Funding for Therapy and Counselling
The Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, requires each health professional college to establish a program to provide funding for therapy and counselling for a person who, while a patient, was sexually abused by a registrant. This program is administered by the Patient Relations Committee.
The following information is intended for people considering applying for funding from the Ontario College of Pharmacists.
Who is Eligible?
A patient can apply for funding through our Patient Relations Program to help pay for therapy or counselling services immediately after the College has been made aware of a complaint or a report of sexual abuse by a pharmacist or pharmacy technician. Under existing provincial regulations per the Regulated Health Professions Act and the Health Professions Procedural Code, patients who make a report or a complaint about sexual abuse by a registrant are eligible for funding through the program.
Alternative provisions
Eligibility for funding through this program may also be established through means other than a complaint or report. Under alternative eligibility provisions in regulations under the Pharmacy Act, 1991, a person also is eligible for funding for therapy or counselling if,
a) there is an admission made by a member in a statement to the College or in an agreement with the College that he or she sexually abused the person while the person was a patient of the member;
b) a member has been found guilty under the Criminal Code (Canada) of sexually assaulting the person while the person was a patient of the member;
c) there is a statement, contained in the written reasons of a committee of the College given after a hearing, that the person, while a patient, was sexually abused by a member; or
d) there is sufficient evidence presented to the Patient Relations Committee to support a reasonable belief that the person, while a patient, was sexually abused by a member. O. Reg. 225/13, s. 1.
For further details please see O. Reg. 202/94 under the Pharmacy Act.
How Much Funding is Available?
Funding, up to the maximum, is available for five years from the day on which the person first received therapy or counselling. The maximum amount of funding that may be provided to a person in respect of sexual abuse is the amount that the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) would pay for 200 half-hour sessions of individual out-patient psychotherapy with a psychiatrist on the day the person becomes eligible for funding.
Choice of Counsellor/Therapist
Funding is paid directly to the therapist or counsellor chosen by the person and may only be used to pay for therapy or counselling. A person who is eligible for funding is permitted to choose any therapist or counsellor, subject to the following:
- The therapist or counsellor must not be in a family relationship to the person;
- The therapist or counsellor must not be a person who has ever been found guilty of professional misconduct of a sexual nature, or been found civilly or criminally liable for an act of a similar nature;
- If the therapist or counsellor is not a member of a regulated health profession, the person may be asked to sign a document indicating that he or she understands that the therapist or counsellor is not subject to professional discipline.
How To Request Funding Support
If you would like to request funding for therapy or counselling services through this program, please email us directly at patientrelations@ocpinfo.com
Forms Related to Funding Support
Form A: Funding Request for Therapy or Counselling
Form B: Therapist or Counsellor Information – Part I
Form B: Therapist or Counsellor Information – Part II
Form C: Request for Reimbursement for Past Therapy Costs