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RTC Counsellor Application

Registered therapeutic counsellor

Please note: If you currently hold the designation of RTCc with ACCT, please complete a different form: RTCc Advance to RTC Application Form

Before starting your application, ensure you meet the required criteria and have the necessary documents saved on your computer for upload.

RTC/ACs applicants must have completed at least 200 hours of Direct Client Contact and 50 hours of Clinical Supervision with a qualified supervisor.

These hours can include practicum experience as well as paid or unpaid counselling work, all completed within the last five years.

RTC/AC application checklist:

Applicants must provide:

An official certificate or diploma or a bachelor’s degree, post-grad certificate, master’s degree or P.h. D. from a qualified counselling program
Accompanying transcripts
If applicable - copies of additional education
First Reference
Second Reference
Current Criminal Record Check (CRC) with a vulnerable sector search
Current Resume
Counselling Membership (if applicable)
Liability Insurance letter of intent or Proof of Liability Insurance
Fee of $600

Please see below for detailed information about each item on the checklist

EDUCATION

Applicants must provide:
1. An official certificate or diploma or a bachelor’s degree, post-grad certificate, master’s degree or P.h. D. from a qualified counselling program*

2. Accompanying transcripts

3. If applicable - Applicants with additional education in counselling can include copies of their certificate/diploma, degree, or proof of equivalent education and training with transcripts.

*The qualifying program must:
• Be at least 500 hours in duration or result in a bachelor’s degree, postgraduate certificate, master’s degree, or Ph.D. in counselling from a registered or accredited institution.

• Cover a minimum of six out of the eight topic areas listed below, including the first three bolded areas.

• Allow for up to two missing topic areas to be completed through stand-alone courses, each consisting of a minimum of 30 hours of classroom education from a recognized, registered, or accredited institution.

Topic Areas:
• Basic Counselling Skills, including Clinical Assessment
• Counselling Ethics and Ethical Practice, including Effective Use of Self
• Models of Therapy (study and an understanding of a range of therapies/modalities)
• Individual, Couples, Family, and/or Group Counselling Methods
• Trauma and Abuse
• Documentation (Canadian-based)
• Diversity and Cultural Awareness
• Human Development, including Psychopathology/Abnormal Psychology and DSM

REFERENCE LETTERS

Applicants must provide two reference letters:

4. First Reference:

• From a training/educational supervisor or a qualified supervisor (per ACCT Supervisor Criteria. ) in a paid or unpaid counselling role.

• Must verify:

- Number of clinical supervision hours provided by the supervisor.
- Number of Direct Client Contact (DCC) hours completed under their supervision.
- Applicant’s readiness to practice counselling.

• If the supervisor is not an ACCT member, they must confirm in their letter that they meet ACCT’s non-member supervisor criteria, as outlined on the ACCT Supervisor Criteria page.

Requirements for First Reference Letter:

• Must be hand-signed and include:

- Date.
- Referee’s contact information.
- Referee’s credentials, including position and professional designation (if applicable).

5. Second Reference:

• From a mental health professional with at least 5 years of experience who has known the applicant for at least one year.

Requirements for Second Reference Letter:

• Must be hand-signed and include:

- Date.
- Referee’s contact information.
- Referee’s credentials, including position and professional designation (if applicable).

CRIMINAL RECORD CHECK

6. Provide a current Criminal Record Check (CRC) with a vulnerable sector search. The CRC must have been issued within the last 12 months or not expire within the next 12 months.

In order to obtain a CRC, one must visit their local police station or RCMP detachment and request a complete CRC as stated above.

If you apply to ACCT and do not include a current (within the last 12 months) CRC, your application will be placed on hold and will not processed until we receive it.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

7. Current Resume: Submit a copy of your most recent resume.

8. Counselling Membership (if applicable): Provide proof of previous professional counselling membership.

9. Liability Insurance:

• Submit proof of current liability insurance, or

• Provide a hand-signed, dated letter confirming you will submit proof of insurance within six weeks of membership approval.

DISCLOSURE

Complete the disclosure section in the online application to confirm:

• You are free of disciplinary findings or any other reasons prohibiting the practice of counselling therapy.

• You agree to meet annual membership requirements, including:

- 30 hours of Competency Development:
- Minimum 10 hours of supervision.
- Minimum 8 hours of professional development or continuing education.
- Up to 8 hours of self-care.

• You have read and agreed to ACCT Rules, ACCT Standards of Practice, ACCT Code of Ethics, ACCT Philosophy and Scope of Practice

FEES

Payment in full is required for your application to be reviewed and processed.

Provide the following payments:

• Membership Share: $100.00 (one-time, refundable upon discontinuation of membership).

• Administration Fee: $150.00 (one-time, non-refundable).

• Professional Fee (RTC): $350.00 (non-refundable).

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Process

To uphold the highest membership standards, ACCT conducts a rigorous verification process for all applications. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all required documents are submitted at the time of application. Missing or incomplete documents may delay the review process.

Once your application passes the initial review and verification, it will be forwarded to a committee for further evaluation and approval. This process ensures that ACCT members meet or exceed the qualifications for their designation, maintaining the quality standards of our profession.

Timing

Due to high application volumes, we appreciate your patience and understanding. Applications are reviewed in the order they are received, and we are unable to expedite individual applications.

Privacy

All electronic documents will be securely stored in accordance with our privacy policy.

By completing and submitting this membership application, I confirm that I have read, understood, and agree to adhere to the following:

As well, I agree to operate within my Scope of Practice

Please note: If you currently hold the designation of RTCc with ACCT, please complete the RTCc Advance to RTC Application instead of this form. Thank you!

YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION:

* First Name

Middle Name

* Last Name

* Date of Birth DD/MM/YEAR

Gender: I identify as:

Pronouns used:

Have you ever used any other name(s)? Yes/No If yes, please list name(s) used (This is important if your uploaded documents are in a different name.)

ACCT Member ID Only for student or RTCc members of ACCT

* Work Address

* Address Line 2

* City

* Province

* Postal Code

* Country

* Work Phone

Cell Phone

* Email

Website

* Home Address

Home Address Line 2

* City

* Province

* Postal Code

* Home Phone

* Home Email

* Name of School

* Name of Program

* Number of years of counselling experience post-graduation:

* Number of Direct Client Contact Hours

* Criminal Record Check Please apply to your local police station for a current (within last 12 months) Criminal Record Check, which you should upload here (if you have it). There is a separate misc uploads button (under the Membership tab: ACCT forms) so that you can upload it

file uploads

Please upload copies of your proof of liability insurance (or application for liability insurance) as well as supporting documents for your counselling or psychotherapy qualifications:

Diploma
Certificate
Degrees or transcription documents
References
If your Education Path is more complex, please complete and upload this sheet to explain how your education fits our criteria: Education Criteria Checklist

PLEASE BE SURE TO UPLOAD EVERY DOCUMENT THAT YOU WISH TO SEND TO ACCT WITH YOUR APPLICATION

Thank you!

work experience and education

* Resume

* Graduation Certificate, Diploma or Degree

* Transcript

Second Graduation Certificate, Diploma or Degree (if applicable)

Second Transcript (if applicable)

Other If you have another qualification that you would like us to keep in your file, please include it here.

Reference letters

Provide two reference letters:

The first reference must be from a supervisor in a training/educational capacity OR from a qualified supervisor (as per ACCT supervisor criteria) in a paid or unpaid counselling position that: 1) verifies the number of clinical supervision hours received from that supervisor, 2) verifies the number of completed Direct Client Contact (DCC) hours completed under their supervision for the applicant, and 3) provides a recommendation of readiness to practice counselling. If the supervisor is not a member of ACCT, the supervisor will also need to include, in the letter, confirmation that he/she/they meet the criteria of a non-ACCT supervisor, found at the bottom of the Supervisor Criteria page of the ACCT website.
The second reference letter should be a mental health professional with at least 5 years’ experience in their profession who has known the applicant for at least one year.

All reference letters must be hand-signed and include the date, contact info, and credentials of the referee including position within the organization and professional designation (if applicable).

* First Reference

* Second Reference

Provide Proof of Practical Experience

Please ensure that you have provided either a transcript that indicates a completed practicum or a letter of reference indicating the completion of 200 hours of clinical practice with supervision as an integral part of your education, practicum experience, and/or paid or unpaid work experience in a counselling related capacity.

Proof of Previous Professional Membership (if applicable)

Proof of Liability Insurance / Confirmation Letter to Purchase Liability Insurance Please Note: If you have submitted a confirmation letter to purchase liability insurance; Proof of Insurance is due within 6 WEEKS of your initial membership in ACCT.

* Number of years of counselling experience:

* Number of Direct Client Contact Hours Number of hours counselling clients (paid or unpaid, individual, couples, family or group)

* Name of Current Supervisor

* Current Supervisor's Registration Number

Non- ACCT Supervisor's Professional Association

* Number of Supervision Hours Received Number of hours spent with supervisor, receiving supervision

Disclosure:

Expulsion from another professional body or having been the subject of a disciplinary review by another professional body or having a criminal record is not necessarily a bar to membership in ACCT. The failure to disclose all such information, or making a false declaration, may result in refusal or termination of membership.

Applications containing such disclosures will be submitted to a panel for consideration under the normal procedures outlined in Rules of the Association. Health matters that could affect your suitability for counselling will also be submitted to this panel for consideration.

It is important that you complete this section in full.

* Do you have a conviction that has not been pardoned?

Yes
No

* Are your currently subject to criminal prosecution or pending charges of a crime?

Yes
No

* Have you ever been refused membership or expelled from any professional body on the grounds of professional misconduct?

Yes
No

* Have you ever been the subject of any other professional disciplinary action, investigation, proceeding or inquiry?

Yes
No

* Are you currently, or likely to be, the subject of any inquiry, disciplinary action, investigation or proceeding?

Yes
No

* Has your legal or medical fitness to practice been interrupted for any reason?

Yes
No

* Are there any other factors that could be said to affect your counselling ability or membership? If Yes, please indicate factors affecting counselling ability

Disclosure: Additional Information

If you have answered “Yes” to any of the above please provide a full and comprehensive statement, including details of the circumstances surrounding the disclosure, any mitigating factors and detail the steps you took to make any necessary changes in the box marked 'Additional Information'. Please address the experience fully and tell us what you have learned from your experiences.

Please list any unpardoned conviction and title it 'criminal conviction statement'. Some convictions are pardonable after a certain amount of time has elapsed.

All material information relating to your application must be disclosed under Additional Information (above). It is your responsibility to ensure that you declare all relevant information. If you are not sure whether something is relevant or material, please fill out the contact form and leave a phone number where someone can call you. Please ensure that your name and date of birth are exactly the same as on this application form.

Additional Information Please type or paste here - full disclosure is important and is not necessarily a bar to membership of ACCT.

* ACCT Communications Please contact ACCT if your primary email address changes.

I understand that as a member of ACCT I will receive electronic messages regarding my membership, newsletters, counselling news and updates, announcements, and event invitations which may contain information regarding ACCT news, upcoming PD offerings, ACCT community events, our annual AGM etc.

* Pledge

I understand that as a Member of the Association of Cooperative Counselling Therapists, I am an ACCT ambassador and I agree to uphold our values of competency-based counselling, cooperation, teamwork, equality, transparency, lifelong learning and financial accountability. I hereby sincerely pledge these ACCT values and my loyalty to my colleagues and co-owners in ACCT.

* Volunteer Commitment As a cooperative, ACCT is owned by the members. We encourage all members to offer a minimum of 20 hours volunteering with ACCT, OVER THE LIFETIME OF THEIR MEMBERSHIP.

I have read and understood the Volunteer Commitment.

Applicant Declaration and Signature

Declaration

I confirm that the information contained in and uploaded with this form is true, accurate and complete. I hereby authorize the officers of ACCT to make such inquiries, as they consider necessary to verify the information given. I understand that any false or misleading statement or falsification of accompanying documents may lead to disciplinary action being taken against me and may result in immediate termination of my registration. I understand that failure to disclose on the application or during the period of membership could lead to disciplinary action and termination of registration.

* Declaration Please send us an email using the contact form with any questions you may have.

I agree to read, understand and agree to follow the ACCT Rules, ACCT Standards of Practice, ACCT Code of Ethics and ACCT Philosophy
I agree to operate within my Scope of Practice

* Applicant's Signature By typing your name in the box above you solemnly agree that the contents of this application form are true and that your typed name represents your personal signature.

* Today's Date DD/MM/YEAR

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