Staff at UNE’s Psychology Clinic have ended the year with a record number of treatments as COVID continues to cast a long mental health shadow.
Provisional psychologists completing their mandatory placements at the clinic as part of their UNE degree have been critical to meeting the high community need for therapy and counselling throughout 2021. In November they reached a clinic milestone, having provided almost 130 treatment and assessment sessions to people from all over the New England and North West.
As calls to helplines across the country have surged this year, waves of psychological distress have accompanied the COVID variant outbreaks, leading to soaring demand for psychological support. Financial pressures, social isolation, travel restrictions and continued uncertainty have commonly led to stress, anxiety and depression.
“Our team, which includes eight students under supervision, has been working tirelessly to offer therapeutic support,” says clinic director Dr Daiva Newby.
“Demand for mental health assistance increased with each month, then escalated during the second major lockdown. We closed our waiting lists for new specialist assessments, to catch up with the backlog and focus on the needs of existing clients, but still managed to meet demand from as far afield as Tamworth, Deepwater and Boggabri.
“We are definitely seeing the continued impact of COVID. For almost every client, including those with long-standing, acute issues, COVID has brought added complications.”
Located at the Tablelands Clinical School in Armidale, the UNE Psychology Clinic services some of the most disadvantaged groups in the community and Daiva expects demand to continue to grow in 2022.
COVID may not be dominating the news, our thoughts and routines as much as it was, but I anticipate future grieving for how it has impacted and changed our lives; for what people have lost and missed out on.
“COVID may not be dominating the news, our thoughts and routines as much as it was, but I anticipate future grieving for how it has impacted and changed our lives; for what people have lost and missed out on,” she says.
“Stress levels remain high and in some cases chronic. More severely, it has evolved into anxiety or depressive symptoms that require ongoing treatment.
“I expect demand for our services to increase even further as the long-term impacts on businesses, employment, careers, relationships and special celebrations become apparent. As this year ends, referrals have been steady and our waitlist for treatment is again growing.”
Daiva had only been in the role for several weeks when the Armidale local government area went into its second lockdown, in August. Within 24 hours, most of the clinic’s consultations had again seamlessly reverted to Telehealth (as they did during the initial COVID outbreak in 2020). The return to face-to-face therapy in late September was welcomed, but Daiva says Telehealth options will remain.
“Especially in rural and regional areas like ours, where some people cannot travel, Telehealth has increased their access to therapy and counselling, so we envisage continuing to offer it even post-COVID,” she says.
Under the most extraordinary of circumstances, Daiva says she is extremely proud of the major role that student clinicians have played in maintaining therapeutic support and continuity of care.
“They have demonstrated flexibility, professionalism and inventiveness,” she says. “And many were working under huge emotional pressures themselves.”
As disruptive as COVID continues to be, Daiva believes it will eventually herald important life lessons for many.
Many of us have learnt that we are stronger than we thought we could be, and capable of adapting and building new networks.
“There may not be a large silver lining to the cloud, but we have learnt how to harness technology, rediscovered interests and connections, and some people have improved their lives by changing careers,” she says. “Many of us have learnt that we are stronger than we thought we could be, and capable of adapting and building new networks.
“Importantly, I think COVID has also played a part in educating people and normalising psychological therapy. It has helped many to see seeking psychological help as a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness, because it demonstrates that they have the insight and motivation to try to improve their life. I continue to encourage people to seek help if they need it, either by talking to their GP or self-referring. Reach out before symptoms become too severe.”
The UNE Psychology Clinic re-opens on 14 February, 2022.
