Is there some Talkspace or Betterhelp equivalent in Chile?

May 12, 2022 7:44 PM

My friend is struggling with mental health but she lives far from services. I suggested paying for one of these for her and she said they can't prescribe medication in Chile if she needs it. So just setting it up in the US for her won't work. She needs some local equivalent. IS there one? I'm happy to pay for it but I don't speak enough Spanish to figure it out.
posted by rileyray3000 to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

These days, most therapists seem to be offering zoom sessions, at least where I live. Might be the same in Chile? Could you help her find a local therapist who consults over zoom?
posted by Zumbador at 8:57 PM on May 12, 2022

they can't prescribe medication in Chile IF she needs it -- I don't think these online services, or therapists in general, can prescribe medication anywhere. One has to be a medical doctor or a psychiatrist (NOT a psychologist, social worker, psychotherapist, counsellor, etc.) to legally prescribe medication (at least in the jurisdictions I am aware of). If she needs medication, she needs to go to a doctor. If she needs therapy, the location of these services is not super important (other than for language and cultural-awareness issues). Bonus, a counsellor ought to be able to tell her whether she needs to see an actual psychiatrist for a prescription.
posted by heatherlogan at 5:55 AM on May 13, 2022 [3 favorites]

Chiming in to say what heatherlogan said: I used Talkspace for several years while I was in Europe. I'm Canadian and my therapist was in the US, but it was never an issue. However, they were always very clear that they could not prescribe medication and that if it ever became clear that was what I needed, they would have to bow out and refer me to my medical doctor.
posted by rpfields at 8:55 AM on May 13, 2022

I googled "psiquiatría remota Chile" and got a bunch of results, including an ad for clínica alemana, which is a reliable, upscale clinic.
Does she have an Isapre? They all added remote options during the pandemic.
I'm in Chile, but not a user or provider of any sort of psychiatric services. I could help you suss things out if you need it
posted by signal at 6:44 AM on May 14, 2022 [1 favorite]

Clínica Alemana says you can use it even if you're a foreigner, but you need a Chilean credit or debit card..
posted by signal at 6:45 AM on May 14, 2022

They also say they can write prescriptions.
posted by signal at 6:47 AM on May 14, 2022