What do all those initials after the names mean?

[HA]

I recently checked out a site that is advertised by google here for counselling in Toronto. I saw this from the list of staff and thought, wow, those I have not heard of so here they are along with a list of Canadian credentialed initials and I still can't figure it out. It seems a little deceptive to me.

Ms. Person R.S.W., Acc. F.M., EAP Acc. Med., A.C.A..

Ms. Person2 M.A., R. Psych Says she is a registered psychologist?

Mr. Manperson B.A., CHRP, Acc.FM (OAFM), FMC Cert. CFM

Education/Training

• MSW Master of Social Work
  
• CSW Certified Social Worker
  
• Ph.D. C.Psych. Psychologist, Certified
  
• CBE Certified Bereavement Educator
  
• CBT Certified Bereavement Therapist
  
• CCW Certified Childcare Worker
  
• MD, FRCP Psychiatrist
  
• MEd Master of Education
  
• MEd C Psych, Master of Counselling Psychology
  
• M.C or MA Master of Counselling Psychology
  
• M.Div. Master of Divinity
  
• RPT Registered Psychotherapist
  
• RSW Registered Social Worker
  
• CPT Certified Psychotherapist
  
• CPS Certified Psychotherapy Supervisor
  
• CPT-S Certified Play Therapist and Play Therapist Supervisor
  
• CTS Certified Trauma Specialist
  
• CH Certified Hypnotist CPO College of Psychologists of Ontario

Associations /Regulatory Bodies

• OSP Ontario Society of Psychotherapy
  
• CCA Canadian Counselling Association
  
• OAMFT Ontario Association of Mental Health Professionals
  
• OSP Ontario Society of Psychotherapists
  
• AAMFT American Association of Mental Health Professionals
  
• OCN Ontario College of Nurses
  
• OACCPP Ontario Association of Consultants, Counsellors, Psychometrists & Psychotherapists
  
• OATSS Ontario Association of Trauma & Stress Specialists
  
• OPA Ontario Psychological Association
  
• ADEC Association of Death Education & Counselling
  
• APA American Psychological Association
  
• CPA Canadian Psychological Association
  
• OASW Ontario Association of Social Workers
  
• OCSWSSW Ontario College of Social Workers & Social Service Workers
  
• ACBT Academy of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
  
• OMA Ontario Medical Association
  
• RCPSC Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada
  
• FRCP Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
  
• CACP Canadian Academy of Child Psychology
  
• CAPT Canadian Association of Psychodynamic Psychotherapists

 

[ladylore]

It is a bit deceptive. Thanks for defining the initials.

M.Div. Master of Divinity

But I wonder what someone with these kinds of credentials would do; pastor perhaps?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Ms. Person R.S.W., Acc. F.M., EAP Acc. Med., A.C.A.

Registered Social Worker (RSW) with some additional EAP accreditation.

Ms. Person2 M.A., R. Psych Says she is a registered psychologist?

There is no such designation as R.Psych. in Ontario. With an M.A., she may be a registered Psychological Associate but the desighnation would be C.Psych. or Psych. Assoc.

Mr. Manperson B.A., CHRP, Acc.FM (OAFM), FMC Cert. CFM

No idea. I don't recognize any of these.

Most of the "Associations/Regulatory Bodies" are associations only - not regulatory bodies. The following may do some screening of credentials but they are not regulatory bodies and have no power to censure or monitor or sanction their members:

OSP Ontario Society of Psychotherapy
CCA Canadian Counselling Association
OAMFT Ontario Association of Mental Health Professionals
OSP Ontario Society of Psychotherapists
AAMFT American Association of Mental Health Professionals
OACCPP Ontario Association of Consultants, Counsellors, Psychometrists & Psychotherapists
OATSS Ontario Association of Trauma & Stress Specialists
OPA Ontario Psychological Association
ADEC Association of Death Education & Counselling
APA American Psychological Association
CPA Canadian Psychological Association
OASW Ontario Association of Social Workers
ACBT Academy of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
CACP Canadian Academy of Child Psychology
CAPT Canadian Association of Psychodynamic Psychotherapists

The following are regulatory bodies:

OCN Ontario College of Nurses
OCSWSSW Ontario College of Social Workers & Social Service Workers
OMA Ontario Medical Association
RCPSC Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada
FRCP Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians

Not in the list but also a regulatory body (designation is C.Psych. or Registered Psychologist):

College of Psychologists of Ontario

 

[HA]

LadyLore, Yes, a Master of Divinity could be a pastor.

Dr Baxter, Thanks for clarifying the regulatory bodies.

So, an MA in psychology could use C.Psych the same as a psychologist or refer to themselves as a psychologist?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

LadyLore, Yes, a Master of Divinity could be a pastor.

S/he coluld have training in pastoral counselling. Or additional degrees beyond the M.Div.

So, an MA in psychology could use C.Psych the same as a psychologist or refer to themselves as a psychologist?

No. In Ontario, M.A. level practitioners must use the designation "Psychological Associate", to distinguish them from Ph.D. level Registered Psychologists who generally have more training.

 

[HA]

One therapist I saw was a Psychological Associate and I liked her better than others I have seen. But, this woman above who has her biography written saying she is a registered psychologist would put big red flags up for me.

It's confusing for people to sort through this. My brother saw a therapist once and she was a nurse who simply hung a sign as a therapist. She was awful. I know other psychiatric nurses with a BA who have had clinical training in counselling and make great crises counsellors.

Anyone can call themselves a therapist even though they may not be trained and it is not illegal to do so in Canada as far as I know.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Anyone can call themselves a therapist even though they may not be trained and it is not illegal to do so in Canada as far as I know.

Not yet. There are certain reserved terms, like psychologist, which one cannot legally use unless licensed by the provincial licensing board.

But so far anyone can call themselves a counsellor, therapist, and similar terms. I understand that legislation has been proposed to limit this by bringing the terms under the jurisdiction of the appropriate licensing boards but that will be a while before it is enacted. For one thing, the impetus in Ontario is coming from psychologists' organizations and certain other professions, e.g., social workers, are arguing that they should also be included. It gets a bit murky because not all social workers are licensed as Registered Social Workers; those who are not can still call themselves social workers as long as they don't include the "RSW" designation (Registered Social Workers) and most people aren't likely to know the difference between BSW, MSW, and RSW.

As long as unlicensed individuals have the right to call themselves "therapist", "counsellor", "social worker", etc., it remains [DEF]caveat emptor[/DEF].

 

[HA]

I did not know that social workers who were not licensed are not equivalent to the ones who are. I wondered why there was MSW and RSW as I thought they were one and the same but that some preferred to use one over the other.

I understand that legislation has been proposed to limit this by bringing the terms under the jurisdiction of the appropriate licensing boards but that will be a while before it is enacted.

Art therapists also want to be included.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

It's a logical extension of the Regulated Health Professions Act. Eventually, I think that all health-related professions will come under this act and be required to set up "colleges" for licensing, regulation, and discipline of members. At the moment, there are still way too many loopholes and variations in how even the current regulatory bodies function. That just creates chaos and confusion for consumers.