“We are seeing waiting lists shrink in the last 12 months, which is of course a very positive development,” says Íris Dögg Harðardóttir, Executive Director of Mental Health Services at Heilsugæsla höfuðborgarsvæðisins. “The work continues and we intend to do even better. Our goal is to ensure good access to services with no waiting time for care related to mental health concerns.”

The waiting list for adults seeking psychological services across all 15 health centers operated by Heilsugæsla höfuðborgarsvæðisins decreased significantly over the past twelve months. At the end of 2025, 325 adults were waiting for services, compared with 517 at the same time last year, a reduction of 37 percent.

The reduction in the waiting list for children has been more modest. A total of 222 children were waiting for psychological services at the end of 2025, compared with 233 at the end of 2024, representing a reduction of just under five percent. This is due in part to the fact that, to date, more service options have been available for adults than for children.

Less waiting time

Waiting time varies between health centers but has decreased overall in the last year. Currently, the average waiting time for both adults and children is 114 days. In early January 2025 the average waiting time was 184 days for children and 288 days for adults.

“We have made good progress in bringing down waiting times and aim to do even better,” says Íris. “There are considerable differences between health centers. At some centers people experience little to no delay before they get service, while at others people may have to wait for several months. The cases our psychologists handle are highly diverse, and many are complex and understandably require time. We prioritize cases based on severity in this service, as is standard practice throughout the health care system.”

Learning from the Nordic countries

In this journey to reduce waiting lists after mental health services at health clinics the organization is looking to best practices from other Nordic countries. “We’re exploring alternative ways to organize services, expanding low-threshold options, and addressing issues at earlier stages. We want to learn from what has worked well in neighboring countries and see how it can be adapted to our operations,” Íris says.

A key focus has been to expand available services, for example by increasing the range of courses offered. The latest addition to the course offerings from Heilsugæsla höfuðborgar-svæðisins is an online therapy program for parents of children with anxiety, which has been very well received.