Find a Therapist in Alberta

Welcome to the Alberta therapist directory at GoodTherapy.org. Our directory is the fastest and safest way to find a good counselor or therapist in Alberta cities. We only include professional therapists, counselors, and psychologists whose work accords, in attitude and orientation, to the elements of good therapy. Find a therapist or counselor in your Alberta zip code, or click on the links below to see the counselors in your city. If you are looking for telehealth therapy you can click here to see all Alberta telehealth therapists.

Mental Health Matters in Alberta

In Alberta, more people are impacted by mental health issues than breast cancer, diabetes, or Alzheimer’s disease. In 2006, 11% of Albertans reported having a psychological disability. However, 2 in every 5 Albertans don’t know how to recognize the signs of mental health issues. Among people who do know the signs, 3 in 4 people don’t seek help for their mental health issues due to stigma.

Mental health among Albertan youth is a concern. In the 2007/2008 fiscal year, 7% of Albertan youth (57,108) saw a physician for mental health issues. That same period, 5,208 youth visited an emergency room for mental health issues. Around 28% of emergency room visits involved neurosis or stress-related conditions. Another 26% of visits involved substance abuse, and 17% involved a mood condition such as depression.

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in Alberta for people of all ages. It kills more people in Alberta than car crashes or homicides. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, around 500 Albertans die by suicide each year. Men are disproportionately affected, making up 75% of suicide cases. 

In general, Alberta has a bigger concentration of mental health providers than the surrounding provinces. Alberta has a high ratio of social workers (192 per 100,000 residents) and psychologists (52.5 per 100,000). However, the ratio of psychiatrists (11.5 per 100,000) is lower than Canada’s average. After getting a referral, the average wait time to see a psychiatrist is 8 weeks (2 weeks in urgent cases).

Alberta spends $207 of mental health expenses per capita, which is significantly higher than the national average of $172 per person. Public mental health spending takes up 5.6% of total health expenditures. Most people who access mental health services in Alberta report satisfaction with their care (68%).

References:

  1. Facts about mental illness. (n.d.). Elements Calgary Mental Health Centre. Retrieved from https://www.elementscmhc.ca/mental-health-information
  2. Mental health economic statistics in your pocket [PDF]. (2007). Retrieved from https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/res/mhr/if-res-mhr-mental-health-econ-stats-pocket.pdf
  3. Metcalf, A., Crockett, C., Salegio, J., & Tough, S. (2011). What adults know about youth mental health [PDF]. Retrieved from https://dataverse.library.ualberta.ca/api/access/datafile/6663
  4. Newton A.S., Rosychuk R.J., Ali S., Cawthorpe D., Curran J., Dong K., Slomp M., & Urichuk, L. (n.d.). The emergency department compass: Children’s mental health [PDF]. Retrieved from https://sites.ualberta.ca/~an6/PDFreport/Children's%20Mental%20Health%20Compass_Interactive%20PDF_Final%20Version.pdf
  5. What works: Career-building strategies for people from diverse groups [PDF]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/res/mhr/if-res-mhr-mental-health-econ-stats-pocket.pdf
  6. What Albertans really need to know about suicide. (n.d.). Canadian Mental Health Association. Retrieved from https://www.mymentalhealth.ca/get-help/topics/suicide-in-alberta
 

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