Health workers trained in psychology would be helpful addition to new medical homes, doctor says

A household physician who’s a part of one of many province’s first medical properties says working with a graduate scholar from the psychology program at UPEI has satisfied her these mental-health consultants must be a part of her group. 

Dr. Shannon Curtis mentioned about half of her sufferers are in search of therapy for mental-health considerations. She was capable of refer some to the scholar, who labored in the future every week for 4 months this winter.

The coed provided assist to sufferers, together with cognitive behavioural remedy.

In at the very least in a single case, it turned a affected person’s life round, leading to fewer visits to the physician, Curtis mentioned.

“He is getting again into the office. He’s not on employment insurance coverage anymore, so these prices are decrease,” she mentioned. “If he continued down the trail he was stepping into, then little question he would have been an inpatient in a mental-health facility for certain, in all probability sooner somewhat than later, given how he was feeling.”

Curtis plans to ask Well being P.E.I. so as to add a psychologist to their group on the Sherwood Medical Centre, considered one of 5 affected person medical properties launched a few month in the past.

Affected person medical properties ship team-based care by means of a mannequin that has been developed and endorsed by the Faculty of Household Physicians of Canada. 

The groups at every house embody a number of professionals, every working collaboratively throughout the group to their full scope of care.

CBC Information reached out to Well being P.E.I. about Curtis’s proposal however has not but acquired a remark.