As a clinical psychologist-in-training who provides brief psychotherapy at a university counseling center, I have experienced firsthand the difficulty of connecting students with an off-campus therapist for longer-term therapy.
Many students do not know how to locate mental health providers using their private insurance, and after they find someone to call, they still have to deal with the reality of the waiting game.
Prior to referring students out to other therapists, I try to mentally prepare them to be patient and persistent throughout this process, as the average wait time for students to hear back from a provider is three weeks after their initial call. If a student wants to find a therapist who practices in a specialty area or wants to work with a therapist who provides culturally responsive treatment, they often come across additional barriers. The mental health crisis is clearly illustrated for me in the experience of these students as they try to journey toward mental health.
COVID impact
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the lives of all Americans. It has interfered with healthcare, education, work, the economy, and connections among people, with some groups more impacted than others. The pandemic death toll has topped 1 million people in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additional stressors include the collective grief of the families and friends of those who have died, the trauma of racial injustice, war, and gun violence, and worries regarding climate change that have been brought to the forefront in recent years.
We are facing a national (and international, really) mental health crisis and a provider shortage that is already producing significant health and social repercussions for years to come.
Too few providers
The American Psychological Association saw this shortage coming. According to the APA’s Psychologist Workforce Projections report released in 2018, the supply of licensed doctoral-level psychologists is insufficient to address current and unmet needs for psychological services.
With the exception of a small part of Fresno, California’s entire Central Valley is considered a mental health provider shortage area, according to data from Health Resources and Services Administration.
Since the first coronavirus case was confirmed in the United States more than two years ago, the demand for mental health services has increased. Many indicate that they are still on waiting lists, having made numerous calls only to be turned away, and affordable options are difficult to find. Mental health providers, who have been in short supply, are working hard to avoid burnout themselves.
Hope for the future
Having been proudly trained in the Central Valley and soon to complete my doctoral degree in clinical psychology, I am eager to join a workforce that reflects our generation — defined by a sense of urgency to address mental health along with social justice, racism, gun violence and climate change.
Despite the dire situation that my generation faces with the current social and political climate, I have seen our community’s desire to learn about the impact of taking care of one’s mental health amidst the pandemic and various stressors. As I chaired the 2021 San Joaquin Valley API Mental Health Convening, I sensed a profound synergy of mental health providers and advocates working alongside community organizers to approach mental health through an intersectional lens. I am thus filled with hope for the future — hope that I can contribute my strengths and clinical skills as a clinical psychologist to address the needs of my community.
I will be one of many graduates who will start our careers helping bridge the mental health shortage gap in the Valley and beyond, serving underserved communities and being an advocate for reshaping education to normalize seeking help, and improve our culture’s attitudes toward mental health treatment for generations to come.
Vi Negrete will graduate with a doctorate in clinical psychology from Alliant International University, Fresno, in August. She is an immigrant originally from Vietnam. She provides psychotherapy to individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds and has been involved with community organizing through her role in the San Joaquin Valley API Mental Health Project.