Photo by Curtis Galbraith.

By Curtis Galbraith

Health

Pace says shortage of therapists means four-month-long wait for sexual abuse counselling

Feb 13, 2023 | 6:00 AM

A Grande Prairie organization that works with victims of sexual assault says there are people waiting months for counselling.

Pace says there are currently 39 people on a waiting list and the wait time is four months.

Executive director Jacquie Aitken Kish says a shortage of therapists is leading to long waits.

She says people to do this specialized work are not available.

“We need Masters-level therapists. Working with sexual abuse trauma is complex, especially if the abuse was caused during childhood.”

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Aitken Kish says childhood traumas can include sexual, emotional and physical abuse, seeing a mother being abused, or mental illnesses or alcohol abuse in the family.

She adds the faster trauma can be dealt with and processed, the better it is for the individual.

“If there are those (traumas) within the childhood home, that increases the risk for mental illness and physical illness.”

Aitken Kish says the rate of sexual abuse within the family is 3.5 times high in rural areas.

“Part of it is offenders isolate victims and the more isolated, the more vulnerable someone can be.”

Aitken Kish says that Pace does best hiring therapists that have started their work to become either a psychologist or a social worker out of Northwestern Polytechnic and that we have to ensure that the training of professionals is started here.

“The work is challenging and exciting because we can see people process the pain from their past and take back their power, deal with the trauma, and take back their power as adults.”

Aitken Kish says this kind of work can “make a very big difference in individuals’ lives.”

The Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services is also asking the province for increased funding for counselling. It says 1.8 million people in Alberta have experienced sexual violence.

Aitken Kish says unlike some other places in Alberta, the funding for PACE is secure. She adds wait times in places like Edmonton and Calgary are over a year and are pushing two years. She adds there are no services in places like Banff, Lethbridge, and Athabasca.

Aitken Kish says we have to start dealing with the reality of sexual and physical violence in the home.

Pace has a post on its Facebook page that calls on people to contact their MLAs and tell them to make funding for support services for those dealing with sexual assault a priority.