What are the opportunities and challenges for Canadian psychology?

Beaulieu, Leah; Schmelefske, Emma

doi:10.1037/cap0000072

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…In recent years, it has been widely observed that there are not enough mental health care providers in Canada (Beaulieu & Schmelefske, 2017). An in-depth report from 2013 describes the scope of the problem in detail and shows that a lack of access to mental health care has negatively impacted all major health determinants including incidence, prevalence, disability, economic burden, and quality of life (Peachey et al).…”

Section: Shortage Of Professional Psychologists In Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

Lions at the gate: How weaponization of policy prevents people of colour from becoming professional psychologists in Canada.

Faber¹,

Williams²,

Metzger³

et al. 2023

Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne

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The purpose of this article is to shed light on how weaponized policy supports a system designed to exclude racialized individuals from becoming professional psychologists, contributing to the undersupply of mental health care providers, which in turn contributes to a mental health crisis in Canada. We first describe the origins of the current shortage and lack of diverse representation in professional psychology and conclude with a list of recommendations to dismantle historic and unjust policies. As explicit racism became more stigmatized over the decades, policy tools evolved to become more abstract and give the veneer of fairness while maintaining the original exclusionary outcome. Weaponized policies are part of a much-used but little-examined structural toolkit that serves to disenfranchise disempowered groups. We illuminate the history and adoption of these policies with examples, show how they were explicitly created to prevent people of colour from gaining power through education, and how they protect existing racist systems. The absence of historical perspective in training gives aversive policies plausible deniability, making structural change difficult. These policies have metastasized and become entrenched, persisting covertly in a multitude of policies and procedures that continue to strangle educational opportunities for people of colour and deprive Canada of diverse registered professional mental health providers and leaders.

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Section: Shortage Of Professional Psychologists In Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

Lions at the gate: How weaponization of policy prevents people of colour from becoming professional psychologists in Canada.

Faber¹,

Williams²,

Metzger³

et al. 2023

Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Despite a desire for increased consistency in licensure requirements across the United States and Canada, there is not a unified set of training expectations for licensure. Those who become licensed without postdoctoral training may have difficulty securing licensure in a state or province that has postdoctoral training requirements, thus limiting mobility (Beaulieu & Schmelefske, 2017; Boon, Lutz, & Marburger, 2015). Completing postdoctoral training allows for increased flexibility for future employment, as does board certification.…”

Section: Mentoring Our Trainees: Guidance and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postdoctoral training in health service psychology: Current perspectives in an evolving profession.

Silberbogen

Aosved

Cross

et al. 2018

Training and Education in Professional Psyc

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Postdoctoral training in health service psychology has evolved significantly in the past 70 years as a reflection of our field's development. This article presents a contemporary perspective on postdoctoral training; its purpose in the sequence of training is conceptualized as advanced competency development in either recognized specialty practice areas or a specific focus area. We discuss how postdoctoral training fits within the growing trend toward increased specialization in recognized specialty areas and review the impact the new Standards of Accreditation will have on the design of postdoctoral training programs. Educators provide professional development mentorship about post-internship plans (including employment, postdoctoral training, specialty practice, and short-and long-term career goals) during graduate school and the internship year. We offer topics for educators and trainees to explore together and provide questions that will facilitate decision making about postdoctoral opportunities, in the context of the field's development. Finally, we offer recommendations for collaboration, as well as actions that educators, training directors, and trainees can take to support the continued development of postdoctoral training.

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“…Research conducted throughout the pandemic demonstrated barriers to accessing in-person mental health care in Canada, which occurred in the context of existing challenges, including lengthy wait times, limited availability of services in rural areas, high cost of services, a shortage of mental health professionals, stigma, and a lack of integration of mental health care services [ 5 ]. Due to the shortage of trained mental health professionals in Canada, the current workforce is unable to adequately meet the demands of one-on-one in-person psychotherapy [ 6 ]. Therefore, other solutions are required.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patient and Therapist Perceptions of a Publicly Funded Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (iCBT) Program for Ontario Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative Study

Thapar,

Nguyen,

Khan

et al. 2024

JMIR Form Res

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Background To address the anticipated rise in mental health symptoms experienced at the population level during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ontario government provided 2 therapist-assisted internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) programs to adults free of charge at the point of service. Objective The study aims to explore the facilitators of and barriers to implementing iCBT at the population level in Ontario, Canada, from the perspective of patients and therapists to better understand how therapist-assisted iCBT programs can be effectively implemented at the population level and inform strategies for enhancing service delivery and integration into the health care system. Methods Using a convenience sampling methodology, semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 therapists who delivered iCBT and 20 patients who received iCBT through either of the publicly funded programs to explore their perspectives of the program. Interview data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis to generate themes. Results Six salient themes were identified. Facilitators included the therapist-assisted nature of the program; the ease of registration and the lack of cost; and the feasibility of completing the psychoeducational modules given the online and self-paced nature of the program. Barriers included challenges with the online remote modality for developing the therapeutic alliance; the program’s generalized nature, which limited customization to individual needs; and a lack of formal integration between the iCBT program and the health care system. Conclusions Although the program was generally well-received by patients and therapists due to its accessibility and feasibility, the digital format of the program presented both benefits and unique challenges. Strategies for improving the quality of service delivery include opportunities for synchronous communication between therapists and patients, options for increased customization, and the formal integration of iCBT into a broader stepped-care model that centralizes patient referrals between care providers and promotes continuity of care.

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What are the opportunities and challenges for Canadian psychology?

Cited by 6 publications

References 8 publications

Lions at the gate: How weaponization of policy prevents people of colour from becoming professional psychologists in Canada.

Lions at the gate: How weaponization of policy prevents people of colour from becoming professional psychologists in Canada.

Postdoctoral training in health service psychology: Current perspectives in an evolving profession.

Patient and Therapist Perceptions of a Publicly Funded Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (iCBT) Program for Ontario Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative Study

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