Psychology
To make an appointment
Patients must be referred by a physician.
Health psychology aims to understand the thoughts, emotions and behaviours that influence physical health. It encourages prevention and psychoeducational interventions to help people maintain their health, manage their illness, or reduce their distress or disability.
What roles do psychologists play in hospitals?
- Perform psychological assessments and interventions with inpatients experiencing emotional difficulties adjusting to their physical health problems;
- Perform psychological assessments related to transplants or, in some cases, surgery (e.g. bariatric surgery);
- Perform psychological assessments and interventions for patients who are receiving care from ambulatory care clinics and who are experiencing emotional difficulties adjusting to their health problems (available in certain zones only);
- Deliver individual or group interventions that promote physical and mental health by encouraging patients who are receiving care from ambulatory care clinics to adopt and maintain behaviour supporting their health and wellness (available in certain zones only).
What services are offered?
- Assessments and short-term psychological interventions only;
- Psychoeducational group meetings.
Psychologists work with care teams and some clinics to provide continuity of patient care.
Who can receive services?
Children, adults and seniors experiencing psychological difficulties related to physical problems:
- Inpatients;
- Patients of hospital ambulatory care clinics suffering from chronic diseases;
- Patients with a physical illness such as multiple sclerosis, cancer or heart disease that is leading to adjustment difficulties;
- Patients also presenting a primary mental health condition, provided their condition is stable.
The patient must be informed, have the ability to consent to the referral, and also be motivated to participate in the psychotherapeutic process.
Services can vary from one hospital or one zone to another.
