Australian Psychologists in the Context of Disasters: Preliminary Report on Workforce Impacts and Needs

Abstract

Since late 2019, psychologists in Australia have been working in the context of a number of weather disasters and COVID-19, the combination of which have had ongoing mental health consequences for the Australian community, requiring psychologists to meet a growing demand for services.

In November and December 2022, 469 registered psychologists participated in survey about the personal and professional impacts of recent disasters, and supporting the current and future mental health needs of the Australian community. Almost one in three (31%) psychologists had been personally impacted by weather disasters since 2019, and 61.3% of psychologists reported that their close friends, family, clients, and/or colleagues were impacted. Almost all psychologists reported being impacted by COVID-19. Over 60% of psychologists had a waitlist over one month or had stopped accepting new clients. Psychologists reported increases in the severity and complexity of client presentations since late 2019, especially in relation to anxiety, stress, wellbeing, and climate distress.

To manage escalating work pressures, psychologists reported engaging in professional development, formal supervision, informal peer support, and use of self-care strategies. Most psychologists reported increased flexibility and resilience in response to recent disasters. However, one third of psychologists reported experiencing symptoms of depression (39.3%) and/or anxiety (28%), 47.6% reported low wellbeing, 26.4% reported burnout (physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion), and a further one third (34.5%) were in danger of burnout. Almost half (44.8%) of the psychologists had changed job sectors or roles since 2019, usually due to undesirable work culture and unsustainable work pressure.

Fewer than one in three (30.5%) psychologists said they felt well prepared to manage the mental health needs of clients in the context of future disasters. Psychologists described strategies that they expected would help relieve the current pressures on the psychology workforce, and priority areas for professional development to be better prepared to respond to future disasters.

Overall, the findings from this survey indicate that Australia’s psychology workforce is at, or nearing, crisis. Given the expected increase in frequency and severity of disasters, now more than ever, it is important to support the psychology workforce to recover from recent disasters, stabilise and strengthen the workforce, and prepare the workforce to respond effectively to future disasters. Show more