Psychologists say they can't meet the growing demand for mental health care, NPR

[progree]

Psychologists say they can't meet the growing demand for mental health care, NPR, 12/6/23

For the third consecutive year, many psychologists across the country say they are seeing patients struggle with worsening symptoms, many of them needing longer treatment times.

Those are among the findings of an annual survey by the American Psychological Association, released this week. The APA first launched this survey in 2020 to gauge the impact of the COVID pandemic on practicing psychologists.

A majority of psychologists reported that more people are seeking mental health care this year, adding to already long waitlists. Over half (56%) said they had no openings for new patients. Among those who keep waitlists, average wait times were three months or longer and nearly 40% said that their waitlist had grown in the past year.

. . . More than a third (36%) of the psychologists surveyed reported feeling burned out. While this is slightly less than the 2021 peak of 41%, the report notes that it is still a significant number of providers struggling to keep up with the demands of their work.

More: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/12/06/npr-psychologists-waitlist-demand-mental-health-care

Emphasis added by progree

[Redleg]

1. Looks like an occupation with high growth potential

My family/marriage counselor told me that her client contacts increased tenfold just due to the Covid era.