Why This Clinical Psychologist is Helping to Expand Mental Health Support Across Ontario | The Clinical Compass

Every year, more than one million people in Ontario experience mental health and addictions challenges. And according to the Canadian Mental Health Association, the prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders in Ontario is at 10.9 per cent.

However, long wait times and uneven availability of mental health services – particularly outside major urban populations – can make it difficult for people to get support when they need it.

Ontario Health oversees the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy (OSP) program, which offers free, publicly funded cognitive-behavioural therapy and services for adults in Ontario experiencing depression, anxiety and related stress and coping challenges. But to deliver on a province-wide program requires clinical insight embedded in system decisions. That’s where clinical leads come in.

Bringing Real-World Care into System Decisions

Working across Ontario Health, clinical leads are practicing clinicians who bring real-world clinical context into program design and system planning. Their involvement helps ensure provincial health initiatives reflect the needs of both clinicians and the people they serve.

One of those leaders is Dr. Karen Rowa, Provincial Clinical Lead for the OSP program. In addition to her role at Ontario Health, she is a clinical psychologist at a specialized anxiety clinic at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and a professor of psychiatry at McMaster University.

For Dr. Rowa, the decision to become a clinical lead grew out of seeing OSP’s impact firsthand on patients and wanting to help shape access to psychotherapy across the province.

“One of the program hubs is based at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and I was able to see the program’s impact on adults,” she says. “I really admired what the program was doing, and I saw an opportunity to give back at a provincial level and help shape this work.”

Clinical Insights Help Health System Respond to Patient Needs

Clinical leads are uniquely positioned to inform program design and system planning. Because they continue to practice, they stay connected to patients’ experiences when trying to access care. At the same time, their system level role allows them to translate those experiences into decisions about how programs evolve.

That clinical lens can shape program priorities, especially when evidence from practice influences a program’s original intention. While OSP was originally designed to support people with depression and anxiety, experience showed that stress and coping challenges were also common among those seeking care.

“We used that insight to expand our reach to include services that support stress management and coping,” Dr. Rowa explains.

In this way, clinical leads not only support program delivery, but also the system’s ability to recognize and respond to evolving patient needs.

That same clinician-informed approach is especially critical when the goal is equitable access.

Equity in Access to Mental Health Support

A key focus of Dr. Rowa’s clinical leadership is improving access for people across Ontario who could benefit from OSP, including priority populations that may face additional barriers to health care. To do that, the program uses data to understand who lives in each region, who is accessing mental health services and where gaps remain. This information helps guide outreach and strengthen relationships with communities that may be underrepresented.

“One of the areas where this is fundamental is our work with Indigenous communities,” says Dr. Rowa. “We have a provincial clinical lead focused on supporting Indigenous individuals experiencing depression and anxiety as well as ensuring they have access to quality mental health supports.”

She adds that the program sets clear expectations for therapists around relationship building with Indigenous partners and creating culturally safe care environments for everyone who accesses OSP.

These insights help clinicians better understand how to provide care that is culturally appropriate and grounded in respect.

Mental Health Week and the Future of the OSP

Looking ahead, Dr. Rowa sees opportunities to further strengthen access by reducing wait times, increasing awareness of OSP and its service options, and supporting people to make informed decisions about the level of care that is right for them.

Mental Health Week is an annual event, taking place this year from May 4 to 10, and is led by the Canadian Mental Health Association. This year’s theme, Come Together, Canada, emphasizes connection and reducing isolation – recognizing that social connection supports mental health.

For Dr. Rowa, the theme also reflects how effective mental health care is built.

“By bringing different viewpoints together, like clinical expertise, cultural perspectives and lived experiences, we can make better system decisions [for mental health services] that benefit more people across Ontario.”

If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about OSP, find one of the program’s 10 networks in a region near you.