Procedures

• Overview of the Accreditation Process
• Preparing for Accreditation
• Minimal Standards to be met Before Making Formal Application for Accreditation
• Applying for Accreditation
• The Response of the Council on Accreditation to the Application
• Site Visits
• Criteria for Selection of an Individual for Accreditation Site Visits
• Composition of the Site Visiting Team
• Duties of the Chair of the Site Visiting Team
• Conduct of the Site Visit
• Format of the Site Visit Report
• Disposition of the Site Visit Report
• Categories for Decisions on Accreditation
• Making Decisions on Accreditation
• Notification to the Institution
• Appeal Procedures
• Confidentiality and Publication

Overview of the Accreditation Process

Using the CCPA Standards, the accrediting process involves:

1. Submission of a written application that incorporates an internal program evaluation report. Completed applications are accepted at any time and should be sent to the Chair of the Council on Accreditation.
   
2. Evaluation of the institution’s program by a site visiting team appointed by the CCPA Council on Accreditation to determine if the Standards are met.
3. Periodic review to determine whether or not accredited programs continue to meet the Standards.

Preparing for Accreditation

Before making formal application to the Council on Accreditation, the faculty should study the application and rating forms carefully and use them to determine strengths
and weaknesses of the program for which accreditation is sought. The purpose of this self-study is to improve the effectiveness of the program and to prepare for a formal
application for accreditation. The following sequential steps are suggested as possible procedures for conducting the self- study:

1. Prepare and organize the faculty.
2. Develop materials required to complete the application form.
3. Have the faculty rate the degree to which the program meets each of the standards as they appear on the rating form.
4. Invite a consultant to assist in a review of the program*.
5. Implement the necessary program changes in order to meet the CCPA Standards.
6. Document changes made in the program as a result of the self-study.

This process may require a minimum of six months to complete. When the faculty is satisfied that its program meets the CCPA Standards, formal application for
Accreditation may be made.

*The purpose of inviting the consultant is to review the program compared with the accreditation standards and to provide feedback with respect to strengths and changes
that should be made to meet the standards. The consultant should be a senior professor with extensive experience in counsellor education and the accreditation
standards. This step is recommended but not required. The consultant is chosen by the program and funded by the university. The consultant’s report is confidential to
the university. A list of potential consultants can be obtained from CCPA.

Minimal Standards to be met Before Making Formal Application for Accreditation

While there may be variation in the degree to which a program meets various standards, it is expected that most of the Standards will be met at an exemplary level. Where a standard is not adequately met, there must be some evidence of the department's effort and commitment to meet it.

Applying for Accreditation

Formal application for accreditation must include:

1. A completed application together with some evidence of an internal self-study conducted over the previous six months, relevant excerpts from the Graduate
   Calendar, descriptive brochures, and information routinely disseminated to prospective graduate students, and any other supportive documentation.
2. A completed CCPA Accreditation Application Form indicative of current program status.
3. A letter of intent by the institution to meet the financial obligations of a site visit. An appropriate officer of the institution must sign this letter.
4. Payment of an application fee of $1,000.00.

The institution should prepare seven copies of its application. Three copies, along with a cheque in the amount of $1,000.00 made payable to the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, should be sent to:

CCPA Council on Accreditation,
16 Concourse Gate
Suite 600
Ottawa, Ontario
K2E 7SE

Upon request, the institution will supply a completed copy of all application materials to each of the three site visitation team members. One copy is to be retained for the institution's files.

The Response of the Council on Accreditation to the Application

The Council on Accreditation reviews the institution's application and may respond in one of three ways:

1. Accept the application, which means that the counsellor education program will be considered for accreditation and a site visit will be made.
2. Return the application because it is incomplete and request that the missing information be supplied.
3. Recommend that the application be withdrawn because an examination of the data reveals that the standards for program approval are unmet. In this event, the Chair of the Council on Accreditation will notify the institution of the recommendation and state the reason. If the institution believes the preliminary evaluation and response to be in error, it may provide additional information and request reconsideration of the decision. The Council on Accreditation reserves the right to determine the final course of action.

Site Visits

The purposes of the site visit are:

1. To validate the information presented in the application for Accreditation.
2. To gain an understanding of those aspects of the counsellor education program that cannot be evaluated fully from documentation supplied by the institution.

The typical site visit consists of a two or three day review of the program. The Chair of the Council on Accreditation is responsible for the following arrangements:

1. Scheduling the site visit.
2. Sending materials pertaining to the procedures and regulations covering site visits to the designated individual(s) at the institution.
3. Appointing the site visiting team and designating the chair of the team.
4. Providing members of the team with the necessary instructions and documents.

Criteria for Selection of an Individual for Accreditation Site Visits

A member of a site visiting team must:

1. Be a member of CCPA.
2. Be a recognized counsellor educator for a program at the Master’s level at a Canadian university.
3. Submit a current curriculum vita.
4. Have completed a site visitor training session on CCPA accreditation procedures.
5. Have no conflict of interest with the program under review
6. Be approved by the Council on Accreditation.

Site visitors are volunteers and do not receive an honorarium. They are compensated for travel and subsistence. Costs of the site visit are the responsibility of the university
applying for accreditation.

Composition of the Site Visiting Team

1. The site visiting team will consist of three members appointed by the Chair of the Council on Accreditation.
2. The Chair of the Council on Accreditation will confer with the institution before selecting the site visiting team. Site visiting team members must be acceptable to the applying institutions as well as to the Council on Accreditation.
3. The Chair of the Council on Accreditation will designate one of the site visitors as chair of the site visiting team.
4. To minimize expenses, geographical location will be considered when selecting the team. In no case, however, will a member of the team be employed in the same province in which the institution is located.

Duties of the Chair of the Site Visiting Team

The duties of the chair of the site visiting team will be as follows:

1. To plan the site visit with the designated institutional representative in advance of the visit.
2. To assign duties to site visiting team members.
3. To chair an organizational meeting at the beginning of the site visit.
4. To organize and supervise the activities of the site visiting team.
5. To speak for the site visiting team in conferences with administrative officers of the institution.
6. To collect reports from team members and prepare a final report to be forwarded to the Chair of the Council on Accreditation no later than four weeks after the site visit.

Conduct of the Site Visit

1. Site visiting team members should arrange their travel schedules so that arrivals and departures coincide with the beginning of the site visit and the completion of
   official business. Site visiting team members should not arrive late nor should they leave before the work of the team has been completed.
2. Team members should send copies of their travel schedules in advance to the Chair of the Council on Accreditation, the Chair of the Site Visiting Team, and the designated representative of the applying institution.
3. Social engagements for either the site visiting team or individual members should be avoided. Evenings should be kept free so that team members may confer with one another.
4. The Chair of the Site Visiting Team should hold a meeting of team members on the afternoon or evening before the site visit begins. The purpose of the meeting is to review relevant materials, to plan the team’s work, and to divide up responsibilities.
5. Normally, the site visiting team should plan to:
   • examine the library facilities;
   • review the program in depth with the academic staff;
   • meet with administrative officers of the institution, including those in positions to discuss with authority the institution's overall attitude towards the counsellor education program;
   • meet with individual faculty members; and
   • interview students and graduates.
   The site visiting team may also request an interview with either the President or his/her designee.
6. Site visiting team members should confer with one another, as necessary, during the visit to examine progress and to plan for the rest of the visit. A meeting should be held at the end of the site visit to consolidate impressions, to identify requirements that need to be met, and to draft recommendations arising from the site visit.
7. Before leaving, the Chair and other site visiting team members should discuss with appropriate officers and faculty of the institution their general impressions of the program. The purpose of this meeting is to allow for verification and/or correction of information by program and administrative representatives.

Format of the Site Visit Report

Preparation of the final report of the site visit is the responsibility of the Chair of the Site Visiting Team although various aspects of the report writing may be delegated to
individual team members. The site visiting team report should follow the following format:

1. Introduction.

1.1 Name of the Institution and Department

1.2 Names and positions of Site Visiting Team Members

1.3 Dates of the Site Visit

1.4 Agenda of the Site Visiting Team

2. Evaluation against CCPA Standards
I -The Institution
II -Mission, Orientation, Objectives, and Priorities

• Standards A, and B 1-7 are partially met, met, not met.
• Strengths
• LimitationsRecommendations for Action

III -Program of Studies

• Standards A 1-14, B 1-10, C, and D 1-10 are partially met, met, not met
• Strengths
• Limitations
• Recommendations for Action

lV -Students

• Standards A 1-3, B 1-2, C 1-2, and D 1-2 are partially met, met, not met.
• Strengths
• Limitations
• Recommendations for Action
  

V -Faculty

• Standards A 1-3 and B 1-2 are partially met, met, not met.
• Strengths
• Limitations
• Recommendations for Action
  

VI -Program Governance

• Standards 1-4 are partially met, met, not met.
• Strengths
• Limitations
• Recommendations for Action
  

VII -Instructional Support

• Standards 1-4 are partially met, met, not met.
• Strengths
• Limitations
• Recommendations for Action

VIII -Evaluation

• Standards A and B, C 1- 2, D 1 – 4, E - H are partially met, met, not met.
• Strengths
• Limitations
• Recommendations for Action
  

Note: The Site Visit Report does not contain a recommendation regarding accreditation.

Disposition of the Site Visit Report

The preparation of the Site Visit Report is coordinated by the Chair of the Site Visiting Team who forwards the report, along with any minority or supplementary reports, to
the Chair of the Council on Accreditation no later than four weeks after the site visit.

A copy of this report will be sent to the President of the applying institution or his/her designee, the Dean of the Faculty, the Head of the administrative unit in which the
counsellor education program is located, and to the Professional Leader of the Counsellor Education Program for verification of the factual data and/or for comment. The institution will have one month in which to respond by providing additional materials concerning the facts and conclusions in the written report. No action will be taken on
the report until the end of the one-month period.

Categories for Decisions on Accreditation

After reviewing the Site Visit Report and the team's recommendation regarding accreditation and any additional information provided by the applicant institution, the Council on Accreditation will decide the action to be taken on accreditation. The Council will make a decision to place the program into one of the following three categories:

a) Full Approval (for a 6-year period)
b) Provisional Approval (for a 3-year period)
c) Denial of Approval

The decision made by the Council on Accreditation will become effective as of the month of the site visit. Accredited programs must pay an annual fee of $750.00 due on
the date when accreditation first applies and on the anniversary date for each year thereafter.

Making Decisions on Accreditation

1. The Council on Accreditation will be responsible for making all final decisions regarding program accreditation.
2. The Council on Accreditation will treat as confidential all materials and deliberation pertaining to any institution.
3. Two members of the Council on Accreditation will be assigned to review the information on a specific program and make separate recommendations to the Council on Accreditation. They will be supplied with (a) a copy of the program’s application for accreditation, (b) a copy of the Site Visit Report, and (c) a copy of the institution’s response to the Site Visit Report.
4. No member of the Council on Accreditation may participate in a decision on accreditation for an institution with which he/she has had or currently has a formal affiliation (e.g., as a faculty member, a student, or employee) or for which he/she has been a member of the site visitation team.
5. Information on a program‘s application will be reviewed and discussed at the first meeting of the Council on Accreditation following the Site Visit. After careful review of the materials provided, each eligible member of the Council on Accreditation shall participate in the discussion and vote on a recommendation regarding accreditation (i.e., Full Approval for 6 years, Provisional Approval for 3 years, or Denial of Approval).
6. At least 2/3 of the voting members of the Council on Accreditation must recommend Full or Provisional Accreditation for a program to be placed in that category. Programs that do not receive this support will be denied approval.
7. The Chair of the Council on Accreditation will collate and summarize the recommendations of the Council members and will provide specific feedback, in writing, to each institution when granted or denied accreditation. All such feedback will be sent directly to the President of the institution or his/her designee, and to the Professional Leader of the Counsellor Education Program.
8. Any information regarding accreditation decisions will be released only by the Chair of the Council on Accreditation.
9. When Provisional Approval is granted by the Council on Accreditation, the specific steps that must be taken by the institution to gain Full Approval will be specified, in writing, and sent by the Chair to the President of the institution or his/her designee, and to the Professional Leader of the Counsellor Education Program.
10. Provisional Approval extends for three years. By the end of the second year, the program must re-apply for accreditation. At the end of the three years the Council on Accreditation will make another decision on the accreditation status of the program. In no case will the program retain provisional status for more than three years. If the CCPA Standards are not met by the program at the end of three years, program denial will be automatic unless the institution chooses to withdraw its application. Full approval will extend for six years. At the end of the fifth year, the program must reapply for accreditation.
11. In order to maintain its accredited status, a program will be required to submit to the Chair of the Council on Accreditation, a short yearly report and a longer report at the mid point of the accreditation cycle. The Council on Accreditation will review the report and the Chair will provide a written response to the submission each year.

Notification to the Institution

The Chair of the Council on Accreditation will forward a copy of the decision of the Council on Accreditation, with specific feedback to the President of the institution or
his/her designee, and to the Professional Leader of the Counsellor Education Program. The institution will be informed of its right to appeal an unfavourable decision and of
the deadline for filing an appeal. A decision of denial will not be formalized for a period of one month after the institution has been notified of its right to appeal.

Appeal Procedures

A decision of denial of approval by the Council on Accreditation may be appealed within one month after the decision has been made and notification has been sent. The
appeal procedure is as follows:

1. The institution will appeal in writing to the Council on Accreditation giving its reasons for requesting reconsideration of the decision.
2. The Council on Accreditation will have the responsibility of appointing a Hearing Panel made up of a minimum of three members. Members of the Hearing Panel shall be acceptable to the Institution.
3. If another site visit is deemed appropriate by the Hearing Panel and agreed to by the appealing institution, the institution must pay the actual expenses incurred by the site Hearing Panel.
4. The Hearing Panel, on the basis of its review of the pertinent materials on which the decision of the Council on Accreditation was made, will decide on the appeal.
   
5. The Hearing Panel may decide to:
   • Uphold the decision of the Council on Accreditation. The Council on Accreditation will receive from the Hearing Panel, a written statement giving the rationale for the Panel’s decision.
   • Rescind the decision of the Council on Accreditation and render a decision, which it considers appropriate. The Council on Accreditation will receive from the Hearing Panel a written statement giving the rationale for the Panel’s decision.
     
6. The Chair of the Council on Accreditation will forward the decision of the Hearing Panel to the President of the institution or his/her designee, and to the Professional Leader of the Counsellor Education Program.
7. The decision of the Hearing Panel is final.
8. An applicant institution, which has been denied approval, may reinstate application for accreditation after one year.

Confidentiality and Publication

In accordance with accepted practices in accreditation, the Council on Accreditation regards all accreditation materials pertaining to an institution as confidential. Upon
request from the institution, however, information may be made available to other recognized accrediting agencies by whom the institution has been accredited or of whom it is seeking accreditation. Otherwise, the information may be disclosed only if the Council on Accreditation is legally required to do so.

Routinely, the Council on Accreditation will publish lists of accredited programs in the Canadian Journal of Counselling, including the year of the next scheduled review.
Lists of accredited programs may be distributed to interested organizations, agencies, or individuals.

Once the accreditation process is complete, accredited programs will receive an accreditation certificate.