The Government is growing the frontline psychology workforce by ensuring more psychology students have access to internships, with the number of Psychology Intern Hubs increasing next year, Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey says.
“We know there are students coming through our universities who want to become psychologists, but getting the supervised experience they need can be a real bottleneck.
“That’s why we are removing barriers by growing the number of Psychology Intern Hubs across the country, giving more students access to supported placements and helping more mental health services build the capacity to take on interns.
“From next year there will be eight hubs around the country, an increase of two, with the hubs supporting up to 40 interns each year.
“These hubs will provide more opportunities for psychology interns to gain supervised experience in mental health and addiction services, while strengthening the pathway from university training into the frontline workforce.
“They provide dedicated supervision for psychology interns, including peer support, while giving them exposure to a range of mental health and addiction services and setting them up well for a career as a psychologist.
“The hubs will be based across specialist, primary and community services, including in Waikato, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and now for the first time Northland and Dunedin too.
“This is part of our wider plan to grow the psychology workforce and create more pathways into the frontline.
“We are on track to double clinical psychology internships, increasing from 40 to 80. In 2027, Health New Zealand will fund 85 internships, up from 75 so far this year.
“We have also established the new Psychology Assistant role, creating another pathway for psychology graduates who miss out on a postgraduate place and keep them working in mental health.
“Psychology Assistants will work alongside registered psychologists, providing practical support and helping people access support faster, while allowing psychologists to focus more of their time on people with the most complex needs.
“We are building the future workforce and fixing the basics by growing the pipeline of frontline workers. We came into Government with a clear plan to deliver faster access to support, more frontline workers and a better crisis response, and it’s paying off.”