However, as the public perception of therapy changes, new challenges are arising. A 2022 study from the American Psychological Association (APA) found that 6 in 10 psychologists "no longer have openings for new patients."
The shortage comes as demand for therapy soars: since the beginning of the pandemic, about three-quarters of practitioners have seen their waiting lists grow.
In the same period, almost 80% of practitioners reported an increase in patients with anxiety disorders and 66% have seen an increase in those needing treatment for depression.
“I started my private practice just before Covid hit, and it was certainly filling up then,” Dr. Jennifer Reid, a psychiatrist, writer, and podcast host in Philadelphia, told The Guardian. “But the numbers have exponentially risen since that time.”
Reid even stopped advertising her practice on sites like Psychology Today and other places where people can find therapists. There's simply no need now.
Reid focuses on anxiety and insomnia, which have been “major players” in the pandemic. According to her, people with anxiety, phobias or obsessive-compulsive disorder related to germs had particular trouble. Then there were the isolation and doomscrolling.
Now, she noticed, people are struggling to re-enter the world. "People are finding they're having anxiety trying to re-engage in social settings in situations that were previously not as safe", she said. “Now they’re having to kind of retrain their brains.”
Reid said people often may need to return to their primary care doctor for a period of time, “or they just end up going without and waiting on waitlists, unfortunately”.
The APA study also found that the average psychologist reported being contacted by 15 potential patients every month.
Reid, who combines therapy and medical approaches, said she generally has space for about one new patient every few weeks.
To manage the growing demand, Reid works with a platform for Philadelphia therapists that allows them to see each other's availability. “We really feel a sense of responsibility to try and get patients some good options if we can, if we’re not able to see them,” she said.
