Complaints or concerns about an occupational therapist
When you see an occupational therapist, you should expect to receive safe, ethical, competent care. If you feel you did not receive the services you expected, the College is here to listen and make your concerns known.
COTO addresses all complaints from clients or their representatives. As the regulator of occupational therapists, our role is to protect and serve the public interest and ensure occupational therapists are practising according to the standards.
Addressing concerns
The two main ways the College can address complaints is through resolution or investigation.
For high-risk concerns, like sexual abuse, the Resolution Program is never an option.
If you believe an occupational therapist has sexually abused you or the client you represent, please contact us.
Learn more about reporting sexual abuse.
Sharing your concerns with the College
Before sharing a concern, you can contact the College to learn more and discuss the complaints process.
Call us at 416-214-1177 or 1-800-890-6570 x220.
Email us at investigations@coto.org.
At this point you don’t have to share your name. If you decide to make a formal complaint, you will be required to identify yourself.
The Resolution Program
What is the Resolution Program?
The College can resolve certain complaints using a Resolution Program instead of investigating them. The program can provide you with meaningful and clear outcomes.
Resolutions help make sure the occupational therapist reflects on the complaint and learns from it, so the same problem does not happen again. The program requires the occupational therapist to sign a contract to do certain activities approved by the College
How does the Resolution Program Work?
If you submit a concern about an occupational therapist, the College will decide if the Resolution Program is an option. You will be asked if you wish to have your complaint moved into the Resolution Program. The occupational therapist will also be asked if they agree.
If the Resolution Program is an option for your complaint:
- The College writes a Resolution Agreement, which is sent to you and the occupational therapist for review. The Resolution Agreement lists the learning activities the occupational therapist must do.
- The activities may include reviewing standards or competencies and writing a reflection about what happened. Other activities may also be required.
- If you agree with the Resolution Agreement, you will sign it and send a signed copy to the College. The occupational therapist will be asked to do the same.
- The occupational therapist must complete all the activities by a deadline. The College will check to make sure everything is done.
- If the occupational therapist does not finish the activities, the College will start an investigation.
Investigations at the College
The College’s investigation process is designed to be fair and neutral to both the person filing the complaint and to the occupational therapist named.
The investigation will include the following:
- gathering further details from you about your concerns and asking specific questions about what happened.
- obtaining your client record (or that of your family member or the client you represent).
- interviewing any other relevant witnesses.
- providing an opportunity to the occupational therapist to respond to the concerns in writing to the College. The therapist will receive a copy of your complaint and all the information received or collected by the College.
Once the investigation is complete, our Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC) will review all the information, including your (or the client you represent) health record and make a decision.
Our online form provides space for you to describe your interaction with the occupational therapist and upload any relevant documents.
Once you submit your complaint, College staff will contact you to discuss the process and obtain any necessary additional details.
Share your concerns
If you wish to share a concern, you can complete our online form. You can also submit your concerns to the College in writing, by telephone, by audio recording, or by video recording.
You must provide
the name of the occupational therapist you are concerned about
as much detail as possible about the nature of your concerns
your full contact information
We can help you if you are unsure of the occupational therapist’s name. You will also be engaged in the process and notified of the outcome.
How the College makes decisions about complaints
All complaints against occupational therapists are addressed by our Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC). Learn how they make their decisions about an occupational therapists conduct or practice.
Related resources
Next steps and contacts
Questions about our complaint process?
See our Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about the complaints process.
Need accommodations?
To see how we can help you, please contact our Investigations & Resolutions team.
Toronto: 416-214-1177 x220
Toll-free: 1-800-890-6570 x220
Get in touch
In addition to providing resources, we’re here to answer any questions you may have.