More awareness boosts demand for psychologists – Regina Leader

While much of the demand in the job market centres on technology and trade, there is also a growing need for those whose specialty is the human mind.

Psychologists are among the most in-demand professionals in Canada. In a report issued in late 2012, CIBC World Markets noted signs of a shortage of accredited psychologists in the country.

"Wages are actually rising and the unemployment rate is actually softening, which means there's an indication there is a shortage," says Benjamin Tal, deputy chief economist of CIBC World Markets. "The question is why there is a shortage, and one (answer) is maybe there's simply more demand, given the realization that this can help. People are more open to using (psychological services)."

Information from Statistics Canada used by Tal for the CIBC report showed the unemployment rate among those in the category of psychologist, counsellor, social worker, clergy or probation officer had dropped steadily from 1997 to 2011, from 2.3 per cent to 1.4 per cent.

Data from Statistics Canada shows the average income of a full-time psychologist who worked the full year in 2010 was $73,835, up from $62,469 in 2005.

"There's many that will say there's a shortage of psychologists," says Karen Cohen, chief executive officer of the Canadian Psychological Association, adding that awareness about the importance of mental health and shrinking stigma attached to those seeking help are part of what's driving demand.

In recent years, the majority of new psychologists have been entering private practice rather than taking up positions in public institutions such as hospitals, schools and prisons.

Laura Nichols, an Ottawa psychologist who started her independently licensed practice in June, says business is going well so far.

"I'm pleasantly surprised," she says. "Private practice is incredible. There's a lot of risk, of course, because you're on your own. You're an entrepreneur. You don't really get trained to be an entrepreneur. Most of us don't know anything about business and marketing, and so all of that is a big learning curve."

Nichols expects her client volume and income to grow as she becomes more established. She is attracting clients from a variety of channels, including referrals from psychologists she shares space with, advertising, being listed in an online directory of local psychologists and social networking.

Nichols, 48, specializes in women's mental health, anxiety, mood disorders and addiction. Her educational and career path took a few turns along the way. She began her undergraduate studies in music before switching to psychology, and worked for several years as an addictions counsellor before pursuing her PhD in psychology.

Those associated with the profession say it requires about 10 to 12 years of education and training to become a licensed psychologist. This includes undergraduate and then graduate studies, as well as approximately one year of practice under the supervision of other psychologists and completing exams required by the provincial governing bodies of the profession.

Cohen says there are about 18,000 licensed psychologists in Canada, about half of them in Quebec. She says that could be partly due to the fact that a master's degree was sufficient to become a psychologist in Quebec until recently, while a PhD was necessary in most of the country.

Caroline Pukall, director of clinical training at the psychology department of Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., says treating mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, children's disorders and sexual issues are among the areas where there is growth in demand.

"I think the threshold for referring someone to a psychologist has become lower," she says. "We see this so often: you need some help before it gets really bad. Some of the outcomes in terms of being depressed or highly anxious can be quite devastating in terms of function and in terms of fatality. Some people do commit suicide."

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