Actually, in Canada, psychologists ARE covered... but not all of them. The mental health services departments of the hospitals have T's that are 100% covered. One has to be referred to one by an MD, but it doesn't have to be a pdoc. Even the rural areas will have covered T's in the central hospitals (usually.. unless they cannot attract one to such an area). The various hoops to jump through do vary depending on province and hospital system, but there are covered T's.

The down side is that mental health gets the lowest funding... and so, there aren't enough free t's. The ones in the covered system don't make nearly as much as the private ones and they tend to not stick around either. T's that are covered are generally handling referrals from severe mental illness, or chronic pain etc... There is often a wait list and the frequency of appointments can be terrible. I don't see it being of any real value in terms of real change in someone's life... managing a chronic issue perhaps but not life-change. It isn't frequent enough and the client has no real say in that.

system t's are often new, less experienced or just plain crappy... they may be finishing a practicum and then leave in 6 months or whatever.

when faced with the decision i chose private or not at all

oh.. and the system frowns hard on anything not short-term CBT or simple management.