Member Benefits

Becoming a member of Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) means joining Canada's leading group of professional peers and experts, who provide essential services to the mental health and well-being of Canadians

CCPA is a national bilingual professional organization, dedicated to serving the interests of Canadian counsellors and psychotherapists who work in many diverse fields of education, employment and career development, social work, business, industry, mental health, public service agencies, government and private practice.

Here is an overview of the benefits of joining CCPA.

CERTIFICATION AND CONTINUING EDUCATION

• CCPA developed the Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) certification process, available only to qualified Professional members, to promote professional accountability and visibility. Certification identifies to the public and professional peers those counsellors who have met specific professional standards;
• We offer members who have their CCC the opportunity to be part of our Directory of Certified Members;
• CCPA has developed the Continuing Education Credit (CEC) system, free to members, to recognize professional development activities and promote continuous education;

STANDARD

• CCPA has adopted a Code of Ethics which serves as a guide to the professional conduct of all its members;
• We have also adopted a very comprehensive Standards of Practice for Counsellors.

INSURANCE

• We offer members, who meet the CCC criteria and to students enrolled in a Masters program in Counselling, during their practicum, a comprehensive professional liability insurance policy at low cost;
• CCPA's partnership with The Personal entitles you to exclusive benefits on home and auto group insurance.

PUBLICATIONS

• CCPA publishes a quarterly newsletter, COGNICA, dedicated to keeping our members informed about current trends in counselling in Canada. An online version, including past issues, is available through the Members only section;
• We provide electronic bulletins to members who subscribe to our monitored list-serv;
• Four times a year, we publish the Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy (CJCP) which provides members up to date information on counselling research, innovative practices, and book reviews;
• We offer a "Members only" restricted zone on our site which provides access to:
  • previous issues of Cognica,
  • employment opportunities
  • updates on provincial regulation
  • member's incentive program

EVENTS, SPECIAL INTERESTS AND AWARDS

• CCPA co-sponsors, with local coordinating committees, an annual national conference dedicated to providing members with new ideas and new techniques to help them meet the needs of their clients. 
• We have special interest and regional chapters across Canada;
• CCPA has an Awards program to recognize outstanding contributions by its members to our profession in the areas of research, writing, training, program development and bilingualism;
• We work actively with other associations and with government departments, to promote our professional projects.

How to Become a Member

Click here to apply for membership.

• Fee is $150/yr (Professional members), or $75/yr (students or retired);
• For Professional members: a copy of your school transcript is required;
• We also offer membership to various CCPA Chapters at an additional fee;
• Joint membership with provincial affiliates are also available to counsellors living in Quebec, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
• Payment can be by cheque, VISA, Master Card, AMEX or money order.

Our Group Professional Liability insurance, is only open to:

• Canadian Certified Counsellors
• Student members enrolled in a Masters of counselling program at an AUCC recognized institution.

Once you are a member, you can also get certified through us.

• For certification (and/or insurance) with us, the minimum requirement is a completed Masters in Counselling (or related field) from a recognized University;
• Please check out our requirements for CCC (Canadian Certified Counsellors);