Originally published in The Globe and Mail on December 27, 2017
Re For better mental-health care in Canada, look to Britain (Dec 18) An excellent and timely piece by Drs. Goldbloom and Gratzer. But let’s also recognize the emergence of made-in-Canada innovations that are poised to bridge the mental-health care gap.
Just this week, the Ontario Telemedicine Network qualified four digital mental health providers to support the Ontario government’s initiative to provide a range of digital solutions to support people with mood and anxiety disorders. Amongst the solutions qualified was a digital CBT platform that offers one-to-one therapist interaction and personalized treatment protocols suitable for mild to moderately severe depression and anxiety disorders, with measured outcomes. This type of platform dramatically improves accessibility and affordability of care.
A stepped-care model exists here in Canada today and in a more technologically advanced way than the British initiative. The very good news is that our governments are moving in the right direction to make this available.
Dr. Peter Farvolden, Senior Clinical Director, BEACON and CBT Associates