Can you imagine that there was a direct psychological intervention, through a video call, in cases of sexist violence? Can you imagine that a team of psychologists and psychologists were at the disposal of every woman who suffers gender violence and asks for immediate help?
This idea is not as far-fetched as it sounds. In fact, it is becoming a reality. But to deepen the idea that online psychology can help a lot for women victims of gender violence, it is necessary to clarify how.
Online psychology is described as psychological intervention through telematic means. These means, in essence, boil down to four formats: therapy through email, therapy through instant messaging (or chat), therapy through phone call, or therapy through video call..
New forms of communication allow us to overcome barriers that until a few years ago we conceived as insurmountable, such as distance. With a mobile device, tablet or computer we can communicate with anyone, wherever they are.
It is especially important to choose which format to use when deciding to go to a psychologist for an online consultation. The key element in psychology therapies, whatever it is, is communication. The more communication flows, both verbal and non-verbal, the more information we can obtain and give and, therefore, the more complete the intervention will be..
Given the formats described above, the online therapy where more information is provided and obtained is therapy through video calls. Why? Because it allows us something that no other online format can; access the non-verbal communication of the patient or client.
As we already know, sexist violence is a specific type of violence. This type of violence occurs in a circular way. We call this dynamic the cycle of gender violence. In this cycle, the tension escalation phase, the explosion phase (aggression and tension at the highest point) and the honeymoon or repentance phase are distinguished, after which the cycle begins again..
When a woman tries to get out of this cycle, asking for help, it is important to provide her with a space, whether physical or virtual, in which she can express her emotions freely, without feeling judged and without receiving empty and useless advice, and in which you receive adequate guidance, carried out by qualified professionals. Video call therapy is one of the best options.
The advantage it offers over face-to-face therapy is that therapy can be carried out in a much more immediate and discreet way. Discretion and speed of intervention are key to helping women who have suffered sexist violence. Many of these women ask for help after an assault with the intention of breaking out of the cycle of violence, but when they live the honeymoon phase they back down and decide to give their partner a chance. Therefore, it is important that when an abused woman asks for help after having been attacked, the intervention is carried out as soon as possible, to reinforce the decision to leave the cycle of violence and that she does not back down at the beginning of the regret phase of the aggressor. In addition, the woman who asks for help will only need a device with an internet connection, regardless of the place from which she has the video call.
In the United States there are platforms such as www.betterhelp.com or www.talkspace.com, that have millions of users who have had their sessions online for years. In Spain, Online Psychology clinics are beginning to be born, such as www.psiko.es, with a format similar to these. These types of platforms have to assume and assume the responsibility of fighting against this social scourge, taking advantage of their resources.
It is no longer enough to pass a consultation by video call in a particular way, thus taking advantage to fill the agenda. It is no longer enough to have to tell the patient to pay by transfer and to install a program (which they do not have to know how to use and which would take longer). Now, Online Psychology clinics must have the integrated, intuitive, accessible, discreet and secure call.
Online psychology 2.0 is no longer about a psychologist using an app with a video call. Nor does it consist of an intermediary platform that connects users with professionals through a database. Online psychology 2.0 is carried out through platforms with its own team, prepared and specialized in this format. This way of doing psychological therapy has come to stay, and scourges such as gender violence are going to be fought in a more effective way.
Yet No Comments