In recent decades, online therapy has been gaining ground as a therapeutic option because of its many benefits for mental health, is very comfortable, does not require travel, is better adapted to the schedule of many people, among many other benefits.

Some online therapy clinics offer the option of contacting a psychologist via video call which enables many patients to adapt therapy to their lifestyle and thus access therapy they would otherwise not be able to.

Interview with Aida Rubio, Head of TherapyChat

Today we talked to Aída Rubio, Head of the Psychological Service of TherapyChat and a health psychologist, so that she can tell us how psychotherapyonline works.

How did TherapyChat come about? Why therapy via video call?

TherapyChat exists thanks to the testimony and demand of many people who request a service of the highest quality at an affordable price. A service that is also comfortable and flexible. TherapyChat offers a protected space where at all times our patients are accompanied by an expert who provides guidelines to help them manage those situations that generate discomfort and thus achieve a higher level of life satisfaction.

Online therapy allows connection from anywhere that respects the privacy of therapy and at any time. The psychotherapy sessions are absolutely confidential so that patients can express their feelings and emotions, as well as experiences or thoughts that concern them in a safe and accessible way.

What services do you offer and who is your target audience?

We offer high quality psychological counseling to people who, for whatever reason, want to improve their well-being. All psychologists are licensed and registered, and have extensive experience in handling the following areas:

  • Couple, Infidelities, Rupture, Toxic Relationships, Emotional Dependence, Sexuality where the help of a Psychologist can be essential, to understand and address these situations.
  • Anxiety, self-esteem, depression, agoraphobia, grief, stress at work, panic attacks in which a professional becomes a fundamental key to improvement.
  • Mindfulness, Social Skills, Communication and Assertiveness, Lifestyle, Acceptance, which help to overcome and achieve greater personal or professional success.

The cost is 96 euros per month and includes 4 sessions of 60 minutes per month per video call, and an asynchronous open chat channel with the therapist.It also has a Refund Guarantee during the 1st Week.

Psychological therapy 3.0

What makes TherapyChat different from other online therapy centers?

Our priority is to provide a service of the highest quality, so we have a very large team of psychologists and assign the patient the psychologist who best suits their needs. If the patient does not feel comfortable with the professional, he/she can request a change. TherapyChat will always make an exhaustive follow-up of the patients’ satisfaction with our services.

The therapist will analyze the situation with the patient (through conversations and psychological tests), set the goals the patient wants to achieve and start the process of improvement. Thanks to our advanced technology, it is possible to speak via text, images, audio notes and video calls. And everything from security, confidentiality and accessibility.

How does online therapy work?

The therapy takes the form of a weekly one-hour video call session, in which the patient talks to his or her psychologist and works on the goals set. Likewise, the chat channel is open, with a functioning similar to whatsapp. In this channel, the patient can write messages to his therapist at any time, and he will answer asynchronously, i.e. not at the same time but later, as soon as he can, from 09:00 to 21:30

Regarding the relationship of trust with the therapist and the adherence to the treatment, how does it differ from the face-to-face therapy?

Here too, a lot of trust is generated since patients can write down all their thoughts and describe their emotions when they have them, so that a very strong therapeutic bond is generated, and a deep knowledge of the person and their situation. This allows us to guide them and help them in their evolution and improvement.

With the first introductory video call we put a face and a voice, generating a good therapeutic alliance that is the basis for a successful therapy. We have been very well received and we continue to improve in order to provide a committed and effective psychological service.

New technologies have brought new ways of communicating with patients, but what exactly are the benefits of online therapy?

  • The comfort. It allows you to be anywhere at any time and have the confidence that you can write to your psychologist about what is happening to you.
  • It is totally anonymous and confidential: If the patient wants total privacy, he or she can access his or her psychologist from a mobile phone or computer without anyone else knowing that he or she is using the service.
  • The price, since our goal is to make it accessible to as many people as possible.

What are the most frequent problems you encounter in your practice?

We find the same as in face-to-face therapy, everything related to the world of the couple, as well as issues of anxiety, depression, self-esteem, etc. Lately there is also a growing demand for mindfulness training and, simply, for people who want to achieve greater levels of success and well-being on a personal and professional level.

Is online therapy useful for all kinds of problems?

It’s useful for many, many areas, let’s say most, but there are still some we don’t treat. We have developed a classification of the problems we do not deal with and when someone wants to hire the service and tells us their case, if it falls into one of these areas we recommend that they go to another type of service.

From your point of view, what is the message for those people who feel the need to go to therapy but have difficulty taking the step? Do you think TherapyChat is a good option for them?

I’d tell them to buck up and trust to talk to us. We will listen to you and focus on understanding your situation without judgment and regardless of who you are. We have a lot of experience helping people who choose TherapyChat as their first choice, because it is a more accessible, safe and private option than others.