Hospital psychology in Canada: An update.

Abstract

This study updates the state of knowledge regarding hospital psychology in Canada. Since 1982, two surveys have examined psychology and the role of psychologists within Canadian hospital settings; the most recent information was collected in 1999. Since 1999, the structure of Canadian health care has continued to change and develop, and the resulting impact on the status of hospital psychology remains unknown. This article presents information collected from 76 acute care facilities across Canada with respect to the provision of psychological services within the hospital setting, education levels, scope of practice, salary range, organisational structure, and criteria for hiring employees and accepting residents. Results indicate that the range of services offered by hospital psychologists has not undergone significant expansion since 1999, although changes in employee remuneration, theoretical orientation, and administrative models are evident.

Current Trends in Theoretical Orientation of Psychologists: The Case of Quebec Clinicians

“…Quebec's greater growth could possibly be explained by lower educational costs and greater accessibility of graduate studies in psychology, as in other disciplines. Despite the rising number of clinical psychologists, access to psychotherapy remains an issue in Canada (Owens et al., ; Peachey, Hicks, & Adams, ).…”

Clinical psychology in Canada: Challenges and opportunities.

“…Often, the psychologists reported to a “chief psychologist,” who in some cases controlled the appointment and budget for the psychologists who worked under him or her. In contrast, while some psychology departments have retained professional autonomy, contemporary hospitals in Canada are much more likely to use the program management model, in which diverse programs for specific patient populations or clinical problems are managed by a person who may or may not be of the same profession (Owens et al, 2013). In some cases, program managers are not even health professionals, but rather have an administration or management background.…”

Accessibilité à la psychothérapie subventionnée par l’État : comparaisons entre les perspectives des psychologues et des psychothérapeutes

“…Cependant, on peut raisonnablement envisager des changements importants à ce chapitre. D'une part, alors que le rôle des psychologues tend à s'accroître dans le secteur public dans plusieurs provinces (Humbke, Brown, Welder, Fillion, Dobson & Arnett, 2004 ;Owens et al, 2013), au Québec les conditions de travail des psychologues, notamment la rémunéra-tion, seraient si déplorables (voir http://www.apqc.ca/includes/documents/AnalysedecisionCRT_201506_Cloutier.pdf) qu'il y a pénurie artificielle de psychologues dans le réseau (c.-à-d. que les psychologues ne cherchent pas à occuper et à conserver des postes dans le réseau public), laquelle pénurie ne pourra aller qu'en s'aggravant à moins que des réformes importantes ne soient entreprises 2 . D'autre part, au fur et à mesure que le rôle potentiel des psychothérapeutes dans le réseau sera mieux défini, ceux-ci seront peut-être appelés à jouer un rôle plus important dans le secteur public.…”