Everyone starts here with their Registration for Certification.
Child and Youth Care Counsellors with other educational experience requiring who fall into Process 2, once they complete their studies with CYCAA Online Learning will need to complete the following when ready.
Has your certification lapsed?
Please note: The maintenance of certification is now tied to the membership renewal process.
Insights into the written and oral exams
For those seeking insights to help prepare for the written and oral exam here are some information and strategies.
From a certification coordinator’s perspective, I strongly encourage certification candidates to check the code of ethics and the scope of practice for the field. These are integral aspects of the exams and for your affiliation with the profession of Child and Youth Care. Please pay special attention to what makes the field a separate entity from other professions in terms of specific skills and knowledge. For instance, you should be able to discuss core areas (e.g., therapeutic relationships, life span development, and behavioural skills) as they are foundations for your practice.
Within the online learning, is a list of things to consider and a framework to answer questions from the Basic Core section. This was compiled by Donna Charles as part of a project for her B.A. in Child and Youth Care. She makes some interesting comments about strategies that will assist in both the written and oral exams. These are important details based on her interviews and research with the Certification Coordinator and her experience as a certification examiner (so give them serious consideration). I especially encourage candidates to look at the self-assessment tool as this is the basis of many of the oral exam questions.
Also, keep in mind that certification coordinators can help you to clarify if you meet the standards to apply for certification and can provide some guidance in working through the certification process.
On another note, people have asked how they can designate that they are fully certified Child and Youth Care Workers. Errol Hedin proposed to the certification board that the designation could be: Certified in Child and Youth Care or C.C.Y.C. for short. Surprisingly enough it took several months to research this and why this was the final decision endorsed by the Certification Board around 2002.
Written by: Shaun Holmstrom, Northern Alberta Certification Coordinator, November 2016