Upcoming Webinar at Children's Healthcare Canada
Paraprofessionals: A needed resource in child and family mental health care
Date: October 25, 2023 @ 11:00am ET
Speaker: Patrick McGrath, Practicing clinician, Researcher, IWK Health Centre, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at Dalhousie University
Social factors have increased the need for mental health care. We know that well-designed evidence-based programs have been developed. The disparity between need and fulfillment of this need has never been greater. We have challenged three major barriers.
The first barrier is well known while the other two are “dirty little secrets”:
1. There is a shortage of health professionals to deliver care.
2. Many health care professionals do not deliver evidence-based care.
3. Efficiency and diversity in care delivery are not priorities.
We will discuss how well-trained paraprofessionals or coaches embedded in a well monitored system of care represent one solution and the challenges to implementing this solution.
Following this webinar, participants will be able to
1. Understand the reasons why current mental health services will not meet the need for service.
2. Understand that paraprofessionals are one way to make a difference.
3. Understand the barriers to change.