: https://cpa.ca/practice/practiceregulation/.
In other words, if you have concerns about the practice or services provided by a CPA Member, you should first determine whether that person is a Member of a professional regulatory body, or if there is another process by which you can file a formal complaint.
If you have a complaint involving the practice of Psychology, you should contact the provincial/territorial regulatory body in the province or territory in which the services to which you are referring were provided. You can find a complete list of those bodies here: https://cpa.ca/public/whatisapsychologist/regulatorybodies/
It is important to note that the CPA cannot discipline its Members beyond the revocation of their membership to the CPA; it cannot serve as an appeals body for the resolution of other bodies’ complaints, and the only thing it can do, in the case of a substantiated complaint, is revoke the membership of the individual in question, and then only after a review by the CoE and a recommendation by the CPA’s Board of Directors.
If you have a complaint involving a Member other than a licensed Psychologist, you should first confirm which regulatory body licensed or certified the Member in question. Typically, this can be done by performing an internet search for the name of their profession and the province in which your services were received. For example, you could search for “psychotherapist regulation Ontario” and find the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. Once you have found the regulatory body, most will have a public register of their members that you can search to confirm whether you have found the correct regulatory body; then you can forward your questions to that body directly.
It is important to note that the CPA cannot discipline its Members beyond the revocation of their membership to the CPA; it cannot serve as an appeals body for the resolution of other bodies’ complaints, and the only thing it can do, in the case of a substantiated complaint, is revoke the membership of the individual in question, and then only after a review by the CoE and a recommendation by the CPA’s Board of Directors.
If you have a complaint involving an unlicensed practitioner or a non-practicing Member of the CPA, it should first be forwarded to an appropriate authority (e.g., another professional association or regulatory body of which the Member is a part, a university disciplinary committee, an institutional complaints process).
The CPA and its Committee on Ethics (CoE) do not accept complaints against Members if there is another authority to whom the complaint could be appropriately submitted. If there is such a body, please forward your complaint to that body. If not, please refer to the CPA “Rules and Procedures for Dealing with Reports and Complaints of Unethical Behaviour” which can be found here: https://cpa.ca/aboutcpa/committees/ethics/rulesandproceduresfordealingwithethicalcomplaints/
It is important to note that the CPA cannot discipline its Members beyond the revocation of their membership to the CPA; it cannot serve as an appeals body for the resolution of other bodies’ complaints, and the only thing it can do, in the case of a substantiated complaint, is revoke the membership of the individual in question, and then only after a review by the CoE and a recommendation by the CPA’s Board of Directors.
The CPA cannot contest or re-adjudicate complaints that already have been processed by regulatory bodies; since the CPA does not license its Members, we do not have the jurisdiction to affect that license in any way. The only thing the CPA can do, in the case of a substantiated complaint, is to revoke the membership of the individual in question, and then only after a review by the Committee on Ethics and a recommendation by the Committee to the CPA’s Board of Directors that the membership be revoked.