The shortage is most acutely felt in the field of psychology, according to Ottawa-based psychotherapist Kafui Sawyer. Canada's psychiatrists are aging rapidly. Half of the profession is over 55 years old, which makes it one of the grayest medical specialties, and there are not enough young doctors occupying the ranks to replace them. She said that it is difficult to determine exactly how many black and indigenous psychologists there are in Canada because that information is not tracked by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA).
For a year, this program was expanded across the province with support from the Ontario Psychological Association's disaster response program, a network of experienced trauma psychologists who volunteer their time to the program at no cost. She said she has only met one other black psychologist who works during her career and only a handful of others who work in related fields. Kurdyak, who argues that psychiatrists should be part of a collaborative care team where they can provide both prompt consultations and follow-up care, ideally with the support of psychiatric nurses, psychologists and social workers. Global News has found that there are at least 31 psychologist positions vacant in the New Brunswick Department of Health, Education and Mental Health.
The contribution of other professionals, including social workers, educators, trained in human relations, is very useful, but it cannot replace the unique experience of psychologists. The province also has the lowest number of psychologists per capita in Canada, which makes matters worse, Unger says. The City of Toronto is now covering sessions with psychologists as part of the COVID-19 Psychological Support Program (CPS). The province says it is offering recruitment incentives and is considering hiring more interns, but it did not commit to raising the salary of psychologists.
Psychologists, who now have a doctorate, prefer to practice their profession in the private sector, where their working conditions, professional autonomy and salary are better. There is a lot of talk these days about the shortage of psychologists and the increased need for psychotherapy for all age groups in this difficult period of a pandemic that is having a definite impact on mental health. Psychologists and psychiatrists can evaluate, diagnose, and treat mental illness similar to how a family doctor consults about physical health problems. When she didn't have health insurance coverage, she spent months trying to see a psychologist through the public health system and she believes the shortage of psychologists will further extend waiting times.
Unfortunately, the national shortage of psychiatrists has only worsened, and your former HMO employer can't find anyone to take care of the hundreds of patients left behind who still need their Prozac refilled and their lithium adjusted. It is currently conducting a survey with its members to determine why many psychologists are shying away from working in the public sector.
Leave Reply