The Coalition of Psychologists of the Quebec Public Network (CPRPQ) is trying a last resort to make its demands heard. The group warns Quebec that, if nothing moves, hundreds of psychologists and neuropsychologists will not supervise the internships and internships of doctoral students in psychology at the start of the 2023-2024 school year.
“For lack of implementation of immediate solutions to increase the number of psychologists in the public network, we will unfortunately not have the capacity to train the next generation in psychology”, writes the CPRPQ in a letter published in The duty and signed by more than 960 psychologists and neuropsychologists.
The group reports that “most psychologists are overworked and must find ways” to continue to offer “quality services to the population”. “To achieve this, the majority of psychologists in the province will be unable to offer internships from September 2023,” the letter states.
The president of the CPRPQ, Karine Gauthier, is calling on the next government to tackle the problem of the lack of psychologists in the public network and to consider this “file [comme] priority”. “We’ve been talking to Minister Lionel Carmant’s office for three and a half years,” she said. The problems have not been resolved at all, on the contrary. »
The CPRPQ wants Quebec to allow psychologists in the public network to create their own union, so that it can negotiate the “necessary” salary catch-up and ensure the professional autonomy of its members. A proposal brushed aside by the Minister for Health and Social Services, Lionel Carmant, last June.
According to the Coalition, the establishment of a union is nevertheless “the solution” to attract psychologists to the public sector and prevent the exodus to the private sector.
Annie Rousseau, a psychologist in a pediatric hospital, signed the Coalition’s letter. “When I retire in five years, what will happen? she said at the end of the line. It worries me. If I leave the network, I’m not sure I’ll have a lot of relief. »
Annie Rousseau recently took deferred leave because she was questioning her practice in the public network. “I just came back and the people around me are tired, more depressed,” she says. We have performance pressure on the waiting lists. »
More than 21,000 people are waiting for mental health services in Quebec, according to government online data.
Situation to be “taken seriously”
The president of the Order of Psychologists of Quebec, Christine Grou, judges that it is necessary “to consider the situation seriously”. “It will reduce access to psychological services and we already have limited access at the moment,” she said. If we don’t have supervisors for interns, we don’t have training for the next generation. It is urgent that action be taken. »
The Interuniversity Federation of Doctoral Students in Psychology (FIDEP) supports the Coalition’s demands and means of pressure, despite the consequences for its members. Its president, Alexandra Raymond, wants the government to react “rather quickly” to prevent doctoral students from having “one more year to wait before becoming psychologists”.
In most Quebec universities, doctoral students in psychology must complete internships in the public network, she explains. “During the last year of internship at Laval University, we have 35 hours to do a week for a year in the public network,” she cites as an example. These future psychologists offer services to the population. “The fact of not having a boarding school in 2023-2024 will have an impact”, thinks Alexandra Raymond.
Christine Grou believes that this could harm recruitment in the network. “If we want to attract doctoral students [au public], it has to start with supervision, she says. If there is no boarding school, it will be very difficult to keep them. »