Agathon Psychology is an online clinic with more than 2 years of existence, which is dedicated to offering psychological care services, free mentoring for psychologists and internships for Psychology students. With a team of more than 65 professionals located in different regions of Brazil and the world, the clinic values the constant training of its psychologists and interns, aiming to guarantee excellence in patient care.
The main approach adopted by Agathon Psychology is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, a structured and short-term approach that seeks to solve current problems and promote changes in patients’ thoughts and behaviors. The clinic offers both psychotherapy with trained psychologists and psychology students, who undergo a screening session to assess the patient’s needs and define the cost of consultations.
In addition, Agathon Psicologia provides free mentoring for psychologists who wish to deepen their knowledge in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, offering weekly supervision, classes and support materials. The internship at the clinical school allows Psychology students to experience clinical practice under supervision and with adequate support.
In the near future, the clinic plans to launch a platform for psychological care that will automate administrative services and patient acquisition, providing additional benefits to professionals and facilitating their work routine.
Founded by neuropsychologist and specialist in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Suzane Ramos, Agathon Psicologia seeks to promote the emotional well-being of people, especially those from less favored social classes, and share knowledge to contribute to the growth of professionals in the area. The clinic stands out for its commitment to quality care and the provision of opportunities for professional development.
Discover a clinic that prioritizes emotional care and the growth of psychology professionals. Agathon Psychology is ready to offer support, guidance and improvement opportunities in the area.
How did the idea of founding Agathon Psicologia come about and what are the main objectives of the clinic?
The idea came from some of my experiences throughout my life that culminated in the founding of Agathon. I had some stories of suffering throughout my adolescence that cultivated in me the desire to always help others. When I entered psychology school, I put it in my mind that one day I would have a social project. During my college career I had unique clinical internship opportunities that made a difference in my training. I already left college knowing what to do and I already lived from psychology 100%. When I finished psychology college, I came across several colleagues and friends giving up clinical psychology and psychology itself, due to lack of confidence in their practice and this bothered me, because I knew it was possible to make a living from psychology.
Years later, I saw myself ready to finally become a Mentor for psychologists. But I came across the financial difficulty of many psychologists in paying for mentoring and supervision. This service is very expensive for those who are starting their careers in the clinic, and therefore the vast majority of recent graduates cannot afford it. It was then that I had an idea that enabled me to provide free mentoring and supervision in my approach that is CBT. That way I solved the problems of newly graduated psychologists, those who are migrating from an area to clinical psychology and at the same time managed to create a service project with a quality social value for patients who cannot afford the normal value of therapy. And so Agathon began.
Our main objective is to be a reference in Brazil in training psychologists and in solving the problems they face today. Always do good to all who come to us, both psychologists and patients, making psychology less and less elitist and more accessible!
How does Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy stand out as a therapeutic approach in Agathon Psychology? What are the benefits of this approach for patients?
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, CBT for the most intimate, stands out for its structure, organization and planning of the entire treatment plan according to the patient’s objectives. It focuses on solving current problems by changing thinking through facts, logical and scientific thinking and through changing behavior. In the end, we cannot expect different results if we maintain harmful behavior patterns. With this approach, the patient is always aware of his process and what is being done from beginning to end, being a collaborative work between psychologist and patient in favor of the improvement of the individual. It is also important to say that CBT works with discharge, that is, the therapy focuses on the patient becoming the therapist himself.
The benefits are diverse, for example, in the vast majority of cases, it is possible to obtain a significant initial improvement in the patient’s suffering to then treat deeper issues.
Of course, a lot depends on the patient in this process. Remembering that therapy is a daily challenge to get out of the comfort zone, which can cause discomfort for some patients, thus impacting the speed in improving their symptoms. But in the vast majority the relief of suffering is achieved. In addition, we managed to create several strategies and new repertoires of healthier thoughts and behaviors, positively impacting the patient’s life as a whole. Some examples of goals we managed to achieve are: learning to impose ourselves, expressing our own opinions without fear, improving autonomy, improving self-esteem, learning to have a life that does not bring illness over time, relief or cure of depressive and anxious symptoms , routine organization, planning life goals and how to put them into practice, sleep improvement, learn how to make friends, learn to choose the right person for a loving relationship, understand your life purpose, improve self-knowledge as a whole, and so on. Remembering that psychotherapy is for everyone who has an issue to resolve and not just for those with psychological disorders.
How does the psychological care project with social value work? What are the criteria for patients to benefit from this project?
First, the patient needs to register through our form and then receive our first contact to schedule their first session. The first session, which we also call triage, takes place with a psychologist, in this session the psychologist explains about the approach worked, the patient defines the therapy goals, talks a little about his demand and there is a socioeconomic assessment to define together the value of the next sessions according to your financial condition. The value of this first session is fixed at 50 reais.
After this process, the patient is referred to the best psychologist according to their demand and available times. Starting therapy, it will occur once a week lasting 50 min. the session. The minimum value of the next sessions with a psychologist is 50 reais. There is no limit on the number of sessions until discharge.
We also recently created the social service project carried out by psychology students. The value of the first session is also 50 reais, but it can reach a minimum value of 25 reais for the next sessions, always depending on the patient’s financial condition. The other difference is also found in the session time which is shorter, 45 min. of duration.
Can you tell us more about the free mentoring project for psychologists? What are the main contents addressed and how does the selection process work?
Free mentoring is based on the Cognitive-Behavioral approach. Where weekly supervisions always take place with the same group of psychologists, where we have the opportunity for rich exchanges, we create bonds of friendship as well as networking with psychologists spread across Brazil and the world. In addition to supervision, we provide various support materials for clinical practice, video classes and clinical practice by Agathon Psychology. That is, any psychologist can take part, even those who do not have patients yet.
To participate in the selective process, just access the link in our bio.Instagramor byclinic website, fill out the mentoring form for psychologists and wait for our contact to start your selection process. We always contact all subscribers.
And the internship project for Psychology students, how is it structured? What are the requirements for students to participate in the internship?
The internship program has practically the same structure as the mentoring program. Just being more focused initially on more basic issues of clinical care. After that, it continues with the same structure, also with clinical practice, classes, support materials and weekly supervision, always with the same supervisor.
To participate in our internship program, you just need to be studying the 6th, 7th or 8th period of psychology and register to participate in the selective process through the link in our Instagram bio.
In addition to psychological care, what other services does Agathon Psicologia offer to professionals in the field?
We offer the possibility to participate in free study groups, support material for clinical practice, video classes on Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy content and supervision. In addition, we offer mentored psychologists, according to their evolution and length of stay in the program, the possibility of a career plan, where the psychologist can become a supervisor of interns and/or Mentor of other psychologists. What an incredible opportunity in the area.
What are Agathon Psicologia’s future plans? What can patients and professionals expect from the developing psychological care platform?
We will launch our service platform, where psychologists will have a complete solution for their clinic, with mentoring plans, classes, materials, psychologist documents, agenda, financial control, etc. With this platform we will try to solve all the problems faced by psychologists. Stay tuned for the launch on our Instagram, limited spots. The launch will take place very soon. Activate our bell so you don’t stay out.
How does Agathon Psychology seek to contribute to the democratization of access to psychotherapy and training in the field of Psychology?
Our mentality is always to help psychology professionals to be successful in their practice as well as financially and it is with effective training combining theory and practice that this truly happens! And help people who don’t have the financial conditions to pay the normal amount of psychotherapy. With the creation of these social care, mentoring and internship projects, we managed to contribute to an increasingly less elitist psychology and thus reach the most vulnerable classes in our society and contribute to the financial rise of well-trained psychologists.
Finally, how do you see the social impact of the clinic and what is your vision for the future of Agathon Psychology?
Agathon Psychology has a very big social impact, as we have already transformed the lives of hundreds of people who have passed through us in these 2 and a half years, both psychologists and patients. Each transformed life impacts the people around them and influences others to start therapy and change their lives. Just as the training of psychologists creates an army of psychologists who can truly contribute to change in other people.
Agathon’s future is extremely promising. Because we are a team with a single mindset, that of doing good and contributing to mutual growth. I believe that when you dedicate yourself to doing good, good returns to you. So we follow this purpose reflected in caring for people through psychology.
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