The online therapy market - Italy (2023)

1.2 The global market

Online therapy service provides expert counseling in physical mental fitness through the use of the Internet, generally making use of video chat, messaging apps and e-mail. Online counseling is a viable alternative to traditional face-to-face therapy and is rapidly seeing an increase in the number of patients who rely on it. ...

1.3 The local market

In order to learn about local market trends, consider data on the incomes of Italian psychologists in ****, where there is a significant increase. These data were collected through the tax returns submitted by those who practice as freelancers, including in conjunction with a salaried job. The information refers only to income ...

1.4 The Impact of COVID-19

According to a recent scientific study published by theWorld Health Organization(***) and decreased physical activity, resulting in increased body weight, are reported.[***]

The field of online psychologists began to expand with the very outbreak of the pandemic; this was due to both the worsening emotional and mental condition of patients and ...

2.1 Demand characteristics

The psychological well-being of Italians is hardly recovering from the effects given by the post-pandemic period. In fact, compared to ****, more than one in four people, corresponding to **%, believe their situation has worsened, while **% say it has remained unchanged and only**% have noticed an improvement. Overall, the balance of these perceptions ...

2.2 Factors influencing demand

With the spread of Covid-** there has been an increase in online psychotherapy sessions, a factor caused by the need to protect the "physical" immune system. Thus, the encounter between therapist and patient takes place through an intermediary, namely the technological medium; the latter does not replace corporeality, and since psychotherapy ...

2.3 Geographical distribution of interest in the new frontier of psychotherapy

As shown in the graph below, Rome ranks first in the ranking of cities with the highest number of online searches on psychology-related topics in ****; followed by Milan (***). Compared to ****, there is a significant increase of ** percent of searches on Rome. In contrast, Naples and Turin record a substantial drop in ...

2.4 New demand trends

Despite the fact that traditionally it was almost negatively conceived to turn to a psychologist or psychotherapist, for the past few years there has been increasing recognition of the benefits of undertaking this type of path, understanding that it is not just a treatment of a disorder. In the **** CNOP survey, ...

3.1 Market structure and size

Active enterprises in recent years The growth in the number of active enterprises in the field of psychological activity during the period from **** to **** is remarkable and reflects a significant increase in interest and demand for psychological services during this period. From **** to ****, there is a **.**% increase in the number of ...

3.2 Value Chain

Clinical psychologists: clinical psychologists assess and treat mental and emotional disorders. Some clinical psychologists specialize in specific disorders: depression, eating disorders, anxiety, personality disorders. Psychotherapists: psychotherapy is a clinical intervention model that offers psychological support; they usually treat purely everyday problems, problems in interpresonal relationships, or emotional problems. Educational psychologists: this ...

3.3 Distribution channels

Online therapy service can be accessed through major instant messaging and video conferencing apps. Skype is the most popular platform with which professionals (***).

Tools used by psychologists for online sessions Italy, ****, % Guidapsicologists

Despite the development of these online channels, many professionals decide to combine this use of the service with in-person ...

3.4 Main actors

There are digital platforms where you can interact with psychologists and psychotherapists:

In addition, as was analyzed earlier, many psychologist practices offer online psychotherapy service.

4.1 Type of Offering

Online therapy represents a new frontier of psychological care, useful for bringing the patient closer to the therapist and ensuring the possibility of sessions at any time. Developed more during the pandemic period, this type of therapy is carried out through the help of certain technological means, such as:

video calls: ...

4.2 Prices

In the context of psychological services, it is necessary to establish a clear and regulated framework for determining fees. Below are the main points regarding fees for psychological services:

Professional Servicesand Fees: for professional services provided by a psychologist registered in Section A of the Register, in accordance with Presidential Decree ...

4.3 Psychology and artificial intelligence

With the integration of innovative technologies into clinical practice, more and more technologies are becoming known; one that has recently attracted a great deal of interest is ChatGPT (***), a chatbot developed by the company OpenAI. The platform is not really an artificial intelligence, but rather is a type of language model ...

5.1 Regulatory framework

Profession Psychologist

The profession of psychologist is regulated by two main laws, Law **/**** and Law */****. Law **/**** defines the psychologist's scope of practice, which includes prevention, diagnosis,habilitation, rehabilitation , and support in the field of psychology, targeting individuals, groups, social bodies , and communities. it is important to note that psychotherapy, regulated byArticle ...

5.2 Bonus Psychologist

The "psychologist bonus ****" represents financial support provided by the state, with a maximum amount of €*,***, to cover expenses associated with psychotherapy sessions, as established by the Budget Law of ****. The bonus was created to ensure access to psychotherapy sessions for those experiencing depression, anxiety, stress , and psychological distress as a result ...

6.1 Segmentation

Italian platforms

Foreign platforms

• Unobravo
• Serenis
• Psicodigitale
• Guidapsicologi
• Con Te All'Estero
• Betterhelp