Bridging the Mental Health Therapy Gap

According to the World Health Organization, the global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by 25% during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. This to increased pressure on an already overtaxed licensed counselor profession has, in turn, dramatically increased wait time to schedule an appointment. It can now take up to12 months to get an initial consultation

For many people, that is simply too long. 

“That’s where we come in,” says Assistant Professor of Nursing Kathy Sabo, Director of the Ruth Sleeper Center for Clinical Education and Wellness at the MGH Institute. “Patients couldn’t wait for support and so we were able to quickly adapted our model to take on more virtual clients and truly be an asset to the community.”

The Sleeper Center, part of the Institute’s Sanders IMPACT Practice Center, has seen a dramatic increase in the volume of its talk therapy and counseling sessions. Prior to the pandemic, nurse practitioner students in the psychiatric/mental health lifespan specialty track saw on average two patients in person per week. Today, the number of patients seen under the supervision of licensed faculty has ballooned to as many as 20 in virtual settings a week over the past 28 months.

“Prior to the pandemic, supportive counseling was only offered in-person and this created some challenges,” notes Assistant Professor of Nursing, Margaret Brown. Brown oversees the counseling services at the Sleeper Center and shared that it was often difficult for clients to commit to weekly in-person sessions in Charlestown. “Many of our clients also have families and jobs which further impact their ability to consistently make in person appointments. The pandemic offered the unique opportunity to very quickly pivot to telehealth delivery.”

Sabo notes while the counseling sessions have provided crucial care, they are just a stopgap measure while clients wait to get an appointment with a licensed therapist. “We’re here to enhance a patient’s primary care, not replace it,” she says.

Martin Margolis, who graduated in May with a Master of Science in Nursing degree, said seeing more clients provided him with opportunities to create and modify treatment plans as well as see their progress over time.

“Providing supportive counseling with clients has been one of the most important experiences of my education,” says Margolis, noting how he has been able to spend each 45-minute session having in-depth conversations that can touch upon a wide range of mental-health issues. “Working one-on-one with clients every week has let me experience a greater level of responsibility than I did in any of my other clinical placements.”  

Laura Jarvi, a women’s health nurse practitioner who works at Harvard Vanguard in Quincy, has referred 12 patients to the Sleeper Center for counseling sessions. “My patients come from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and not only is this something that is financially accessible to all of them, but many of my patients have been able to schedule a counseling appointment much faster than would be possible with other mental health providers in Boston,” she says. “I have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from my patients who were able to be seen at the IHP.”

While Sabo hopes patients can book appointments with licensed therapists more quickly in the future,  she says her students are becoming better prepared for when they graduate and begin their new career. 

“I think through the visits, the students are mastering their interview skills and their assessment skills,” she says. “Their also building rapport with these clients and helping them to advocate and empower for themselves which is an added bonus.”