Welcome to the Manitoba Psychological Society Webpage.  We thank you for taking the time to learn more about our association whether you are a psychologist, other professional or community member.  As you can see, we are a non-profit, professional association committed to advocating for the further study and use of psychology in Manitoba. 

It is my pleasure to serve as the current President of MPS.  I have had the privilege of serving on the Board, in various roles, beginning in 2015.  During this time, I have been impressed by the hard-work and dedication of our Board Members and staff who have helped us to achieve many important goals over the years.  I know that I stand in a long line of Past Presidents and Board Members who have served the psychological community and the community at large with integrity and wisdom, and am honored to be part of this legacy.

I am looking forward to the year ahead, as we continue to build on the work of previous years.  In order to increase our impact, we have established a number of committees comprised of both Board Members and other MPS Members.  In particular, I am looking forward to supporting the hard work of the Social Action Committee, Advocacy Committee, and the Community Network Committee as they speak up for our community and our membership on important psychological issues such as access to appropriate psychological services including both behavioural health and mental health care.  In recent government-sponsored reports (Peachey Report and Virgo Report), it has been highlighted that Manitoba has a severe shortage of psychologists and that Manitobans struggle to access the mental health care that they need.  Over the coming year, we hope to highlight important recommendations made in these reports to those who can make changes to the current system of services including the public health, insurance-based and academic systems.  We also hope to encourage all of our MPS members to become involved and engaged in advocacy efforts within their work and personal environments.  Our theme for last year was, “All Psychologists are Advocates,” and I believe this is an important theme to continue.

I also look forward to supporting the ongoing efforts of Board Members in delivering relevant professional development opportunities, engaging with media on psychological topics relevant to Manitobans, providing workshops to our community during Psychology Month and improving our member benefits.  Each fall, the Board works together to set specific goals for the coming year.  During this process, we plan to take into consideration the recent survey completed by our members.  For example, many survey participants indicated a desire for MPS to advocate with insurance companies to provide improved coverage for psychological treatment as well as to incorporate psychologists into the primary care system.  We plan to consider these priorities and others to shape our activities for the coming year.  Additionally, though less exciting, we hope to review and revise our current Constitution in the near future in order to make sure our policies meet our current needs. 

Thank you again for your interest in our website and in the Manitoba Psychological Society.  Please feel free to contact us should you have any questions or would like to become more involved.

Dr. Jo Ann Unger, C. Psych
MPS President