Reform needed for regional youth psychologist services

A LOCAL psychologist has expressed concern at the lack of qualified psychologists in the region after headspace opened a new facility in Ballina.

Director of the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc. (AAPi) Daniela McCann said the child and adolescent community mental health sector was already overcrowded and underfunded.

“AAPi welcomes new funding and services, and headspace is a great resource for young people who need mild to moderate support that social workers and counsellors can provide,” McCann said.

“But expert support for those with moderate to severe conditions can only be provided by psychologists and psychiatrists, which, unfortunately, the Ballina headspace does not have at this stage.”

According to recent research by the University of Sydney, the headspace model is struggling and has become “a victim of its own success”. The study found that a third of patients improved after receiving care, with two-thirds seeing no improvement or deterioration.

Jason Trethowan, headspace chief executive, told The Australian two weeks ago that the organisation needed a drastic funding model shakeup, calling for dedicated funding for long-term staff and appealing for help from state health services to address the systemic overload.

A spokesperson for Social Futures said it was crucial young people were not deterred from accessing help.

“headspace Ballina has a team of multi-disciplinary trained professionals who have completed a rigorous accreditation process in compliance with the headspace national model,” the spokesperson said.

“While a psychologist is not currently at Ballina, every young person is assessed by a qualified practitioner capable of providing targeted psychological interventions.

“A young person presenting at the Ballina service won’t be treated differently to any other headspace centre,” they said.

NNSWLHD director of mental health and alcohol and other drugs services Deidre Robinson said psychologists were vital and worked closely with hospital clinical staff and multi-disciplinary services.

“This includes our mental health units and children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS),” Robinson said.

“Our teams work with counterparts at Healthy North Coast, not-for-profit, and private sectors to ensure the best care outcomes for our patients.

“NNSWLHD is not experiencing any shortfall in psychology staff at this time,” she said.

AAPi has long lobbied for reform in the sector, including increasing the Medicare rebate to $150, allowing provisional psychologists (with four to five years of training and completing supervised practice) to provide Medicare rebates and fill critical workforce gaps, and increasing psychologist numbers in schools.

“We are urging the federal government to ensure our young people can access the mental health care they need and to improve their access to psychological services,” McCann said.