In recent years, also thanks to the pandemic, we have witnessed a boom in online psychotherapy with the birth of various platforms that bring patients together with psychotherapists. But what do the psychotherapists who work for them think of the services offered and what are the conditions they must comply with? Fanpage.it has collected some testimonies to answer these questions.
In Italy the path to becoming psychotherapist it’s not simple at all: five-year degree in Psychology, internship, state exam and then others four years of graduate school. Even those who manage to do everything in the right time take at least ten years to become a psychotherapist. And even after the title things don’t improve, among the others growing competition and the expenses of opening one private studio.
In this context, however, in 2020 one was inserted variable that no one had taken into account: Covid-19 makes its appearance in our lives. The pandemic sweeps away all our certainties and grows one new awareness: the mental health it is no longer seen as a whim but as a priority. In Italy, however, there is still a lockdown and going out to go to the psychologist is not so easy. Someone intercepts this mix of new needs and the first ones are born online psychotherapy platforms. In a few months, attracted by the distance mode and affordable prices, more and more Italians are choosing them to start a psychotherapy journey.
Even today, months after the end of the pandemic, several of these platforms have confirmed that they are a successful business model. If it is true that on the one hand they have the merit of having facilitated access to psychotherapy for thousands of Italians, on the other hand, however, we almost never talk about what happens on the other side of the screen, that of the psychotherapists hired. For this reason Fanpage.it collected the testimonies of two psychologists who collaborate with these platforms. For privacy reasons we have decided to remain anonymous (we will call them Marco and Paola) and not to indicate the name of the platforms involved. The two interviewees told us pros and cons of their experience as psychotherapists and workers.
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Psychotherapists in Italy: the data
We need to start from a premise. The success that these platforms have had is the result of several factors. Of course, the trauma caused by the pandemic has put the mental health of many in crisis, or more simply made us realize its importance. But if the platforms managed to gather so many psychologists to collaborate with, it’s because they were there an offer from professionals who had not yet found aadequate employment.
As mentioned at the beginning, the situation of psychologists and psychotherapists in Italy is not at all easy. Explaining why is complex, but there are two or three fairly obvious factors. First of all the competition. In recent years the number of psychologists in Italy has increased exponentially: in 2020 members of the Order of Psychologists were 117,762in 1994 they were approximately 23,000. Practically in 27 years Italian psychologists have increased more than fivefold and of these only 5,000 are employed in public health (data from the National Council of the Order of Psychologists – CNOP).
If we add all the expenses related to opening a private practice it is clear how difficult it can be for a young psychotherapist to start working. In addition to the difficulty in starting a career and building a patient network, there is the salary issue: according to the AlmaLaurea survey referring to 2019, the average net monthly salary five years after obtaining a master’s degree in psychology is equal to 1,017 euros net per month.
“I don’t think the salary is adequate, but at least I work”
When we heard Marco, the voice was that of a young professional at last happy to do the job he studied for for years, but at least partly dissatisfied with the contractual conditions. “I’m extremely sincere, I don’t see any major problems for patients. Rather, those who could be penalized are the hired psychotherapists, who often come seight paid“, he clarifies to us right away.
In reality, the question of compensation that these platforms generally recognize to the psychotherapists they collaborate with is not so simple and could be different from platform to platform. The one A. works for, he explains, out of the total cost of a session of around 50 euros, keeps around 20 euros, while the psychologist’s fee is around 30 euros grossfrom which, however, the taxes that professionals pay because they are hired must be subtracted collaborators with VAT number. On average, the cost of a psychological session in a private practice is at least double.
However, we need to look at things as a whole: “It’s true, in an absolute sense I earn much less than I could by working privately. But I have to admit that for me, as I’m just starting out, finding so many patients in a short time would have been impossible. In a month of work I already have about five patients, I would never have managed it in the same time on my own.”
A launching pad for many young professionals
The group of professionals probably most interested in working with platforms is in fact that made up of young professionals, at the beginning of their career. At least according to A.’s opinion: “I don’t have the data to say, but knowing how much we earn I believe that in general a professional who already has a solid patient network hardly opts for platforms.”
In essence, what happens is probably this: once a young professional has obtained the title of psychotherapist, he finds himself faced with a void: renting a private studio costs too much, especially without having the guarantee of finding an adequate number of patients, enough to at least cover the costs. “Many young professionals – Marco tells us – they use these platforms as a springboardto start your career, with the aim of starting your own business sooner or later”.
A different path: Sara’s story
Collecting the stories of those on the other side of the screen, it appears clear as the judgment about collaboration is in reality very personal and potentially different for every professional. There are those like Marco who experience it as a passing phase, with the dream of open his own studio tomorrow, and those who make the opposite choice, that is, they dedicate themselves almost completely to online therapy. Sara falls into this category: her is a path in contrastgiven that after a few years of collaboration with the platforms, he decided to close his studio to work completely online, both with platforms and as a private psychologist. This is his testimony:
“It’s true, at the beginning I also had some doubts from a remuneration point of view. I thought he didn’t value the profession enough. Over time, however, I realized that in addition to this, there were also gods advantages: first of all the possibility of working with patients whom I would have been unlikely to meet while continuing along the more traditional path of face-to-face therapy. Then also from a more strictly economic point of view, it is true that after many years of study it is right to expect adequate compensation, but I personally I realized which in the end, taking away the rent and other study expenses, I can have an overall rewarding salary. Then, it is clear, everyone has their own needs and perhaps what is enough for me is not enough for a colleague.”
What psychologists think about online platforms
Online therapy is another “gift” that the pandemic has left us. Right or wrong, it has the merit of facilitated access to psychotherapy in a historical moment when we deeply needed it. Not only that, it may have facilitated the first contact with psychotherapy for those who are a little intimidated by it.
However, even among psychotherapists themselves there are different opinions regarding online therapy. Specifically, we tried to understand whether these platforms could have limits for the patients themselves and if psychotherapists were completely autonomous in their work: “They provide us with general indications, but then the concrete work with the patient is entrusted to the professional ethics of the individual psychologist. If it hadn’t been like this, I would never have accepted”, Marco told us.
What the platforms ask of their psychotherapists
“At first some of these indications may seem forced. Theuse of you with the patient, which I, for example, was not used to. But then I realized that could have some use to shorten the distance with the patient, inherent to the fact of not being present”.
Another of these indications – continues Marco – concerns the way of relate to the patient at the moment this seems to be moving away. “In these cases, when you work alone, it’s up to you, based on your personal approach, to decide whether to make yourself heard or not. However, since I started collaborating, my managers they advised me to try to maintain the relationship. Let’s be clear, no one is imposing anything on you, but the recommendation is there.”
Would you recommend the platform you work for to a friend?
In the end, with due differences, Marco and Sara confirmed to us that they have a positive opinion on the service offered from the platforms. However, on some particular aspects they have a different opinion. Marco is not convinced that the method developed to associate the patient with the psychotherapist is the most effective. This is based on a test that the patient fills out when registering on the platform.
“In the questionnaire the patient answers a series of questions that allow him to identify thethe area that best suits your needs and others of a more purely organizational type of information. The system’s algorithm matches the patient’s requests and the characteristics of the available psychotherapists. In any case, after first free introductory meetingit is up to the patient to decide whether to continue or ask for a new meeting”, explains Sara, who reiterates: “My experience, both as a psychologist and as a worker, is absolutely positive”.
Marco doesn’t think exactly the same way: “Personally, if I were to suggest a psychotherapist to a friend, I wouldn’t recommend him to rely on the platforms, but in general I wouldn’t recommend relying on the web to start a journey. For me the problem is not the platforms, but the “random” choice of the psychologist. I would rather recommend instead the name of a professional I already know and that I know how to be prepared. But I realize that not everyone has a psychologist friend to ask for advice.”
