From left to right: Natalie McCallum, MRU Psychology alumna, Kaitlin Berlinguette, current student, Dr. Chad London, PhD, acting president and vice-chancellor, the Honourable Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Advanced Education, Dr. Vandess Sheane, president and chief executive officer of Northwestern Polytechnic.
Mount Royal will be able to offer more seats to students in the Bachelor of Arts - Psychology program thanks to new funding from the Alberta government.
Announced at Mount Royal University Aug. 30, the new Mental Health Professionals Enrollment Expansion grant program will see 12 post-secondary institutions supported with nearly $10 million in funding over three years to create 761 new seats across various programs.
Mount Royal will see 105 of those new seats. The other institutions receiving funding for a variety of mental health programs are:
- Bow Valley College - 75 seats
- Burman University - 60 seats
- Grant MacEwan University - 90 seats
- Keyano College - 30 seats
- King's University - 37 seats
- Medicine Hat College - 50 seats
- Northwestern Polytechnic - 152 seats
- Portage College - 32 seats
- Red Deer Polytechnic - 70 seats
- St. Mary's University - 45 seats
- University of Lethbridge - 15 seats
In addition to psychology programs, the funding will go towards programs dedicated to in-demand mental health professions like psychiatric nursing, social work, child and youth care and addiction counseling.
Advanced Education Minister Rajan Sawhney said this is a critical step forward in making sure Alberta has a robust and capable mental health workforce.
"This investment will bridge gaps in mental health care and give more post-secondary institutions the tools they need to provide critical services and support communities across our province," she said.
Acting MRU President and Vice-Chancellor Chad London, PhD, says the funding will be put to good use at Mount Royal.
"This will enable us to add new seats in our high-demand BA in Psychology. Improving mental health is an immense societal challenge that universities can help solve through graduates who find rewarding and much-needed careers in mental health."
London noted that psychology related research at MRU is expanding. "It includes research into the brain and mental health, youth mental health and many more topics."
Students and recent alumni in the mental health discipline know just how vital this funding is. Kaitlin Berlinguette is currently in MRU's Psychology program and said knowing more students will be able to attend Mount Royal is encouraging.
"My experience at MRU has been incredible and it excites me that more students will have the opportunity to experience the education here." she said, adding that it is inspiring to see the government investing in mental health.
While the new seats are coming after psychology graduate Natalie McCallum's time at MRU, she recognizes the importance of this investment, especially as she heads into her graduate studies.
"The field of psychology encourages and inspires us to learn and handle growth and change. As psychology students, many of us want to work as mental health practitioners and understanding and learning about responses to change is very important."
McCallum hopes to go on to earn her PhD following her masters.
"So many Mount Royal alumni are working in our healthcare system and improving mental health in the community and this funding will make it possible for even more students to choose this path."
Read more about Mount Royal's Bachelor of Arts - Psychology program.
