Toronto is a city of immigrants. Nearly 650,000 Chinese, comprise part of the 2 million immigrants of the 5 million people residing in the Greater Toronto Area. There has been an increase in the number of immigrants from Mainland China in recent years. However they often encounter problems associated with immigration such as education, employment, residence and cultural adaptation. Such problems and difficulties often affect the psychological well-being of individuals. Under these circumstances, the importance in providing mental health related services for the Chinese community in Toronto has become more urgent.
In order to address this issue, professional psychology counsellors and psychotherapists from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan formed the Toronto Chinese Psychology Development Alliance. Members include qualified psychologists, psychology counsellors, psychotherapists, social workers, family physicians, psychiatrists and other professionals with related background. We are the first psychological professional organization that includes counsellors and psychotherapists with mainland Chinese background. Activities are held monthly, promoting the purpose of providing professional psychology services to the Toronto Chinese Community. Our goals include helping fellow Chinese mental health service providers in professional development, sharing of resources and mutual support. At the same time, we operate with professionals and organizations from other ethnic backgrounds, to develope effective communication and methods for providing services to the Chinese community.
Our Activities include
1. Providing opportunities for communication, training and supervision for clinical practitioners.
2. Promotion of public awareness and attention to mental health in the Toronto Chinese community, and information related to psychology related to counselling, therapy and referral services.
3. Providing individual, family and groups with counselling, psychotherapy, psychology assessment and community mental health awareness workshops.
4. Paying attention to the mental well-being and mental development of groups and individuals in a multicultural environment.
5. Cooperation with professional individuals and mental health organizations in the Toronto Chinese community, and in other ethnic groups.
6. Cooperation with professionals in mainland China via internet, and promotion of the development of the professional community in China.
