Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Officially incorporated in February 2022, the mandate of the Association des psychoéducatrices et psychoéducateurs, or APP, is to promote psychoeducation to the public, educational institutions, workplaces and community organizations, both private and public, in the field of psychoeducation.
The APP's raison d'être is also to be present to defend the interests of its members. Right from the start, members spoke to us of their desire to see their services exempt from taxes, like other professionals.
Psychoeducation is a young Quebec profession created between the 1950s and 1970s. For example, the Université de Montréal's school of psychoeducation was founded in 1972.
To hold the title of psychoeducator, you must be a member of the Ordre des psychoéducateurs et psychoéducatrices du Québec, known as the OPPQ. In addition, you must either have a master's degree in psychoeducation, benefit from the acquired rights clause, or be admitted through the equivalence recognition process.
To fully understand how psychoeducation differs from other helping professions, we refer to the psychoeducator's field of practice as this:
Evaluate adjustment difficulties and adaptive capacities, determine an intervention plan and ensure its implementation, restore and develop the person's adaptive capacities, as well as contribute to the development of environmental conditions with the aim of promoting the optimal adaptation of the human being in interaction with their environment.
Psychoeducators work with a diverse clientele in almost all living environments, whether adults or children. Their practice covers many issues, such as adjustment difficulties, depression, developmental delays, autism spectrum disorder, behavioural disorders, emotional management difficulties, substance abuse, mental health problems, social reintegration, and much more.