The doctor is in

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Lesley Lutes, Professor, Department of Psychology, Irving K Barber Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, UBC Okanagan
 
 

Lesley Lutes wants British Columbia to become a place where a physician’s office treats the whole person, not just their physical ailments.

Over the last several years, Dr. Lutes—a Registered Psychologist and Professor of Psychology at UBC Okanagan—has led the charge in advocating for increased public access to psychological services.

“Research tells us that as many as seven out of 10 primary care visits now have either a mental health or behavioural component. People face difficulties like stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, obesity, diabetes, insomnia and problematic substance use—and all of these concerns are in a psychologist’s wheelhouse,” explains Dr. Lutes.

“By increasing public access to psychologists on primary care teams, we can immediately improve access to care that treats both mental and physical health conditions simultaneously.”

She adds: “This isn’t something new, innovative or unproven. This has been done for decades around the world. What I’m proposing that’s new to BC is a primary care-specific training and curriculum designed to effectively integrate psychologists into team-based primary care in a way that promotes continuity of care for patients.”

Read the full story here:  UBC Okanagan News