Norman psychologists demonstrate in Rouen this Friday
The collective of Norman psychologists demonstrates, this Friday, June 10, at 1:30 p.m., in front of the prefecture of Seine-Maritime. They denounce the changes imposed on the profession, and more generally the damage to psychic care. Christelle Pollefoort, psychologist at the Rouvray hospital center, answers questions from France Bleu Normandie.
Christelle Pollefoort, you psychologists have been regularly mobilizing for a year to denounce the laws that were adopted between the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021. In your opinion, we are trying to regulate your profession in a way that is not consistent with the practice of your profession?
There were decrees which appeared on December 24, 2020 and March 10, 2021, texts which legislate on the care of people. The decree of December 24 proposes the reimbursement of only six psychology sessions for patients after cancer, either with a psychologist or with a dietician, with medical prescription. The decree of March 10, 2021 concerns more the care of children.
Do you mean that we summarize the patients in figures, a number of sessions, an amount of reimbursement?
That’s it, a reimbursement amount, a diagnosis that would impose a way of working, therefore a protocol that hinders the thinking of psychologists. The psychologist, by his function, by his status and even by his legal status, by the code of ethics, intervenes above all by defending the respect of the person as a whole, therefore takes into account the psychological suffering of the person who is multifactorial . The heart of our job is welcoming, listening to the spoken word, that takes time. And that is beyond formalization.
In your sights, there is also the Mon psy santé device. Can you remind us what it is?
So it goes in the same direction. That is to say that basically, we invite people to go and see a liberal, but first, to go through a general practitioner, to have an assessment and find out if the patient meets the criteria to benefit from eight sessions of psychologist only (reimbursed by social security, editor’s note). And the psychologist will have to make an assessment with the doctor. It’s a breach of confidentiality. This is an additional step to directly access care with a psychologist. Furthermore, it should be noted that the exclusion criteria are important. If you take anxiolytics, antidepressants, if you have had dark or suicidal thoughts, or if you have been followed by a previous psychiatrist, you cannot benefit from these eight sessions.
In September, there was the Assizes of mental health and psychiatry. Almost a year later, where are we?
Many professional organizations are not heard and the government continues in the same line. These devices, in particular Mon psy santé, hide the undermining of reception institutions, of public service, where people can normally be received free of charge.
We talked about what is reimbursed, but on average in Normandy, how much does a psychology session cost?
I can’t tell you because many professionals adapt the price of the sessions to what the person can put into a psychological follow-up. But what we want to insist on is the harm to caregivers as a whole. There are psychologists of different specialties in the hospital. For several years, we have been witnessing difficulties due to a logic of economic profitability; to the undermining of the reception of the person, with his suffering: we must be able to welcome him, listen to him, take the time to reflect and think together.