Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey has announced the University of Canterbury would be the first selected to develop the government’s new associate psychologist training programme.
This would allow individuals with only a one-year training course after an undergraduate degree to provide psychological care within the public health system.
"We simply cannot sit around and do nothing while New Zealanders are stuck on waiting lists without the support they need," Mr Doocey told the ODT.
"To suggest otherwise is disappointing."
But Dunedin-based clinical psychologist Dr Kumari Valentine said such a plan was misguided and could lead to "detrimental harm" to the profession.
"The effect of having an underqualified person who does not even meet the basic current requirements to be a registered psychologist in contact with the vulnerable people struggling is simply not OK.
"We do not have to expose vulnerable people to a system that has already failed and been criticised in Australia."
Dr Valentine acknowledged there was a mental health crisis, but there were other ways to deal with it rather than introducing a new course.
"They could look at their organisational issues that have already been highlighted in the recruitment and retention of clinical psychologists.
"They can also look to whether the positions that ostensibly are advertised for clinical psychologists are actively recruiting or whether there have been freezes on them.
"Then they can look to existing skills, experience, and face other professionals such as social workers, occupational therapists and more to help them sit more alongside psychology."
Dr Valentine was particularly concerned about insufficiently trained psychologists working with people who were experiencing various degrees of trauma.
"Trauma is often under-diagnosed and can be complex to address.
"So the problem with an underqualified workforce is that they are unlikely to receive even basic training in trauma and to have the interpersonal skills to manage such a complex mind-body problem."
Dr Valentine and 260 other health professionals have signed an open letter to Mr Doocey requesting that he change his thinking on the associate psychologist programme.
"I feel that this has been behind closed doors and that people charged with protecting the public’s good have been left out of the discussion."
Mr Doocey said the associate psychology role was being developed by Health NZ Te Whatu Ora (HNZ) in partnership with the tertiary sector and the New Zealand Psychologists Board.
HNZ was also working with the sector to develop employer guidance and identify ongoing training and support for this workforce to ensure safe practice, he said.
"We know every single year there is a large amount of psychology students who are graduating with an undergraduate degree but are unable to progress further due to the limited number of postgraduate clinical pathways," he said.
"This role keeps more people pursuing a career within the mental health and addiction workforce."
Mr Doocey said the purpose of the associate psychologist role was "for these graduates to work with lower-intensity patients, under supervision, to free up and allow registered psychologists to focus on more complex cases".
