At a time when Minister Lionel Carmant is counting on psychology graduates to reduce mental health waiting lists, their entry into the scene is slowed… by the shortage of psychologists in the public network.
The problem concerns the supervision of internships to the public, explains the director of the Psychology Department at UQAM, Marc-Simon Drouin.
“There is a lack of psychologists in the network, which means that there are fewer and fewer who can supervise and that it ends up tumbling into the number of offers that are made for boarding schools”, laments-t- he.
“Very often, we ask [aux psychologues du réseau public] to do supervisory work without lightening their other tasks, which results in schedules that are almost incompatible with the need to supervise students. »
Before obtaining their doctorate in psychology, students must do a one-year internship that includes at least a part in the public network.
The problem also affects McGill University, according to Jenilee-Sarah Napoleon, a doctoral student in psychology. “We are in competition for very limited places. At my university, we have to do our internships in the public network, so that limits the number of places, because we have fewer and fewer supervisors. »
However, it seems that the problem does not affect all regions equally. Thus, at Laval University in Quebec, the School of Psychology still manages to place all of its interns. But “it could become a problem if we wanted to increase our number of graduates,” points out the director of the department, Yves Lacouture.
Psychology is not the only field where access to internships and the lack of supervisors have delayed the arrival of the next generation in the public network. This problem has also affected specialist nurse practitioners (SNPs), who are also in high demand.
Tuesday, the Minister Delegate for Health, Lionel Carmant, said he wanted to attract more doctoral students in psychology in the public network.
“Those who are on scholarships will be able to be offered positions during their internship,” he said, lamenting that a “very small percentage of these students” are “offered positions”. “It will increase the presence of psychologists in the public,” he also said.
However, the minister’s plan will again come up against the lack of supervisors, believes the director of the Department of Psychology at UQAM. “These doctoral students cannot work independently. If he wants to integrate them already in teams, they will have to work in a supervised way. But where will he find them, his supervisors? »
As for the ambition to attract new graduates who have completed their internship, it is also likely to face resistance. “Psychologist positions opening up in the public network are not at all attractive,” adds Marc-Simon Drouin. They have working conditions that are not very interesting, among other things because the new psychologists have ways of practicing imposed on them by managers who have no knowledge of what psychotherapy is. »
All the people interviewed mention it: the salaries in the public network also lead many students to turn to private practice.
“If the psychologists had better working conditions in the network, they would stay longer,” emphasizes Professor Lacouture, from Laval University.
Mme Napoleon mentions, for his part, that “under the right circumstances, new graduates would like to come and work in the public sector. […] In the public sector, we know that the experiences are rich, that we will be exposed to problems that we will not find in other places. But the salaries just aren’t competitive enough at this point. »
Persistent disparities
According to data provided by the Coalition of Psychologists of the Quebec Public Network, the gap between private and public in Quebec is about 30%. “After a doctorate, the pay scale is $26 an hour [dans le secteur public]. Often, human resources will count the years of study, and graduates will start at $33,” explains its spokesperson, psychologist Karine Gauthier, pointing out that this is not a lot after ten years of university.
In November 2021, 135 psychology graduates — including Mme Napoleon — had also signed an open letter in the media to question the government on this subject.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Minister Lionel Carmant argued that the government had raised the premiums for psychologists during the last negotiations in the public sector. However, according to M.me Gauthier and M.me Napoleon, the effect of this increase is marginal.
However, despite this context, interest in the profession is undeniable, and the sector remains restricted. For example, the School of Psychology at Université Laval this year received 120 applications for admission to its 35 doctoral positions.
About 20,000 people are currently waiting for mental health follow-up in Quebec. However, in the minister’s vision, these people do not all need a psychologist or a psychiatrist. On Tuesday, he again invited people in distress to contact the Info-Social 811 service, which can provide them with shorter-term follow-up by other professionals, such as social workers or nurses.