A program at the St. Albert and Sturgeon Primary Care Network is making sure patients who can’t afford counselling aren’t falling through the cracks.
The family and social support program covers patients – many of whom don’t have insurance benefits that cover mental health services – for five appointments with a mental health therapist.
“A lot of the time these patients will just need a little bit of support or refocus,” said Dr. Allan McDonald, a family doctor at the Associate Medical Clinic and mental health team lead for the PCN.
One of his patients was eligible for the program because job stress and a pending divorce forced her to take time off work, leaving her without health benefits and extra income to cover counselling.
Within four or five sessions she was feeling well enough to return to her job. It improved her quality of life immensely and it takes pressure off the health-care system, said McDonald.
The support program has been running since 2010, the brainchild of Dr. Jake Tremblay, a former psychologist at the PCN. It was revamped –with a different funding model and more therapists – last year.
There are now seven therapists who provide counselling for families with grief and loss related to the loss of a relationship, vocation, home or children leaving home.
Grief and loss due to death is not included because there are many other bereavement resources, said Dena Pederson, interim executive director with the PCN.
Therapists will also see children dealing with divorce or remarriage of parents, challenging environments and people suffering from adjustment issues – leave from work, workplace bullying or relationship stress.
“It’s for those services that can’t be met at the regional mental health clinic because they don’t fit the mandate of mental health,” said Pederson. Many issues are social and communication related and may not be defined as a mental health disorder.
The program also aims to prevent crisis situations.
We can help someone through a relationship conflict and prevent depression and anxiety rather than waiting until everyone is at their wits’ end, explained Pederson.
Booking patients with mental health professionals already in the community also provides timely service, added McDonald.
“Family physicians aren’t counsellors. We do counselling all the time … but we’re not trained as psychologists are, or as counsellors are.”
“The free counselling that’s available right now through Alberta Mental Health – they’re overwhelmed and it’s usually months before anyone can get in,” he commented.
Contracting local therapists who are already practicing in the community is less costly than hiring a full-time psychologist, said Pederson.
The contractors also have the flexibility to see patients after hours, in their own offices and patients can continue therapy with them after the five sessions of the program are done.
If patients would benefit from further therapy, the mental health team reassesses them.
In 2013, 71 patients used the service, racking up 273 visits with psychologists and mental health social workers.
“It’s a small population, but it’s a population that falls through the cracks,” added McDonald.
