Accessible and Free Psychotherapy for those Experiencing Housing Instability

Barriers to accessing mental health services are significant for marginalized Canadians despite their increased need for care. When provided virtually, psychotherapy has been helpful in reducing barriers to care in the general population, but homeless and precariously housed individuals have largely been unable to benefit from this paradigm because of difficulty accessing the technology required. The proposed research is focused on evaluating an innovative pilot initiative that aims to improve access to care by providing cost-free virtual therapy to homeless and precariously housed individuals in Windsor, Ontario in easily accessible locations in the city. In addition to assessing the effectiveness of this pilot initiative, the research will determine barriers and facilitators to successful implementation and the potential usefulness of this paradigm in other settings. This study will utilize a mixed-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 outcomes of study participants over one year of follow-up. The qualitative arm of the research focuses on interviews 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.