In a country where even going to the doctor is a last resort for many, seeing a psychologist is widely frowned upon. However, depression and anxiety are common problems, specialists say, and seeking professional help should be encouraged, not seen as a source of embarrassment. Therapists are also keen to flag up their role as life coaches or advisors, as well as in times of crisis.
Corina Dumitrescu

Run an internet search for a local psychologist or therapist, and you will find numerous hits. Put a call in, and it seems that many are fully booked, so demand surely exists on the local market. However, ask the man or woman on the street whether they would see a therapist, and many would take offense at the suggestion that they had less than perfect mental health. So, how long will it take for the profession to earn the esteem in which it is held in the United States, for example?

“It is difficult to say. I think some time needs to pass until psychotherapy is as big here as it is in the US. Let us not forget that in better developed countries than Romania, a large number of psychotherapeutic services are supported through the health insurance system, which is not the case in Romania, ” says Lavinia Tanculescu, manager, HR consulting services, at PwC Romania, who also has a private practice in psychotherapy.

But Daniel Pagu, psychologist at the General Directorate of Social Assistance and Child Protection in Bucharest’s Sector 1, who focuses on people with disabilities and also runs a private practice, is more optimistic. Does psychotherapy have the same potential as in the United States? “It most certainly does. People are becoming more and more preoccupied with themselves and the way they function in terms of their surroundings, themselves, the environment, nature, spirituality, and the way they live – they feel this, ” he says. Pagu’s focus on faith can be traced to his bachelor’s degree in Theology, from the University of Bucharest. This aspect of his professional philosophy is relevant, since turning to priests for moral advice has a long tradition, in Romania too.

Similarly, Tanculescu argues that a therapist’s job goes beyond the clichéd image of the passive listener taking notes from the patient on the couch. “Patients seek a therapist’s help for many reasons, including for personal development. It is not necessary to have a clinical diagnosis for the difficulty you’re facing, only to want to work on your condition and improve it.” Pagu agrees, adding, “People come with the desire to discover and develop themselves personally, in cognitive, emotional and affective terms. They also turn to psychotherapy from a desire to identify and overcome personal and professional blockages.”

Pagu adds that, in his experience, the discipline is regarded positively, contrary to popular belief. However, he has often found himself faced with the psychologist/psychiatrist/psychotherapist confusion: “In the early stages of some cases, people who come to therapy say they do not have problems and do not need help. But usually, those who present for therapy are people who are seeking aid directly and have the motivation to enter the process of psychotherapy and to achieve change or increasing functionality for a specific goal.”

So how much will all this set you back? Psychologists’ fees vary depending on aspects such as experience, skills and specialization, as well as the type of intervention or approach used, the employment of tests, and the duration or objectives of treatment, and can be negotiated, says psychologist Martin Szalai on his website. Specialized treatment can cost from RON 50 to 300 or 400. But the average cost is about RON 50-100. Pagu notes that the fees are set in accordance with the tariffs recommended by the Psychologists’ College of Romania (Colegiul Psihologilor din Romania, COPSI ) . For a psychologist to be awarded the right to free practice, he or she must pay a yearly fee of RON 250 per year, which also indicates COPSI membership.

A session lasts around 45-50 minutes, say most specialists, while the duration of the course and frequency of sessions vary. Treatment may run from a handful of sessions to years. “There are psychotherapies focusing on a certain syndrome, as well as ones assisting the patient with a comprehensive approach, which may focus on more than one issue, ” says Tanculescu. Patients sometimes focus on a small selection of their total problems, she continues.



A portrait of the Romanian patient

Various studies and research give an idea of local people’s levels of contentment, with which their finances are closely entwined. Almost half of Romanians are satisfied with their lives, 30 percent less than the European average, according to a Eurobarometer poll released in March 2011. Some 46 percent of Romanians are happy with their lot, while only 4 percent think that the country’s economic situation is good. According to research done in the fall of 2010, 94 percent of Romanians described the country’s economic situation as bad or very bad, compared to 90 percent at the beginning of last year. The survey was conducted on a sample of 1, 001 Romanians between November 11 and December 1.

In a study carried out by the Legatum Institute, an Arabian institute located in London, and quoted in the local press, Romania ranks 51st in a classification of the happiest countries in the world. Though it may seem a lowly spot, this is in the top half of the table. Romanians therefore have an average degree of satisfaction, at 5.4 points out of 10. Some 53 percent of local people consider themselves safe in their country, but a mere 15 percent trust one another, found the study. The five happiest countries are Norway, Denmark, Finland, Australia and New Zealand. The main indicators used in this study, which also reflects the most prosperous countries, are people’s general health, their social independence, family cohesion, friendship, democracy and freedom of speech. The research covered 110 countries, 90 percent of the world’s total.

According to another study, this time by the Romanian Association of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (Asociatia Romana de Psihiatrie si Psihoterapie, ARPP ), women in Romania are twice as depressed as their male counterparts. The ARPP in conjunction with the Romanian League for Mental Health therefore decided to launch the program “You’re not alone. You’re not the only one, ” through which conferences are organized nationwide on the effects of depression on people’s quality of life. According to ARPP data, a third of Romanians suffer from various forms of depression, but less than half of them seek professional help.

Pagu outlines the most common issues facing the Romanian patient. “It is typically about adaptation. I can say that stress and anxiety are the main reasons why people end up in the office.” This stress can stem from “dissatisfaction with the self, others or the environment, and the lack of fulfillment of needs (in terms of clean air, water, rest, food, exercise, hygiene, love, spirituality ) .”

Tanculescu believes that the Romanian patient is no different from that of any other country. But she emphasizes that great focus should be placed locally on organizations’ degree of health a whole, with particular emphasis on employees. Work stress should also be paid due attention, as it translates into high absenteeism rates and loss of staff, which cost companies money.



School for shrinks

The Romanian education system is often criticized – unfairly so, say both experts, who were schooled in their profession locally. Tanculescu is a graduate of the Psychology and Educational Sciences department of the University of Bucharest, and has two master’s modules – one in Psychodiagnosis and the other in Analytical Psychotherapy. She is currently taking her PhD in clinical psychology at the Babes Bolyai University in Cluj and has also been a member of the Romanian Association of Analytical Psychology.

Pagu, meanwhile, has a bachelor’s in Theology, from the University of Bucharest, and graduated from a master’s in Psychology at the Babes Bolyai University in Cluj. He studied at the Romanian Institute of Integrative Psychotherapy, and holds a certificate in Rational, Emotive and Behavioral therapy from the Psychology University in Cluj and the Albert Ellis Institute in New York. “Fortunately, says Pagu, “in Romania, we have many schools of psychotherapy, so that anyone can choose the most suitable one”. Tanculescu however puts the focus on vocation, personal knowledge and self-analysis. A psychotherapist must love people, she concludes, to become a true professional.

corina.dumitrescu@business-review.ro

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