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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) – More and more parents are finding it harder to locate a therapist as there is a shortage of child psychologists due to the pandemic.
“There’s always been a shortage but I do believe the pandemic has made the need for mental health services much greater,” said Dr. Mary Sa, a psychologist in Framingham.
She said Massachusetts was already experiencing a shortage of therapists, especially for immigrants and children who speak another language.
“There’s about four-thousand psychologists in Massachusetts and the amount who speak Portuguese is just a very couple.”
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Sa’s had to close her practice because she could not take in any more patients. She plans on hiring more help but wants to be able to serve these specific communities.
“I’m going to be hiring another therapist to help me soon but to find someone who has those linguistic skills is going to be really difficult,” she said.
Sa adds that the best way she can currently help families is to put them on a cancellation list, but that could last months or even years.
WBZ’s James Rojas (@JamesRojasWBZ) has more:
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