What telepsychology can bring

We spoke with Angela, co-founder of PsiChat, to learn more about the potential of this app.

The development of new technologies has allowed forms of psychological intervention to diversify and adapt to new objectives by taking advantage of the potential of media such as the Internet or smartphones.

An example of this is PsiChata virtual telepsychology platform that offers services both to individuals seeking professional support and to psychotherapists and companies. Understanding how tools of this type work allows us to understand the directions in which the psychologist's profession is advancing and the different services that can support it in reaching people.

For this reason, here we will interview Ángela de Miguel, one of the people who has made PsiChat possible.

Telepsychology services are consolidating.

We spoke with Ángela de Miguel Laguna, co-founder and member of the PsiChat management team, so that she could explain how a tool of these characteristics works and what its areas of application are.

What is PsiChat, in a nutshell?

PsiChat is a company created in 2018 to operate in the field of psychological care and psycho-emotional well-being. Its creation pursued the objective of bringing psychology closer to the whole society and the contribution of new technological tools to all those professionals and organizations for the exercise of the profession, advancing in telepsychology.

On the other hand, PsiChat provides technology and at the same time the necessary equipment for care in different scenarios.

What types of tele-care services does PsiChat offer? PsiChat's website shows different modalities, what do they consist of?

With an initial development of a cloud platform with app (IOS, Android) and internal management portal for the psychotherapist's personal or anonymous, immediate and secure care, we operate in several lines of action.

Alba 3.0 is an open and universal service. By downloading an app, you can access a team of psychologists with more than 10 years of experience who provide 24-hour service via chat. This app is also being used successfully at the Complutense University of Madrid for PsiCall, providing coverage to its campus of 80,000 students.

The PsiChat Call modality offers a direct service (Click to Call) (VoIP) of call, chat and video call without call cost, to facilitate international attention from the web itself and from other collaborators.

On the other hand, the PsiChat Professional modality is a tool to be used through a subscription or collaboration agreement by professionals who wish to provide the service to their patients or community directly.

Finally, PsiChat Corporate works for the exclusive attention to the employee in clients and corporations. Currently, through the alliance with different Partners and Occupational Risk Prevention companies that can be seen on the website, ad-hoc products are developed or special work teams are set up for employee health care with clear objectives: business excellence, reduction of costs due to absenteeism and sick leave, psycho-emotional reinforcement of the staff, efficiency and greater performance, and tax advantages in Benefit Salud.

What difference does this offer compared to other tele-care platforms?

PsiChat is a platform for B2C but also B2B, which supports psychology professionals both individually and corporations in the practice of their profession. For example, it has signed with the Colegio Oficial de la Psicología (Madrid) the good practice of telepsychology in its PsiChat Professional environment.

What types of professionals does the platform include?

All the psychologists in the service are licensed or graduated in Psychology, are registered, have experience, have their liability insurance and have been validated by the person in charge to offer a service of the highest quality.

Are there specialists, for example, in different types of psychological disorders?

There are three different levels of care in the group of psychologists within the platform. In case of need for a specific specialty, the possibility of referral is contemplated.

What should a professional who wants to attend from PsiChat do?

If you want to attend your own patients with your personalized PsiChat platform, all you have to do is subscribe to PsiChat Professional on the web.

What have the professionals working in PsiChat been able to observe regarding the situation imposed by COVID-19?

In the current pandemic context, in addition to cases of anxiety, family conflicts and traumatic grief, there is considerable prolonged psychological distress, especially because of not knowing when the situation will end. In addition, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is likely to emerge in a significant percentage of the world's population.

From the client's perspective, what should a person who wants to see a professional from the PsiChat team do?

Contact them from any of your devices (PC or mobile), by clicking Talk to PsiChat from the website or through the phone icons on it, call 910 889 922 or download the PsiChat app from Google Play or App Store.