More than ever, psychologists are overwhelmed as the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health problems among Quebecers.
Already solicited, the some 5,500 psychoeducators in the province want to help.
“Their contribution to all mental health issues is very important,” says Denis Leclerc, president of the Ordre des psychoéducateurs et psychoéducatrices du Québec.
A psychoeducator is not a psychologist, but their interventions can be similar. Their role is to restore balance in the patient’s life.
«[C’est] to try to see what are the most stressful conditions, the most difficult to reconcile at present, ”notes Mr. Leclerc, who adds that mental health does not necessarily translate into mental illness in itself.
For their part, psychologists have a more in-depth role in the problem, according to Marco Mailhot who is a psychoeducator.
Mr. Mailhot works more with teenagers who have created a dependency on screens.
“They no longer want to go to school, they no longer have an interest in the activities they used to love. So they will isolate themselves a lot, a lot in their room and the parents do not know how to react. So when they call on my services, it has been several weeks since young people spend 10, 12 hours a day in their rooms, ”he explains.
Where psychoeducators can make a difference is by addressing the side effects of issues.
“If we can reduce the side effects of cyber addiction, which is malnutrition, lack of hygiene, lack of sleep, lack of interest in school, it will already make a big difference in people’s lives”, believes Marco Mailhot.
They also work with adults in distress, especially in cases of domestic violence.
“If you talk about irritability, if you talk about anxiety, all that in connection with problems which are often environmental, yes, the psychoeducator can support these people, accompany the entourage”, specifies Denis Leclerc.
With the closure of respite centers, Natasha Aubé works mainly with caregivers.
“To equip them with the evolution of the disease. In times of pandemic, it is sure that the number 1 objective was, in fact, to avoid hospitalizations, ”says the psychoeducator.
The important thing, according to them, is to have the resources available to support people.
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