Posted at 12:00 p.m.
“What can be measured can be improved”, states a fundamental principle in education. So let’s rejoice in the fact that the Ministry of Health and Social Services offers us informative tables on the waiting times for different services, ranging from the long-awaited operation to the essential assessment of the level of developmental compromise of a child with difficult family dynamics.
That said, in mental health, the waiting list is particularly long. To date, we are talking about around 20,000 people, despite an innovative project launched in November 2020 by the Minister Delegate for Health and Social Services, Lionel Carmant, with the Order of Psychologists. The goal was to reduce, if not eliminate, the mental health waiting list. We salute the efforts made by psychologists in a period when the needs are numerous and of various kinds.
Faced with this very worrying situation and its increasingly abundant media coverage, we wish to demonstrate our professional presence in the networks of social services and education, both public and private. Mr. Minister, we raise our hands very high!
We are making this appeal to you because we too want to contribute to efforts to make mental health services accessible.
We are trained psychoeducators and members of a professional order. We assess, intervene and support people with special needs, from early childhood to the golden age. We adhere to the vision of the Interdepartmental Mental Health Action Plan1 which consists in offering the right service at the right time. It is still necessary that the services are known!
We want to inform you, Minister, that we created the Association of Psychoeducators and Psychoeducators (APP) on February 2, 2022. One of its missions is to make the profession known to the general public. The evolution of the practice of our profession has meant that in 2022, we intervene with diversified clienteles in almost all walks of life, whether with adults experiencing adjustment difficulties related to stress, anxiety or struggling with depression, than with children and adolescents who suffer from developmental delays, autism spectrum disorder, behavioral disorders or developmental compromise. We also work in social reintegration with marginalized populations, such as homeless people, indigenous communities and ethnic minorities.
We are not only present in primary and secondary schools, but also at colleges and universities, within psychological health assistance and student support services. We help people living with physical or intellectual disabilities, people suffering from addiction to gambling, alcohol and drugs.
For better coordination of mental health resources
In our opinion, better coordination of the mental health offer must revolve around several professionals with multiple and complementary skills. In addition, the organization of services must be flexible and modulated according to needs. It would be an illusion to believe that the needs of the 20,000 people waiting are homogeneous and linear. It would be equally incoherent to address all of these needs through a single channel. For example, we believe that the group self-management formula is an innovative way to reach people. Experiments in this direction in certain regions have contributed to reducing the waiting list significantly.
Furthermore, it would be desirable to decompartmentalize the services by integrating professionals into existing teams according to various methods. Thus, psychologists, whose shortage is glaring, could have to combine intervention and supervision roles for certain complex files, while psychoeducators or other professionals could be entrusted with the personalized or group follow-up component. Professional resources in private practice could therefore be added to these teams as collaborations progress according to the needs of the community.
A distinct society
Since the birth of our profession in Quebec in the 1950s, experiences in the field have shaped us to think outside the box to reach vulnerable people and their families. Isn’t this a great opportunity, Mr. Minister, to consider new avenues of collaboration in order to renew and increase the supply of mental health services? You have psychoeducation professionals nearby and ready to serve.
We have the ability to mobilize and diverse skills that can meet the ever-increasing mental health needs of our children, parents, grandparents, colleagues, neighbors and friends. We are here, you just have to give us a sign and we will be there by your side to contribute to the well-being of Quebec society, our society.