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The Origins of Our Working Group

The CCPPP Working Group Against Racism and Discrimination in Canadian Psychology Training and Practice was formed in August 2020 to meet the commitments outlined in the CCPPP's Statement Against Racism and Discrimination. This working group is composed of psychology students, faculty, and professional psychologists with representation across Canada.

The Future of the Working Group

We would like to create a structure that is sustainable well into the future, beyond the involvement of the current members. We will be discussing these issues in our Fall 2023 meetings. Rather than continuing with the three sub-group structure, we may organize around specific initiatives – individuals can join a specific initiative, rather than committing to the whole group. We will also discuss the pros and cons of creating some formal leadership roles, perhaps with specific terms (e.g., three years), through which members could rotate.

Several of the initiatives above are nearing completion and we will be discussing members’ view on which issues to prioritize next. One potential future initiative concerns identifying support mechanisms for undergraduates from under-represented groups in Psychology. One direction may be to set a system of “virtual office hours” or something similar, where students from equity-deserving backgrounds can access support and advice from a mentor who has expressed interest in that role. It will be important to standardize the process of mentorship so that the process supports safety for the mentee and mentor and otherwise meets the goals of this effort. All other ideas are welcome! 

New Members are Always Welcome!

We always welcome new members from across Canada – both graduate students, psychologists in the training community, and practicing psychologists. Bring your ideas, passions, and priorities! All meetings are virtual given that members live across the country. If you are interested in learning more about being involved, or are involved in complementary initiatives and want to connect, please reach out to Cathy Costigan at costigan@uvic.ca or Christiane Whitehouse at chwhitehouse@gmail.com.

Current Members: Rozen Alex, Jacquie Cohen, Fanie Collardeau, Cathy Costigan, Bri Darboh, Jessica Dere, Tasmia Hai, Katherine Kenyon, Wendy Lindstrom-Forneri, Joshua Madsen, Sheri Nsamenang, Drexler Ortiz, Kristoffer Romero, Gillian Stanley, Karen Tang, Debra Torok, Ian Wellspring, Julie Wershler, Christiane Whitehouse, and Michelle Zepeda. 

Increasing the Diversity of Psychology Trainees:

A National Review of Graduate Program Admissions Processes

Graduate admissions in Canadian psychology programs act as a significant gatekeeper to the profession, but the current makeup of professional psychologists lacks diversity in terms of race, ethnicity, Indigeneity, immigrant background, and socioeconomic status. To address this, many programs are reviewing their admissions processes to promote equity and inclusivity, aiming to remove barriers and foster diversity in the field.

We present the outcomes of a national survey conducted with Directors of Clinical Training at CPA accredited programs, which explored their current admissions procedures and any planned changes to diversify their training cohorts. The presentation included a summary of admissions processes across the country and showcased innovative approaches taken by some programs, such as adjusting application criteria (e.g., GRE decisions), adopting equity-focused interview questions, revising interview short-list creation, and employing holistic applicant evaluations. These findings offer practical insights for other programs seeking to innovate their own admissions processes. 

Presentation slides: Subgroup 1 CPA 2023 Graduate Admissions to Increase Diversity.pdf


Recommendations and Guidelines for Establishing and Maintaining

Co-Supervision Arrangements in Graduate Level Psychology Training

Addressing issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion is increasingly at the forefront of conversations regarding graduate-level training in psychology. As part of this larger discussion, our subgroup of the CCPPP Anti-Racism Working Group has focused on better understanding the ways in which co-supervision arrangements can help to expand supervisees’ training experiences with a diversity of clinical populations and perspectives. In co-supervision, supervisees work with a licensed psychologist and a licensed allied mental health professional. Such experiences often allow psychology graduate students to receive training in settings where psychologists may not be regularly employed and where members of equity-deserving groups are often accessing services. However, little guidance exists on how to establish or maintain such arrangements.

Building on results of an anonymous survey sent to all DCTs in Canada (n = 11), two focus groups were conducted with seven DCTs who expressed an interest in sharing their knowledge and experiences. Both the survey and focus group data served as the foundation for our development of a set of recommendations and guidelines regarding co-supervision arrangements. We will present a summary of these recommendations, including central issues to consider (e.g., documentation) and potential challenges to proactively address (e.g., conflict resolution).

Presentation slides: Subgroup 2 CPA 2023 Co-Supervision.pdf


As a psychologist, what do you fight for and what makes it so hard?

Canadian psychologists' engagement in social responsiveness


Addressing issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion is increasingly at the forefront of conversations regarding graduate-level training in psychology. As part of this larger discussion, our subgroup of the CCPPP Anti-Racism Working Group has focused on better understanding the ways in which co-supervision arrangements can help to expand supervisees’ training experiences with a diversity of clinical populations and perspectives. In co-supervision, supervisees work with a licensed psychologist and a licensed allied mental health professional. Such experiences often allow psychology graduate students to receive training in settings where psychologists may not be regularly employed and where members of equity-deserving groups are often accessing services. However, little guidance exists on how to establish or maintain such arrangements.

Building on results of an anonymous survey sent to all DCTs in Canada (n = 11), two focus groups were conducted with seven DCTs who expressed an interest in sharing their knowledge and experiences. Both the survey and focus group data served as the foundation for our development of a set of recommendations and guidelines regarding co-supervision arrangements. We will present a summary of these recommendations, including central issues to consider (e.g., documentation) and potential challenges to proactively address (e.g., conflict resolution).

Presentation slides: Subgroup 3 CPA 2023 Advocacy.pdf


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