El Paso ranked worst in the country for therapist-availability for certain demographics
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The country is facing a shortage of mental health professionals, according to multiple industry experts. According to one recent study, El Paso is the worst city in terms of therapists available to support Hispanic communities.
The research was supported by Counseling Psychology, an educational website offering information and studies on the mental health professional community. The focus was trying to find the ratio of patient-to-therapist care in ethnic communities.
El Paso was the most under-supported city for mental health providers for Hispanic/Latino communities.
...the balance is least favorable for Hispanic and Latino communities, with one therapist for every 1,214 people.
— From Counseling Psychology's Availability of Therapists by Ethnicity Served
The majority of therapists in the United States are white, according to the study's findings. The ratio of white Americans to therapists is 307 to 1.
In El Paso, for every one therapist, there are over 3,000 Hispanics needing support, according to the study's figures.
This raises concerns about how successfully mental health professionals may be able to connect with certain patients, and whether the experts "mirror" the populations they're trying to serve.
PURPOSE & METHOD
The hope of the people working on the research is that these numbers can be used to better help understand the complexities of getting care, issues with access, provider shortages -- and hopefully create more equitable mental health treatment across the U.S.
The study looked at U.S. Census data and listings of therapists from Psychology Today's website. Researchers tell ABC-7 that by comparing the listed therapists against the populations of people in a certain area, they were able to identify which cities have the least amount of therapists for those populations.
People involved in the research tell ABC-7 that there can be nuances to looking at Hispanic data, as under the Census, multiple different groups can identify as Hispanic. They feel confident in the research being solid based on the available information. They also note there could be mental professionals working in areas, like El Paso, that are not listed in Psychology Today's directories -- although it is one of the most comprehensive lists.
This report is not the only research warning about healthcare shortages.
The Kaiser Family Foundation, an independent research group, looked closer at each state's statistics in September 2022. KFF identifies Health Care Professional Shortage Areas on three categories -- primary medicine, dental and mental health. It's ranked by population compared to medical experts.
They estimate that at least 702 licensed practitioners would need to enter practice in Texas to improve the state's 435 identified Health Care Professional Shortage Areas.
ETHNICITY
According to Counseling Psychology, over 70% of American psychologists are white. The second largest category is Asian psychologists, making up 11%. Only 8% identified as Hispanic or Latino, with lower numbers for Black, Native American and other communities.
The researchers decided to look at Psychology Today's directory of therapists to see where in the country there were lower numbers of professionals for heavy levels of BIPOC demographics.
Nationwide, there is a wide gap in the ratio of therapists to patients depending on the community.
For BIPOC individuals, there the ratio is one therapist for every 1,000 people.
By far, the best ratio of therapist to patient numbers is in the Native American community. One therapist for every 125 people.
It's least favorable for Hispanics and Latinos, with one therapist for every 1,214 people.
El Paso was the most under-supported city for mental health providers for Hispanic/Latino communities.
Here, the ratio is even more intense than other cities. For every one therapist, there are over 3,000 people. It's three-times higher than the national BIPOC average.
However, El Paso was one of the top ten cities in the country for bi-lingual language support. Counseling Psychology has expressed concerns over language barriers, and if they're a significant hurdle in getting care.
Counseling Psychology believes that one of the main ways to combat this kind of disparity is to bring more Latino/Hispanic therapists into the profession.
The researchers both used and considered U.S. Census Bureau data and definitions for Hispanic/Latino populations.
THERAPIST SHORTAGE
Mental Health America, an national nonprofit focused on researching and advocating for mental wellness, currently ranks Texas as dead last in the country for access to mental health care.
This includes reviewing categories like insurance, access to treatment, quality and cost -- and availability of the professional workforce.
Their investigations show that there is roughly one professional mental health provider for every 350 Americans.
In June of last year, more than 152 million people lived in a mental health workforce shortage region -- with only a little over 25% of mental heath need being met.
In their latest 2023 report, Mental Health America expressed concern over the growing demand for service, mixed with a low level of providers -- "the system is built such that only people with higher incomes can afford to receive care."
The Association of American Medical Colleges, which includes more than 170 medical schools and hundreds of hospitals, wrote last year there were concerns in the industry of an over-taxing of existing staff.
The AAMC cites data from several years ago that over 50% of American counties lacked even one practicing psychiatrist. The group is also concerned about a lack of opportunities for students interested in the field to get involved -- both in classrooms or in actually medical facilities.
There have been steps to address this, according to research by AAMC. The fact remains there is a shortage of support options.
Avery Martinez covers mental health in the Borderland as part of ABC-7’s Be Mindful initiative. He is also a Report for America corps member. RFA places talented, emerging journalists in newsrooms like ABC-7’s to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, an award-winning nonprofit journalism organization dedicated to rebuilding journalism from the ground up.
