Iván Martín: "We see more and more potential in online therapy".

Psychologist Iván Martín has adapted to the pandemic by creating an online therapy center.

The outbreak of the coronavirus crisis has put the spotlight on the potential of the online world when it comes to offering services that, until recently, we only thought of as face-to-face, face-to-face dialogue between client and professional.

This has also been reflected in the world of online therapy, a form of psychological intervention that has seen its popularity skyrocket in a matter of weeks in the early 2020s, and is here to stay.

Because of this, there are cases of teams of psychologists who have adapted to the circumstances by making online therapy their main way of working.. Today we talk to one of them, Iván Martín, Director of the online psychotherapy center Psicología 360.

Interview with Iván Martín: online therapy as a way to reach more people.

Iván Martín is a clinical psychologist, occupational and group therapist and director and founder of Psicología 360an online therapy center whose team has more than 25 years of experience helping patients. In this interview he explains what it has been like to make the leap into the digital world, how this format of psychotherapy brings innovations to the field of mental health, and what is the future of this type of interventions in patients.

How did the idea of creating Psychology 360 as an option for psychotherapy services come about?

I am glad you asked me that question. Well, the idea came up five years ago and I discarded it. It did not seem to me at that time to have the same efficacy as face-to-face, and although I myself attended online patients who for personal or work reasons changed residence. They did not work badly, but there were still no serious studies that demonstrated the same efficacy as face-to-face as there are now, and even though it was working, I discarded it.

Right after the beginning of the pandemic we started to treat more online, and we realized that it works very well; then I called a friend who gave me the idea and we started to develop a quality therapeutic process with low prices and easy to use.

What are the main advantages of the online modality that you would highlight for someone considering seeking professional psychological help?

The more we do online sessions, the more potential we see in this online therapy tool.

The most described advantages are the savings in time and money for both patients and psychologists. But there are others such as confidentiality, since you do not need to enter any psychology office, you do it from wherever you want, your home, an intimate work space ... sometimes there have been patients who go to an area of a park that gives them peace and quiet and we started therapy in a beautiful office.

Another advantage that surprised us is that there are people who open up more online than in face-to-face mode, as if they had more bonding and closeness by being in an environment known and chosen by them.

In short, how does the process of making a first appointment work, from the point of view of someone who has never attended online therapy sessions?

Although the process is very simple if you call or write us we can help you, you can access with a cell phone, tablet or computer. An e-mail address and a telephone number are also required.

Let me explain. You go to the website psicologia360.com, and click on the contract your therapy button. There you will see a page where you can choose if you want a session or a voucher. You choose the psychologist you prefer and then the day and time that best suits you, and enter your name and email address to send you a link to the contracted appointment.

Then you check that the contract is correct and when you make the payment your appointment is reserved. We will send you an email with a link, with which on the day of therapy at the scheduled time you will connect and there will be your psychologist.

Taking into account that some people are not familiar with the use of electronic devices connected to the Internet, has it been a challenge to develop a digital platform that makes it easy to conduct online therapy sessions?

To be honest, I think it has been the most laborious part of the development. There are many video call platforms, many of online payments, but few that do it in a coordinated way, collection management and video calls both individual and group. We are very happy with the result, we think it has been very good, simple, easy and economical to automate costs.

What are some of the psychological problems that you have noticed that people seek your help more?

Well, the main ones have been problems related to anxiety, children with learning difficulties, relationship problems, problems related to COVID-19.

Regarding the potential of online therapy and a platform such as Psychology 360, what are your professional goals for 2021?

Our main objective is to be able to provide quality psychological treatment to many people who have economic or mobility difficulties, hence our prices, 39 euros per individual session. To reach every corner of Spain.

Subsequently, to make psychology 360 a place of mutual help where we create a community where we support each other, report to our customers therapeutic information of interest. In short, to help make this world a little better by helping our patients to deal with the personal and social difficulties they are facing in these complicated times.