Practice Advice Service

If you have a question regarding your practice or organization, you may email practiceadvice@cpbao.ca. The College aims to respond to all inquiries within two business days. You may also wish to schedule a meeting with a Practice Advisor for more complex scenarios.

Information provided by the College is not an appropriate substitute for advice by a qualified clinician or legal professional. The information provided is in response to the specific inquiry, may not be applicable to all situations and is strictly for the intended recipient(s). For these reasons the responses from the Service should not be broadly distributed.

Highlights

During the second quarter (Q2) of the fiscal year (September 1 – November 30, 2025), the Practice Advice Service addressed 397 inquiries by email or phone.

92% related to the practice of psychology and 8% to applied behavioural analysis.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions can be viewed on the Professional Practice webpage and are displayed by category.

The following FAQ may be of interest to registrants: What are the mandatory self-reporting requirements? 

All registrants are required to self-report certain information to the College as set out in sections 85.6.1 through 85.6.4 of the Health Professions Procedural Code, Schedule 2 of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991.

What do I need to report?

A registrant must self-report to the College, as soon as reasonably practicable:

• If a finding of professional misconduct, incompetence or incapacity has been made against them by any body that governs any profession;
• A proceeding for professional misconduct, incompetency or incapacity in relation to any health profession;
• If a finding of professional negligence and/or malpractice has been made against them;
•  A proceeding in any jurisdiction in which the member is alleged to have committed professional negligence or malpractice that is in relation to the practice of a health profession;
• If they have been charged or convicted of any offence in any jurisdiction. In these instances any information about conditions of release (bail conditions or restrictions) must also be reported.

Registrants must also report their membership with any other body that governs a profession, in any jurisdiction (e.g., nursing, psychotherapy, etc.). This should be reported in the annual renewal questionnaire. 

How do I make a report?

Registrants should use the online self-reporting form to submit a report. This form is restricted to registrants.

What happens after I make a report?

The Registrar will review the reported information and determine the most appropriate course of action. The Registrar may decide to initiate an investigation into the information reported. Further information about investigations are available here.

Will this information be public?

The College is required to post the following information on the public register:

• Findings of guilt under the Criminal Code (Canada) and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (Canada);
• Outstanding charges under the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act;
• Existing conditions of release following a charge or a finding of guilt under the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act;
• Disciplinary findings and findings of professional misconduct or incompetence by another regulatory licensing authority in any jurisdiction; and
• Information about a registrant’s license or registration to practice any profession in any jurisdiction.

There are exceptions should a registrant receive a record suspension from the Parole Board of Canada, a pardon, or if a conviction has been overturned. For more information, please see the relevant regulation under the RHPA.

What happens if I don’t make a report?

Failure to report the required information is a serious matter and may result in regulatory consequences, including a referral of allegations of professional misconduct to the College’s Discipline Committee for a hearing.