Psychotherapists support call for a Mental Health Review

Psychotherapists support call for a National Review of Mental Health

Press Release

New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists (NZAP)

14th November, 2016



The New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists is adding its voice to the call for a national review of mental health.

Psychotherapists work across areas in the public mental health services, and see first hand the ongoing issues with access and funding.

“What we are hearing from psychotherapists working in the community, and in the system, is that mental health services are getting increasingly harder to access, and that less and less therapy is being offered to people as part of their treatment.” says Sheila Larsen, President of the New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists.

The NZAP joins a growing chorus including the New Zealand Nurses Organization (NZNO), the Public Service Association (PSA), the Addictions Practitioners Association of Aotearoa New Zealand (DAPAANZ), Professor Max Abbott, opposition political parties and the People’s Mental Health Review in calling for a full Independent National Review of Mental Health services.

These calls come after numerous public stories of individual deaths, and a lack of funding and resources in acute mental health services. Ongoing concerns expressed by the PSA about workplace safety and staff burnout add further weight to the need for an independent stocktake of mental health services.

“The NZAP is increasingly concerned about the lack of acute services available for people, but also how difficult it is for people to be able to access funded talk therapy in the public mental health system” says Larsen. “It’s clear that the system is in crisis, and we believe it’s time for the Minister of Health to step up and answer the calls for a full national review.”

There are concerns also about the lack of official data available in the area of public mental health services, or data on national prevalence levels of mental health difficulties.



ENDS

Contact:

Sheila Larsen

President of the New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists

027 318 1679

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