What do consumers and carers think about psychologists?

LEA

Dec 8, 20212 min read

We conducted national research into consumer and carer experiences with psychologists, 517 people commenced our survey, which was completed online in November 2021.

So what did we learn?

Would recommend!

Overwhelmingly, consumers and carers tell us that they would recommend going to a psychologist to a friend or family member. Over 90% of people surveyed told us this.

84% of consumers and 77% of carers indicated that they had noticed positive changes in their health and wellbeing since seeing a psychologist.

Over two-thirds of consumers respondents said that they considered the treatment from the psychologist to be helpful most or all of the time.

Three-quarters of consumers and half of carers reported being satisfied with the care provided by the psychologist.

This is all good news...

So, is there a down side?

Yes, there are still some barriers to people accessing the care they need.

Wait times - 26% of people were not able to access the psychologist within three months.
Cost - nearly 63% of consumers paid between $50 and $200 in gap fees per visit, some paid more than that, and a small percentage paid over $300
Specialist services - Consumer and carer respondents emphasised that psychologists need skills with specific sub-groups, diversity, trauma informed care, Autism, etc.

Where to from here?

These findings present an opportunity to increase the focus on education and support for consumers and carers about psychological therapy, and further training opportunities for psychologists regarding trauma informed care, working with LGBTIQA+, autism, people who experience complex mental health issues, and engaging with carers and families.

LEA will also continue to advocate for improved services and funding. We will look at submissions for reviewing the requirements around referrals and reviews under the Better Access Program, inclusion of additional subsidised sessions for setting expectations and developing relationships, and a review of subsidy levels and gap fees.