Pergunta à Psicologa

It can be something that’s been upsetting you, a mere curiosity you once had or a theoretical question about psychology – anything, really!

Here, we believe that talking and having good advice makes all the difference!

Dr. Alessandra Lima and other partners at Pergunta à Psicóloga will consider your question and respond. Alternatively, you can set up an online appointment to delve into your situation and, in so doing, we will be gathering more resources to help us help you. We can have up to four such encounters because we wish to help you at your earliest convenience, and we also wish to see as many people as possible. If necessary, we will suggest you start regular psychotherapy, which can be a somewhat lengthier process, be it with one of our partners or with another counselor that is closer to you.

How did you ever come up with Pergunta à Psicóloga?

Pergunta à Psicóloga started a few years ago, after Dr. Alessandra Lima’s clinical experience with Public Health in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She used to see people troubled by a broad variety of issues that were connected, in one way or another, with the field of mental health – and she still sees them, nearly everyday!

However, she was struck by those situations where psychical disease came forth as yet another part of a broader condition that included other important realms of life, such as those of a social, economic, ethnical, cultural and even educational nature. She could often help ease one person’s suffering by offering adequate information, or by providing good referrals to other more relevant services, according to the specific needs. But there were cases that did require psychotherapy and, as required, Dr. Alessandra Lima stepped forth to help with her specialized care.

The social context

This broad outlook on other issues – beyond those specific ones where psychology can be of great help – proves to be especially relevant, particularly when we factor in that Brazil, ranking seventh as the world’s most populous country, presents one of the highest income concentration rates, according to a UN report¹. More than 20% of all Brazilians live in poverty and less than half of the population under 25 years of age actually go through the mandatory primary education cycle (48.8%), according to IBGE data². As such, public health services are the only alternative for most of them.

Unfortunately, access gets to be ever more difficult, particularly for those in more vulnerable situations.

According to an epidemiological study published in 2021³, nearly 20% of the Brazilian population have precarious access to health services, and this is usually more prevalent among:

People with dark or black skin 23.3 %

People with no schooling 30.4 %

People from the lower economic strata 23.9 %

As such, consulting with a mental health professional becomes ever more difficult. To make matters worse, we have the COVID-19 pandemic effects that seem to have impacted the mental health of at least 53% of Brazilians4.

An important project

The idea behind Pergunta à Psicóloga is to provide psychology professionals with easy access to quality and free initial service, particularly to those who are not familiar with the area and may be curious about something or may have important issues to handle, but, for one reason or another, cannot get the necessary support.

We promote mental health by providing information, by welcoming and sharing accessible counseling, intent on helping people feel more at ease to look for a psychologist, secure good initial advice to address their problems and clarify the field of mental health so that health services can be more accessible, public or private, with low-cost or for free.

This type of approach contributes to our availability, so that people can count on us. The project includes partners, such as psychologists with proven experience in mental health, who answer questions and provide psychological counseling, as well as Pergunta à Psicóloga friends and supporters, who contribute funds to maintain the website and encourage us to expand it and reach more people.
We believe both in the project’s positive impact on each individual we reach and in the social importance of our proposal.