Virtual Mental Health Services for Women At-Risk for Homelessness: Accessible and Free Psychotherapy

  • Brannon is a Ph.D. student in clinical psychology at Dalhousie University.  With a master's in public health, and experience working in public mental health, Brannon's research interests lie in the intersection between clinical psychology and public health.  Brannon is most interested in understanding how health systems can be improved so that services are more timely, easier to access, and foster collaboration between levels of care. Currently, Brannon's research focuses on improving access to care for at-risk populations, and populations with severe mental illness. 

Women who have experienced homelessness often have mental health challenges that contribute to their difficulty in escaping poverty. For these women, despite their increased need for care, barriers to accessing mental health services are significant. When provided virtually, psychotherapy has been helpful in reducing barriers to care in the general population, but marginalized populations have largely been unable to benefit from this paradigm because of difficulty accessing technology and resources required to engage in treatment.

This project is focused on evaluating an innovative pilot initiative that aims to improve access to care by providing cost-free virtual therapy to women with experiences of homelessness. In addition to assessing the effectiveness of this pilot initiative, this project seeks to determine barriers and facilitators to successful implementation and potential usefulness of this paradigm in other settings.  

This study will utilize a multi-methods design to assess the effectiveness of the pilot initiative. Quantitative methods will be used to assess the effectiveness of the virtual therapy program, in improving the mental health and employment outcomes of service users. Qualitative interviews will be conducted with key project stakeholders to determine barriers and facilitators of successful implementation of the virtual therapy program.  

This pilot initiative is among the first to provide a virtual intervention for this population aiming to specifically address key barriers to accessing care for this population. Results from this research will provide valuable information regarding the effectiveness of a virtual care program for marginalized populations, and the potential for further use of similar programs in other settings.

This project is co-funded in partnership with Mitacs and GreenShield.