Martin Fischer Training Award

The Martin Fischer Award was established with funding by Mrs. Beatrice Fischer as a memorial to her husband. Martin A. Fischer. M.D.  Dr. Fischer was the organizer and founding president of the Ontario Group Psychotherapy Association, the principal precursor of the CGPA. The purpose of the Martin Fischer Award is to recognize and reward an outstanding Canadian trainee/student who is receiving training in group therapy from an established program. For example, the program may be a training institute of the Canadian Group Psychotherapy Association or a regular degree program in a university department.  The Award is available annually to one or more trainee/students. The current amount of the Award ranges from $500 – $1500, depending on the funds available to the CGPF for disbursement. The Award is to be used to defray expenses associated with attendance at the Annual Conference of the CGPA; winners are announced at the meeting.

Excellence in trainee/student performance can be demonstrated by:

1. Creation of a scholarly paper

2. Documentation of exemplary clinical achievements

3. Documentation of exemplary research achievements

For example, a trainee/student may have done an excellent job of recruiting patients, selecting patients, preparing patients, treating patients, managing difficult patients, dealing with problems such as dropouts or departure of a co-therapist, handling termination of patients or a therapy group, or facilitating and participating in a research study.

General Procedure:

A training program faculty member can submit a nomination and letter of support, which describes the basis for the nomination, to the Foundation at any time during the year. To be considered for a particular Annual Conference of the CGPA, materials should be received at least three months in advance.

Specific Procedures:

Paper:  If a paper is the basis of the nomination, please attach.

Clinical achievement:  The trainee/student should submit a brief outline of the clinical achievement and also outline how the experience has enhanced his/her growth as a group therapist.

Research achievement:  In addition to submitting a copy of any research results, the trainee/student should submit a brief description of how the research will further the field of group therapy.

Award Application Form

• Scholarship Application Form (PDF)

The Jackman Training Awards

The Canadian Group Psychotherapy Foundation is committed to sponsoring the development of group therapists in Canada.  The Jackman Foundation has generously donated funds to support this currently available award. These awards will support two Canadian group therapists seeking advanced training through attendance at the Institute and the annual conference of the American Group Psychotherapy Association. (see www.agpa.ca)   Applicants must have attended a CGPA Institute and Conference in the past.  Each $1000 Jackman Training Award is to be used to attend the next Institute and Conference of the AGPA.   Successful applicants will also be referred to the AGPA Scholarship committee where they may be eligible for reduced conference registration fees as part of this award.

Applicants will submit a current resume and letter of intent including confirmation of attendance at a previous CGPA Institute and Conference, to info@cgpf.ca

Award Application Form

• Scholarship Application Form (PDF)

Conference and Event Scholarship Application

The CGPF has been able to move toward maturity through receipt of charitable donations, some very generous indeed.  Beginning in 2008, the Foundation has supported four annual conference scholarships in the name of four important endowments.  One scholarship is associated with the Fischer endowment, another with the Jackman endowment.  The Jackman Foundation also contributed to an endowment in the name of William Powles, a noted contributor to the group therapy field in North America through his efforts in clinical work, education and training, and research; the Powles endowment also supports a scholarship.  The fourth scholarship is based on an endowment by the Milton and Ethel Harris Foundation on behalf of a grateful former member of a therapy group.

The conference scholarships are available to trainees in group psychotherapy in a CGPA-accredited training program or academic degree program.  Each scholarship is to be used to attend the annual CGPA conference.  Applicants are reviewed in terms of training background, work experience, perspective on the development of group therapy practice, and “intangibles” associated with the individual’s life experience.

Application procedure: Applicants should submit a letter of intent, curriculum vitae, and a letter of support from a respected mentor (e.g., faculty, clinical supervisor, employer) of the applicant’s development as a group therapist.  Application materials should be received at least three months in advance of the next CGPA meeting.

For further information on where to direct submissions in a given year, contact the Scholarship Committee: Anthony Joyce ajoyce@ualberta.ca

Endowment Application Form

• Endowment Application Form (PDF)

John Salvendy Group Practitioner Development Award

The Salvendy Development Award was established in the name of the first president (1980-1982) of the Canadian Group Psychotherapy Association, Dr. John T. Salvendy. Dr. Salvendy has been a notable contributor to the group psychotherapy field in Canada and abroad for over four decades, as an expert clinician, educator, mentor/supervisor, and author of highly pragmatic articles addressing the interface of group therapy and other mental health interventions. He has also developed a reputation as an expert interpreter of the psychodynamics of modern European history. Throughout his career, Dr. Salvendy has maintained a consistent interest in furthering his learning and skills as a practicing clinician and has communicated this attitude to the many trainees and supervisees that have benefited from his counsel. Through the Salvendy Development Award, the Canadian Group Psychotherapy Foundation aims to encourage this same perspective on continuous learning among Canadian practitioners of group psychotherapy.

The Salvendy Development Award is open to clinical practitioners with a minimum of two years of active practice; group psychotherapy should be or is intended to become, an integral element of their approach. The practitioner should indicate a desire to expand their understanding of and skills in group therapy, either in a general sense (i.e., greater “depth of practice”) or with regard to special or unique intervention techniques (e.g., working with minority or immigrant populations). The Award aims to support the development of group therapy practitioners by facilitating experiential education in one of two ways.
In the first type of application, the Salvendy Development Award would be to used to support participation in an experiential training workshop, such as the Institute Groups at the Canadian or American Group Psychotherapy Association meetings, or other workshops aimed at group therapy practice and emphasizing both didactic and experiential learning processes. An application for support to attend a workshop experience should outline the elements of the workshop and the credentials of the workshop leader and include a statement indicating why the specific workshop would be useful to the applicant’s clinical practice.
The second type of application would be to use the Salvendy Development Award to subsidize multiple sessions with a nominated mentor/supervisor. The applicant would submit the name and credentials of the nominated mentor/supervisor and a description of the focus of the joint sessions. The nominated mentor/supervisor would not necessarily have to reside in the same locale as the applicant, given the possibilities afforded by current technology, but face-to-face meetings would be considered ideal by the Scholarship Committee. The Foundation also has the expectation that the nominated mentor/supervisor would offer services at a reduced fee, in return for a listing of the receipt of the Salvendy Award in his or her curriculum vitae.

The value of the Salvendy Development Award is dependent on the interest accrued to the endowment annually; a $500 value would be expected for each award. One to two awards will be available each year. Applications will be accepted throughout the calendar year, with deadlines on January 1 and August 1; adjudication and notification by the Scholarship Committee will occur in the month after each deadline. (These dates would allow for recipients to attend the American Group Psychotherapy Association meeting in the February-March, or the Canadian Group Psychotherapy Association meeting in October if the application was for support to attend a conference workshop.)

John Salvendy

Award Application Form

• Scholarship Application Form (PDF)

Fern Cramer-Azima Award

The Canadian Group Psychotherapy Foundation has established an award in honour of Dr. Fern Cramer-Azima. Fern was a giant in the field of group psychotherapy nationally and internationally. She engaged in her life’s work with dedication and passion. She made a substantial contribution to the practice and advancement of group therapy through her strong leadership, extensive teaching and consultation, and enthusiastic mentoring.

The Fern Cramer-Azima Award was established through donations, with the Jackman Foundation matching contributions from individuals to establish a $10,000 endowment, to be managed by the Canadian Group Psychotherapy Foundation. Awards will be made based on the interest earned by the endowment.

Fern contributed to the field of group psychotherapy as a theorist, as a researcher, as a clinician, and as a training facilitator, supervisor, and mentor. Correspondingly, the Fern Cramer-Azima award will recognize contributions to:

• the theory of group psychotherapy, e.g., a non-empirical publication, such as a theoretical or clinical paper addressing group therapy processes;

• research on group therapy, e.g., an empirical report addressing the efficacy, effectiveness, or change mechanisms of a group therapy approach;

• clinical innovations, e.g., a documented clinical innovation such as a group therapy manual; or

• contributions as a facilitator, supervisor, or mentor to trainee development, e.g., documented contributions to a post-secondary training program in group therapy.

Applications for the Fern Cramer-Azima award will be reviewed by a committee established by the Executive of the Canadian Group Psychotherapy Foundation. The key criteria will be the meritorious nature of the contribution.

Applications are accepted throughout the calendar year. Applications will be reviewed in the last quarter of each calendar year, with announcements of awards in late December. Applicants should submit a letter outlining the nature of the contribution and why it is of import to the field of group psychotherapy. In addition, applicants should submit curriculum vitae for all involved in the contribution, and two letters of support from respected colleagues (e.g., academic faculty, clinical supervisors, employers) knowledgeable about the contribution. Applicants will be informed of the outcome of the review process by email in December; successful applicants will subsequently receive a letter and cheque from the Secretary of the Foundation. Award recipients will be expected to provide the Foundation with documentation regarding the contribution, as suggested above, that the Foundation can refer to in website descriptions of the Fern Cramer-Azima Award.

Fern Cramer-Azima

Award Application Form

• Scholarship Application Form (PDF)

Testimonials

“It is always my intention to have an on-going path of learning. Receiving the award facilitated my attending this wonderful learning opportunity. I have incorporated elements of my learning into my practice and feel professionally enhanced by the learning opportunity I received due to this award.” R.T.

“While I have had valuable training in group therapy in my residency, it was doubly helpful to grasp the presence of a larger national community devoted to this, with presenters discussing treatments completely outside my experience…I also found it meaningful to participate with and be welcomed by a community of psychotherapists who are not physicians. Contemporary psychiatry is an increasingly collaborative and inter-professional discipline. I sincerely appreciated this conference as an introduction to the vibrant culture of group psychotherapy in Canada. I look forward to continued involvement in the future.” A.D.

“What an honour and a delight to have received a Jackson Training Award to attend the Institute and conference of the American Group Psychotherapy Association in New York City. The Institute was intense, emotionally charged, and fascinating. The three-day conference also provided me with important opportunities to integrate new theoretical positions into my work, specifically positions that are more fitting with contemporary times and current research. Over the course of the five days, I made lasting connections with colleagues, and felt like I became a member of a large, culturally diverse family. I simply cannot recommend it enough!!!”