Having a professional designation provides our graduates with excellent flexibility, credibility, legal protection, access to third party billing, ability to have our graduate’s patients access extended health coverage and better career outcomes. Because of this, Rhodes Wellness College has worked with the Canadian Professional Counsellors Association (CPCA), the International Coach Federation (ICF), and the Health Coach Alliance (HCA) to help streamline the professional designation process for our counselling, nutrition, and coaching graduates.
For a full list of our Accreditations and Designations, please visit our Accreditation & Recognition page.
Canadian Professional Counsellors Association
Academic Requirements
The CPCA has approved our Professional Counsellor Diploma as meeting the rigorous academic requirements of the Registered Professional Counsellor (RPC) designation.
Registered Professional Counsellor (RPC) Exam Preparation
The Ethics and Professional Practice class, one of the units in the last section of the Professional Counsellor Diploma program, includes examination specific information and preparation. Rhodes Wellness College provides testing facilities for students to write the RPC examination at the end of this class. Additionally, many of the instructors and administrators at Rhodes Wellness College are Registered Professional Counsellors and can provide personal insight and guidance on the approval process.
Supervision
Once the RPC exam is passed, graduates become Registered Professional Counsellor Candidates (RPC-C). To become fully accredited Registered Professional Counsellors (RPC’s), students must undergo two years of practice supervision.
To facilitate and accelerate this requirement, Rhodes Wellness College is pleased to now offer 12 months of FREE CPCA supervision to all Professional Counsellor Diploma program students and graduates (the amount of supervision required by the CPCA for the full Registered Professional Counsellor designation). In addition to making it easier for our students to find professional supervision, this service saves students as much as $3,500 in supervision fees! For more details, contact the Admissions Department.
*Note: To qualify for free supervision, must be able to attend Rhodes Wellness College for monthly meetings and meet other CPCA supervision criteria. Virtual online sessions may be available. Contact the Admissions Department for more information.
About the CPCA and Registered Professional Counsellor Designation
The Canadian Professional Counsellors Association (CPCA), a Canadian non-profit Society registered in accordance with the National Corporate Registry of Canada, regulates Registered Professional Counsellors.
Since its founding in 1990, the CPCA has been dedicated to the promotion of public confidence and trust in the counselling profession in Canada. The CPCA serves the public from coast to coast.
Members meet rigorous standards for education and training and are held to the highest ethical standards of the profession before they can use the RPC (Registered Professional Counsellor) designation. RPC Members have met the highest standards of the profession for education and clinical experience. Student and Intern membership categories are available for counsellors in training for clinical practice.
Registered Professional Counsellors attend to the emotional well-being of clients by applying principles and skills from the disciplines of mental health, psychology or human development and through the use of cognitive, affective, behavioural or systemic interventions. Through these interventions the RPC can address wellness, personal growth, or career development, as well as pathology. In preparation for this challenging career, an RPC must undergo extensive education and training. This includes both academics and field training. RPC’s serve in all levels of our communities where the helping profession is required – at schools and universities, in hospitals, mental health agencies, rehabilitation facilities, business and industry, correctional institutions, religious organizations, community centres and private practice.
International Coach Federation
Rhodes Wellness College has worked with the International Coach Federation to have COAC 100 – Life Skills Coaching approved as an ACSTH coach training course. This approval streamlines the portfolio accreditation approval process, recognizing a comprehensive list of coaching skills.
ICF Credential-holders are part of a self-regulating group of elite coaches who provide accountability to clients and the coaching profession as a whole. They pursue and complete rigorous education and practice requirements that provide unquestioned legitimacy to their commitment to excellence in coaching. ICF is advancing the coaching profession so coaching becomes an integral part of society. Its members lead this journey by representing the highest quality in professional coaching.
Health Coach Alliance
The Health Coach Alliance™ has very strict standards of education and curriculum requirements that must be met by schools that want to become approved education
providers. They are advocates for Health Coaches and Health & Nutrition Counsellors in both Canada and the U.S. to help promote and expand the health coaching industry. As the number of health and wellness practitioners increases exponentially, so does the need for standards of practice and accountability.
The Registered Health & Nutrition Counsellor (RHNC) designation is available to graduates who have completed a combined Health Coach and Nutrition training. Both clients and employers will feel confident hiring you- knowing that your training meets the Canadian Health Coach Alliance standards. As a member, you will receive a registered designation and professional registration number that you can provide on client receipts. Often insurance companies require a registration number, as does the government for tax write offs.
How will a client or employer know the difference between a trained practitioner and someone who woke up a few months before and decided to call themselves a Health Coach? How do we keep the public safe? The answer is simple: Professional membership.
Professional membership allows clients, peers, and employers seeking the most qualified practitioner to easily spot your professional membership seal which tells them you carry the RHNC title, that you are registered, that you are held accountable to a very strict scope and code of ethics, and that you have professional liability insurance.
By maintaining your registration on an annual basis, you may use our designation, following your name and on your marketing materials, and will be provided with our official approved member stamp to add to your website. At a quick glance, any potential client, medical professional, or peer will know you are educated and registered to practice.
