Australian Association of Psychologists Inc
Are you a parent concerned about lack of access to mental health services for your child?
Australia’s peak psychology body is calling on parents and communities around the country to lobby their Federal MPs to help improve access to mental health care.
The Australian Association of Psychologists (AAPi) last week launched its “Help Us Help More” campaign and website in an effort to ensure vulnerable Australians have access to quality mental health care, whenever and wherever they need it.
AAPi Executive Director, Tegan Carrison, said psychologists wanted to deliver the best possible level of care to every age, but substantial funding and operational changes to mental health care delivery were needed urgently, in order to do so.
“We are calling on anyone who is concerned about the barriers to mental health care, or who believes access to psychologists should be made easier, to use the ready-made emails to Federal MPs on the Help Us Help More website,” she said.
“Our nation’s mental health is at risk more than ever before as a result of the past few years, and a recent mental health survey of 37,000 households by the University of Western Australia found almost half of respondents were in moderate to high distress.
“It is up to all of us together to plead our case and share our stories if we are going to make mental health care more accessible and improve our wellbeing.”
Ms Carrison said people would find the email templates – which can target their Federal MP by inputting a postcode – under the “Take Action” tab of the website, encouraging people to share their own experience of their mental health issues, alongside requests to:
- Reverse cuts to Medicare-subsidised psychology sessions to support Australians living with mental ill-health and struggling to access the services they need;
- Allow provisional psychologists to provide services under Medicare to create a larger pool of qualified mental health professionals that the community can affordably access;
- End the two-tier Medicare rebate system for psychologists and implement a single Medicare rebate of $150 per client per session.
Find out more at www.helpushelpmore.com.au
