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BCACTBritish Columbia flagBritish Columbia Association of Counsellors and Therapists

Registrant resources

Guidance for maintaining your registration

Resources for BCACT registrants covering annual renewal, professional development, supervision, record keeping, and the practical application of the Code of Professional Ethics.

Key obligations at a glance

Annual renewal

Renewal opens 60 days before the end of your registration year. You confirm continued practice, professional development hours, supervision arrangements, and current liability insurance.

Professional development

A minimum of 30 recorded hours each year, with at least 10 hours directly related to clinical practice or ethics. Keep dated records; a sample of renewals is audited.

Supervision

Maintain supervision or consultation proportionate to your caseload and category. Associate registrants must hold a current supervision agreement at all times.

Record keeping

Records should be factual, contemporaneous, and sufficient for another practitioner to understand the course of the work if care were transferred. Distinguish clearly between what the client reported, what you observed, and your clinical formulation.

  • Record the date, format, and duration of each session.
  • Record consent discussions and any change to the working agreement.
  • Record risk assessments and the reasoning behind decisions taken.
  • Store records securely, with access limited to those who require it.
  • Retain records for the period required in British Columbia and dispose of them securely thereafter.

Working through an ethical question

  1. State the question plainly

    Separate the ethical question from the practical inconvenience.

  2. Identify whose interests are engaged

    The client's first, then any third party, then your own.

  3. Locate the relevant standard

    Identify the principles and practice standards that bear on the situation.

  4. Consider the options

    Set out realistic courses of action and the consequences of each.

  5. Consult

    Take the question to supervision or, where the standard is unclear, to BCACT.

  6. Decide and record

    Record the decision and the reasoning at the time you make it.

Changes you must report

  • A change of name, practice address, or contact details.
  • A pause in practice or a move to non-practising status.
  • The end of a supervision arrangement, if you are an Associate registrant.
  • Any criminal charge or finding, professional finding elsewhere, or restriction on your practice.
  • Any circumstance that materially affects your fitness to practise.

Reportable changes should be sent to registration@bcact.ca within 30 days. The practice standards set out the full obligation.