Welcome to CPAC-APCC!
We are pleased to introduce the Community Psychiatry Association of Canada (CPAC), a bilingual, non-profit, non-union organization, officially founded in 2025 by and for psychiatrists and other professionals working in community psychiatry.
The creation of the association marks the culmination of 20 years of reflection and experimentation. Previously, we informally brought together mental health professionals under the banners www.psychiatrieenligne.ca and www.psychiatryonline.ca , the latter created in 2005. If you were registered on these sites, you are now a member of the APCC-CPAC.
The APCC-CPAC was born from a strong commitment to inclusive, collaborative, and innovative community psychiatry that promotes the recovery of people living with mental health conditions. We bring together psychiatrists and professionals from all backgrounds who work together to improve the accessibility, effectiveness, and quality of mental health care in Canada. To achieve its goals, the APCC-CPAC is dedicated to research, innovation, and continuing professional development (CPD).
The APCC-CPAC is convinced that the recovery of individuals with mental health disorders often requires sustained effort over time, as well as a collaborative approach involving a diverse range of professionals—nurses, social workers, mental health professionals, occupational therapists, psychologists, neuropsychologists—as well as loved ones, family, and the community. This interdisciplinary and community-based synergy is essential to providing comprehensive, biopsychosocial support tailored to each individual's needs. While mental health care often begins in the context of an acute crisis, recovery is a long-term process built outside of institutions, away from the immediate crisis. Practicing in the community means committing to going far beyond simple stabilization: it means helping individuals rediscover and unleash their potential , so they can take flight in the direction of their choice.
Our values – Community, Humility, Innovation – guide our actions to:
Promote collaboration and networking between psychiatrists and all stakeholders in community psychiatry.
Promoting transdisciplinary expertise, essential to quality mental health care.
Explore innovative solutions to address the challenges of accessibility and effectiveness of recovery-oriented care.
Promote the expertise and commitment of caregivers and support their well-being, because optimal patient care depends above all on the well-being and balance of their caregivers.
Whether you are a seasoned professional or newly engaged in community psychiatry, we hope you will find here a stimulating community and a space for exchange where the most promising and modern ideas and practices grow.
Congratulations on your commitment and welcome!
Community
Traditional psychiatry is centralized and institutionally based. In contrast, community psychiatry is decentralized and operates outside of institutional walls. Creating a network therefore becomes essential to foster mutual support, development, and the sharing of best practices.
Professional Development
Access to training courses organized by the association as well as those offered by its partners. Community psychiatry has existed for a long time, but the knowledge and experience of each individual have rarely been pooled specifically around this practice.
Clinical tools
Resources emerge precisely when they are lacking. "Access a directory of clinical and teaching tools for patients, adapted to community psychiatry, created or carefully selected by members.
