NORPIC’s organizations are on the traditional lands of the Anishnaabeg, and the homeland of the Metis Nation. The Treaty lands are of the Robinson Superior Treaty of 1850, Treaty # 3, Treaty # 5, & Treaty # 9.

To learn more about the land that you are currently on, please download the "Whose Land" app available in both Android and IOS. You can also visit native-land.ca which provides an interactive map of Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages.  Finally,  you can also send a text message to 907-312-5085 indicating the city and province in which you reside and you will receive a response indicating which land you are residing on.  

Philosophy

The Northwestern Ontario Residency Psychology Internship Consortium emphasizes clinical service, teaching, and research through a socially responsive lens. The aim of the program is to prepare residents for post-doctoral supervised practice in psychology, with rotations available within health care, health authorities, community agencies, private practice and school systems.

Mission

This philosophy is supported by our mission of pursuit of residents’ identification of individual interests, enhancement of strengths, and broadening areas of clinical interest and skill through a socially responsive lens.  Our mission is to provide residents with a training, education, and supervision in delivery of clinical services, support professional development of their identity as a psychologist who is part of a larger system (health care, education, etc), and to support their personal identity as a professional psychologist through mentoring development of strong interpersonal and communication skills, and an overall positive sense of professional self and identity.

While clinical training is emphasized, the scientist-practitioner model serves as the philosophical basis for clinical practice, as well as educational and research endeavours. In line with the goals outlined in the Gainesville Manifesto of 1990, the aim of the scientist-practitioner model is to integrate science and practice, and to facilitate career-long integration of investigation, assessment, intervention, and consultation. Psychology Staff at the residency organizations endeavour to maintain both an empirical basis to their clinical practice and clinical relevance in their research.

Successful completion of a residency is a pre-requisite to the awarding of the doctoral degree.  As a result, we support a model of training in which the residency must be completed before the doctoral degree is conferred.

Goals of the Residency

The goal of this residency is to prepare students for broad-based training in clinical practice through systematic training in assessment, diagnosis, consultation, treatment, program valuation/research, and the ethical and professional standards underlying these activities. 

The profession of psychology is based in science and psychologists make ongoing contributions to knowledge and promote the well-being of patients and society as a whole.  At NORPIC, we adhere to the “Scientist-Practitioner” model of practice and training in psychology.

Consistent with the philosophy of our internship Program, we continually strive to meet seven goals.

1) To provide all residents with broad-based foundational training in clinical practice in psychology.

Each resident is expected to have a breadth of training experiences throughout their training year. Efforts are made for each resident’s individualized training plan to include breadth of training in four domains:

i) diversity,

ii) theoretical models,

iii) patient populations, and

iv) service experiences (including assessment, diagnosis, intervention, and consultation).

2) To increase residents’ appreciation, understanding, and competence in delivering socially responsive health care with consideration for individual differences (e.g. including but not limited to age, LGBTQ2S+, culture, ability (dis) status).

To continue to develop their understanding and sensitivity to individual difference and build skill regarding individual differences including health status, language, socio-economic status, ethnicity, religion, race, sexual orientation, impairment, etc.  This will be accomplished in both didactic (attendance at weekly educational seminars of which a subset of the topics reflect these areas) and experiential components.  Supervising psychologists monitor residents’ caseloads and, where possible, assign cases that reflect multiple areas of individual difference.  Further exposure to these areas is available periodically through webinars through CAMH on diversity issues.  For example, suicide prevention among Indigenous, Inuit, and Métis people, diversity in Indigenous populations, and understanding Intergenerational Trauma are all examples of offered education. 

When interpretation is necessary for effective communication to occur with a patient, each organization ensures that appropriate efforts are made to locate an interpreter. If a resident is aware of a language barrier, he or she may request an interpreter; please contact the Administrative Assistant to assist with this.

3) To facilitate the development of the residents in their professional identity as psychologists.  To increase self-reflection, lifelong learning, and awareness of psychologists’ impact on clients, communities, and society with understanding that they are all interrelated (e.g. recognizing the interaction among our professional values, institutional structures, and personal biases).

During orientation, residents are provided with resources related to standards for professional conduct for practice of psychology in Ontario as well as given access to current legislation about the ethics and standards of practice of Psychology in Ontario. Each resident also has access to a set of binders that includes all legislation, professional standards, and guidelines identified by the College of Psychologists of Ontario as relevant to their members. Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists is also reviewed.  During the course of their year with us, residents participate in a number of seminars dealing with the standards of professional practice for psychology in Ontario. Also, ethics and professional issues are integrated into the discussions in the other seminars and discussed in supervision as they arise in the residents’ clinical work.

Residents are considered “junior colleagues”. As such, residents are highly involved in setting their training goals and objectives and are considered valued members of the profession of Psychology at each of the Residency Sites. Residents serve as active members on our Residency Training Committee. In addition, residents are treated with the same respect as permanent Psychology Staff. Residents have equal opportunities to access the organization’s resources, attend professional development events, and participate in profession activities. All Psychology Staff in each Residency Site are encouraged to participate in the Internship by serving as role models and by discussing a wide range of issues with individual residents as opportunities arise.

At the beginning of the year, residents are oriented to the CCTC Social Responsiveness Toolkit which provides usable tools to assist in self-reflective practice, lifelong learning objectives, and that provide mechanisms to develop awareness of psychologists’ impact on clients, communities, and society.  These mechanisms operate with the understanding that they are all interrelated (e.g. recognizing the interaction among our professional values, institutional structures, and personal biases).  Finally, the DofT in bi-monthly group meetings discusses topics germane to the field of psychology (variability in definition of psychologist across the nation, advocacy in psychology, human rights in psychology and psychologists unique position to positively influence). 

4) To facilitate skill development in delivering client centered care with appreciation for the context of service delivery within a health care team or community based approach.

We recognize that all psychologists must deliver client centered care at the intersection of the clients lived experiences in the contextual environments in which they live, and their own professional and lived experiences.  It is the aim of the program that residents will further develop a sense of their own professional identity, develop a greater awareness and appreciation of the clients experience in their environment and in interacting with professionals, learn to communicate clearly through collaboration around the needs of the patients with fellow team members.

We work at facilitating this development through both didactic and practical opportunities. Opportunities for providing care within a health team or community based approach are available within all the tracks. Provision of interprofessional care is also discussed in supervision as it arises in the residents’ clinical work.

5) To facilitate residents’ integration of Quality Improvement/Program Evaluation Activities (e.g., program development, program evaluation, applied research) and application of social responsiveness considerations (e.g. social justice projects, advocacy, community engagement) into their professional role.

The residency recognizes quality improvement/program evaluation skills as integral, essential, and reflective of psychologists scope of practice and seeks to further resident development of these skills that are embedded in our doctoral level educational competencies. Resident’s knowledge and application of these skills in an applied manner to their everyday clinical practice is reflected in the QI/PE components of our residency program which include the provision of 3 QI/PE Educational Seminars.

In addition, ability to advocate at program, community, or government levels, application of a socially responsive lens to provision of care, and gaining confidence in fully integrating inclusion, equity, and diversity needs are important components of a professional psychologist’s role. Residents exposure to, and subsequent integration of a socially responsive lens to their work, at the start of their residency year is variable and dependent on whether these skills were formally taught within their academic graduate training program. Resident’s knowledge and application of these skills in an applied manner to their everyday clinical practice is reflected in the 3 socially responsive educational seminars provided during the residency year.

Residents will also spend a portion of their training year which approximates to 175 hours (10%) devoted to either a QI/PE initiative or a social responsive initiative to extend their learning. Residents will be encouraged to select an area of focus that is less familiar to them in the spirit of broadening their knowledge and skills with the overarching goal of rounding out their understanding and appreciation of the various scopes in psychological practice. This dedicated time can be operationalized and embedded into the resident’s schedule in a manner that best reflects the overall composition of their rotation and learning with a strong preference for monthly exposure (1/2 day a week, 1 full day bi-weekly, or 2 consecutive days a month). Regardless of chosen stream (QI/PE or Social Responsiveness) their experience is overseen by the Quality Improvement Director.

Discussion of both streams (QI/PE and Social Responsiveness) including possible topics are presented to residents in September. In conjunction with the Quality Improvement Director, residents select a project and a supervisor(s) to work with them over the course of the year. Potential projects within the QI/PE stream include but are not limited to program development and evaluation, analysis of an existing database, participation in an ongoing field study, development of a smaller, time-limited study, quality improvement activity, or designing and implementing an exploration and feasibility study. Potential projects within the Social Responsiveness stream include but are not limited to identification of a social justice consideration and subsequent response and planning to address, advocacy activities, community engagement, evaluation of program and/or materials for decolonization considerations, evaluation of program and/or materials for inclusivity considerations.

Regardless of stream chosen, the area of focus must be separate from the student’s doctoral dissertation or defined area of research. Two presentations are given by the resident to first present their project proposal in January, and then present their project findings in the summer. These occur during the regularly scheduled educational seminar series.

6) To increase residents’ understanding and skills regarding the supervision relationship, supervision styles, supervision provision, and the impact on client care. 

Staff adopts a “developmental” model of supervision, matching the resident’s level of competence and confidence with appropriate levels and types of supervision. Supervision activities are individualized to each resident’s specific training needs and entry-level skills. In areas where the resident has little experience, supervisors may take a more “hands on” approach to training, and may include directed readings, modeling, co-therapy, observation, and feedback in their supervision activities. Each major rotation site has videotaping capabilities for direct review during supervision. As a resident’s competence grows, supervision will become more consultative and collaborative. Each resident receives a minimum of four hours of scheduled, individual supervision by psychologists per week but, in most cases, receive additional supervision.  In addition, six supervision didactics are held each year on supervision to ensure lifelong reflection and current knowledge of best practices are reviewed.

Psychologists actively working in the field appreciate that clinical supervision of students, junior colleagues, and unregulated staff is a significant professional responsibility. Our training program is also designed to introduce residents to the conceptual, practical, professional, ethical, and interpersonal aspects of clinical supervision. Residents may have the opportunity to supervise M.A. Clinical Psychology practicum students, first year of PhD Clinical Psychology practicum students, or social work students.

7) To maintain the receptivity to feedback from the residents regarding all aspects of their training program.

We recognize that the residency must continue to grow and develop. Feedback from residents, both during and after their training, is essential for this growth and development to take place. Feedback is important during the course of the year. In order for residents to receive the maximum benefit from their training, they must feel comfortable providing feedback to supervisors. Feedback is provided both formally and informally to rotation supervisors and in meetings with the Training Director and Associate Directors. Feedback is also received through the residents’ active participation on the RTC (each resident rotates through this committee during the year) and through the evaluation forms that residents complete both during the course of the year and after they graduate. As well, residents are given the opportunity to provide feedback both quantitative and qualitative related to their understanding of how the residency program has been receptive to the feedback.

To ensure that this feedback is as open as possible, policies are in effect that do not allow those being evaluated by residents to be aware of formal feedback until their evaluations of the residents have been submitted and aggregated into larger numbers. 

Accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association

Current Accreditation Term:  Accredited May 10, 2021 for a 6 year term. 
History of Accreditation:  5 year initial accreditation term from 2014-2015 to 2019-2020 / COVID-19 extension for an additional year until 2020-2021. 

​For more information about the Canadian Psychological Association including how to get in touch with them:

The Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), Canada’s national Association is founded on a vision that the science and practice of psychology has broad and deep relevance to public policy and the public good. 

Its objectives are to improve the health and welfare of all Canadians; to promote excellence and innovation in psychological research, education, and practice; to promote the advancement, development, dissemination, and application of psychological knowledge; and to provide high-quality services to members. 

Whereas individual practitioners of psychology are licensed, training programmes in professional psychology can be accredited.  The CPA accredited our internship for five years so we are officially accredited.   For more information about CPA, please go to www.cpa.ca or call Toll free (in Canada): 1-888-472-0657.

Supervisors are individually licensed by the College of Psychologists of Ontario. 

For more information about the College of Psychologists of Ontario including how to get in touch with them:

The College of Psychologists of Ontario is the governing body for psychological practitioners, Psychologists and Psychological Associates, in Ontario. The College is not a university, school or community college; its mandate is to protect the public interest by monitoring and regulating the practice of psychology.  The Northern Ontario Psychology Internship Consortium (NORPIC) abides by the standards of the College of Psychologists of Ontario.  For more information about the College of Psychologists of Ontario, to review the process to make a complaint against a licensed member of the profession, or for more information, you can contact the college at www.cpo.on.ca or 1-(800) 489-8388.

NORPIC is proud to be members of: