The world is two years into the pandemic and in Australia, people across all walks of life urgently need support for their mental health and wellbeing. The APS has surveyed psychologists around the country* to find out how the pandemic is impacting them and their clients. Here are the key findings.
More help is needed
Since the start of the pandemic
- 88% of psychologists have seen an increase in demand for services.
Psychologists are overrun with demand and as a result:
- 1 in 3 psychologists are unable to see new clients
- This is up from 1 in 5 in June 2021
- Prior to the pandemic, only 1 in 100 psychologists were not taking new clients.
Australians left waiting for services
Currently:
- 73.5% of psychologists in metropolitan areas have a waiting list
- Of those able to accept more patients, 64% of respondents say wait times are getting worse
- Clients are often waiting up to 3 months to see a psychologist. Some are waiting more than 6 months.
The pandemic has changed the issues impacting Australians
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Nearly a third of psychologists notice a change in who is coming to them for support, with more children, young people and men needing help.
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95% of psychologists say the pandemic has changed what clients are coming to them for.
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Anxiety, stress, trauma and depression are among the most reported patient conditions seen by psychologists since the start of the pandemic.
Psychologists are stretched more than ever
- Psychologists are working on average an extra 17 hours unpaid a week.
- This is more than three times the number of extra unpaid hours worked by GPs, who average 5 unpaid hours per week.
What can be done to improve services for Australians?
Psychologists are calling on the Federal Government to
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Increase Medicare rebates for clients
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Continue with 20 Medicare rebatable sessions
- Invest $5 million for an additional 3500 supervisors and 6000 placement psychologists in the next two years
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Get patients to psychologists sooner by removing GP referral red tape
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Put psychologists in schools with a ratio of 1:500 for public, private and independent students
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Expanding Medicare coverage and lowering the gap fee for patients
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Replicating GP regional relocation incentives for psychologists.
*survey completed by 1456 psychologists (APS members) in January and February 2022.