Characterization of the profile of psychology professionals in teletherapy in the pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic promoted new ways of thinking about the role of Psychology and its praxis, affecting the field of activity. The objective was to characterize and understand the profile of Psychology professionals working during the pandemic on an online service platform. 20 professionals participated, 17 women and 3 men, with an average age of 32 years, graduated in Psychology, of which 5 were recent graduates, to whom a sociodemographic questionnaire and semi-structured interview were applied. Everyone sought institutionalized work in a home office environment. No professional had specific training for online psychological care and/or in crisis contexts; they faced high demand from critically ill patients, targets for the number of daily visits, with a short duration. The outsourcing of the therapeutic bond came from the search for financial stability, avoiding the spread of disease and unemployment. However, the urgency and desire to enter the job market, even without specific training, is intensified in recent graduates, which exposes them to meeting market demands, which perversely recognize the vulnerability of the profession and naturalize work relationships. precarious. The ability to choose an area of interest and professional competence may be limited at the beginning of a career, especially in a crisis context. Understanding the field of activity, difficulties and dynamics of the job market, and the recognition of professional and personal limits, enables the construction of an identity and an ethical stance, as a protective factor regarding praxis, which strengthens the category for transformations more dialectical.