in the news: The Mental Health Services Protection Act introduced in Legislature

Good news!! The Mental Health Services Protection Act was introduced in the Alberta Legislature yesterday. If passed, it will create a new college of Counselling Therapy and set standards for Counselling Therapists, Addiction Counsellors and Child and Youth Care Counsellors. The Act would include the counselling profession in the Health Professions Act and provide Albertans with much needed safeguards to ensure the counselling services they receive are safe and effective.

I have been advocating for regulation of the profession for almost 15 years, for the last 4 years as Chair of FACT-Alberta.

We are very excited to see this long journey bring us to legislation and to celebrate this achievement with all 4000+ Counselling Therapists across the province.

CTV NEWS

Global News

Province to Regulate Counsellors - St. Albert Gazette

Press Conference for Bill 30 (Sarah Hoffman, Nicole Imgrund, Kim Argent)- audio file

Protecting Albertans through Mental Health Support - Bill 30 (Alberta Health Summary)

Albertans Want to Regulate Addictions Counsellors, Private Treatment Centres - CBC

Regulation Dreams in Reach for Local Counsellor - St. Albert Gazette

Video Coverage from the Legislature

Edmonton Journal: Protection for People Seeking Addiction and Mental Health Services

Update:

The Mental Health Protection Act was passed on the third reading unanimously on December 5th. It has now also received Royal Assent.

What does this mean? Alberta is now..

• 5th province to regulate Counselling Therapists

• 3rd province to regulate Addiction Treatment Centers

• 1st province to regulate Child and Youth Care Counsellors

• 1st province to regulate Addiction Counsellors

This represents the end of a very long road of advocacy…and the beginning of much work ahead as we create the new Alberta College of Counselling Therapy and facilitate registration for over 4000 professionals. Updates on this process can be found on the FACT-Alberta website, or you may contact our Director, Nicole Imgrund, as she is Chair of FACT-Alberta (nicole@riversedgecounselling.com).