The Quebec government announced several measures Monday that affect the psychology program in higher education. Among other things, it wants to increase the number of internships and placements in the public network, a rare commodity according to universities.
This measure and the three others announced on Monday come from the recommendations of the report of the Working Group on the optimization of training in psychology and mental health, chaired by Hélène David.
In this 180-page report, which was tabled in April 2023, Ms. David addresses a letter to the Minister of Higher Education, Pascale Déry. She argues that Quebecers’ needs for mental health services have increased, particularly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The capacity of our public health, social services and education systems has been put to the test,” points out Ms. David. To improve the situation, changes are needed in the higher education network, she says.
The report mentions that all the universities met that offer doctoral programs in psychology are facing a “growing difficulty” in finding internship places in the public health and social services network. “This situation also seems to be exacerbated for the year 2023-2024, the offer of internships being, according to the universities, reduced compared to previous years,” indicates the report, which contains 18 recommendations.
It is argued that a reduction in the supply of internships may mean that universities that prohibit internships in the private sector (which is the case for the majority of institutions) will be forced to accept that students complete their internship, in part or in full, in the private system.
To address this issue, Quebec announced measures on Monday to better promote the work of supervising psychologists. It thus wishes to increase the number of internships and internships in the public network. According to a press release from the office of the Minister of Higher Education, the measures will increase the number of internships by 11.7% for 2024-2025.
A shorter doctorate
Among other measures announced, some students will welcome a reduction in the duration of doctoral studies in psychology.
In a press release, Ms. Déry and the Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant, explained that by reviewing the requirements related to the research project and with better supervision of students, it would be possible to reduce the length of doctoral studies in psychology.
The provincial government is also announcing funding of more than $2.6 million to support 24 projects aimed at optimizing university training and creating bridging programs or short qualifying programs, which will be launched by fall 2025.
“The programs currently being revised and the new ones to come, including short and bridge programs, will certainly guarantee better access to front-line mental health services for the entire Quebec population,” commented Ms. Déry in a press release.
To improve the cohorts for clinical doctorates in psychology and increase the number of scholarships offered to psychology interns, the government is also investing $1.8 million for this school year as well as $2 million annually for the next school year until 2028-2029.
In addition, two new doctoral programs in clinical psychology are being offered this fall by Bishop’s University and the Université du Québec à Rimouski. Together, these two programs will train 26 more students.
The implementation of the report’s recommendations will continue in the coming months and the initiatives already implemented by universities will be analyzed.
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