Ontario’s new publicly funded cognitive behavioural therapy program is likely to complement, not replace, the CBT offerings that are currently available through group benefits plans, say experts.
Last week, the Ontario government announced it will invest $20 million to launch Mindability, which it will roll out in the spring and further expand in the fall. The program will provide CBT to Ontarians aged 10 and older and will be funded like OHIP, with no out-of-pocket costs for eligible patients.
While the program will be part of the public system, employers still have a role to play, says Camille Quenneville, chief executive officer of the Ontario division of the Canadian Mental Health Association. “It can complement what [people] otherwise might be getting through a benefits plan. So my hope is that it helps to break down stigma that people are a lot more open about the need to seek support or have someone to talk to.”
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Through Mindability, people will receive an assessment from a trained mental-health clinician and then will be offered a therapy program according to their level of need. Available services will include internet-based modules, personal workbooks, telephone coaching and clinical counselling, as well as face-to-face, group and individual therapy.
“Anything that reduces obstacles to access is a good thing,” says Kim Siddall, vice-president and local practice leader at Aon. “. . . Sometimes there’s concern about accessing mental-health services through [an] employer so it removes that obstacle and maybe helps [employees] access care that they need but have never accessed before.”
Indeed, if the Ontario program helps to move CBT even more into the mainstream, employees who previously wouldn’t have considered getting help may be more likely to seek treatment, she says. “I would say it’s too early to tell if it will have a marked impact that way — maybe this helps [employees] access care that they need but have never accessed before, so [then] they’re more willing to use [employee assistance programs] or [internet] CBT programs through their employer.”
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Half of Canadians have, or have had, a mental illness by the time they reach age 40, according to CAMH. And psychological health problems and illnesses are the No. 1 cause of disability in Canada, according to a 2016 report by the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
Widespread access to treatment and a raised profile of CBT could result in higher short-term costs for plan sponsors, but may ultimately reduce costs related to untreated mental illnesses in the long term.
On the other hand, where people are introduced to CBT through the Mindability program, that short-term solution could be a first step to longer-term care through their group benefits plan. “So it might actually lead to increased costs in the psychology, social work side [for plan sponsors].”
Read: Work-focused CBT can help depressed employees remain on the job