New figures obtained by 1News under the Official Information Act shows wait times for sexual assault survivors to get counselling through the Accident Compensation Corporation have risen significantly in the past two years.
The average wait time reached four months according to a counselling supplier survey from June to August this year. In some regions, the average wait is nearing a year.
The average wait for counselling for sexual assault survivors in Nelson is 46 weeks, up from 4.3 weeks for the same quarter in 2020.
The longest average wait time reported in the data was in Lower Hutt, at 50 weeks.
Bucking the trend, Marlborough and Bay of Plenty wait times reduced from two years ago, while Gisborne suppliers continued to report no wait.
ACC stated the data should be viewed as an indication only because some suppliers don't use a wait list system, some survivors choose not to be on a waitlist, others may be counted more than once if they are on multiple waitlists and some may access counselling without any wait.
'Life is on pause'
"I just went through a large list and started emailing and to have most of those people not even respond to an email is just like another silencing really," one person who wants to remain anonymous told 1News.
The survivor has since been on a waitlist for about four months and is expecting to wait up to a year to start getting support.
"It feels like life is on pause, in my mind having access to that counselling is going to hit the play again, I'm going to be able to start making some progress forward."
The survivor wants the Government to prioritise addressing the situation for survivors and supporting staff delivering services who are under significant pressure.
ACC stated in its OIA response it's continuing to work on ways to reduce delayed access to counselling.
"ACC acknowledges that for many survivors, the wait to receive treatment is unacceptably long."
Work undertaken includes increasing the supply of contracted counsellors, discussing issues with related groups, contributing to the Government's Workforce Taskforce and improving the supplier application process.
ACC deputy chief executive for service delivery Amanda Malu said in a statement ACC is committed to paying a "fair and responsible" rate to suppliers.
Suppliers then choose what counsellors contracted to their business are paid for providing ACC-funded counselling.
"We are continuing to focus efforts on meeting the growing demand for therapy providers but one of the challenges is that trauma therapy for sexual violence is a highly skilled profession, which requires appropriate levels of study and work experience," she said.
In a statement, Te Whatu Ora said it's working on a range of initiatives to increase the pool of clinical psychologists.
In August, the Government announced the number of psychology interns will increase to 40 each year by 2024, up from 12 in 2018 and 28 this year.
Payments for interns have increased to around $60,000 a year while more training opportunities have been introduced.
ACC sensitive claims (for injuries caused by sexual violence) have increased by 20% on average each year since 2014.
Clinical psychologist Giselle Bahr says the added strain to people from the Covid-19 pandemic and a greater awareness of ACC counselling and speaking out about sexual assault and getting support are contributing to growing demand.
"People are more aware that burdens that they've carried from hurt that was done to them, sometimes when they're very small, that they don't have to keep carrying those burdens. Like that we can do something about it," she said.
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