Psychological therapy for Bolivians abroad

Almost nobody arrives saying “I have an immigrant problem.” People come for the same reasons as anyone else: their mood has faded, they can’t get organized, they don’t love themselves, family pressure is weighing on them. What changes is not the reason for seeking help: it is the context you are going through it in, with your people thousands of kilometers away and without the support network you used to have.

These are the most common reasons among patients who live outside Bolivia:

• Depression. Persistently low mood, disconnection, the feeling of running on autopilot. Sometimes it starts after the move, and often it has nothing to do with it. How depression is treated.
• ADHD in adults. Diagnosed or suspected: disorganization, chronic procrastination, difficulty keeping up routines, and the toll on self-esteem left by years of “you could do better.” ADHD in adults.
• Lack of self-love. Self-esteem that can’t hold itself up, relationships where you erase yourself, the habit of putting everyone else first. We work on it at the root, not with motivational slogans. Self-esteem and emotional dependency.
• Family problems. Conflicts with parents, siblings, children or a partner, often strained by distance and by the money sent home. They can be worked on individually or as a couple, even if you are in different countries.
• Anxiety. Worry that won’t ease, constant tension, anxiety attacks. It is one of the issues that respond best to video sessions. Anxiety treatment.
• Exhaustion and burnout. Working too much to support two homes, the one where you live and the one back home, until your body sends a warning. Burnout and professional exhaustion.

And around all of that there are things that are rarely “the reason” but weigh just as much: the guilt when someone falls ill back home and you can’t travel. The video calls where everyone is fine and you don’t say that you aren’t either. The strangeness of being “the Bolivian” everywhere, when people used to know you by your name.

Why do therapy with a Bolivian psychologist

You can do therapy with a professional in the country where you live, and in many cases that is a good option. But there is a practical difference our patients often mention: here you don’t have to explain the context before you can talk about the problem.

• You speak your own Spanish, as you would at home, without translating expressions or explaining your accent
• No need to explain how a Bolivian family works
• The pressure of sending money home and supporting people from afar is understood without explanation
• We know what you left behind: the city, the work, the network you had
• The guilt of not being there is worked through, not minimized
• Appointments scheduled in your local time, not Bolivia’s

The time difference, in practice

Bolivia is on GMT−4 and does not change its clocks at any time of year. That makes things much simpler: once we set your appointment time, it stays the same unless your country uses daylight saving time.

In practice: if you are in Europe, afternoon sessions in Bolivia fall in your evening, which is usually the most convenient time after work. If you are on the East Coast of North America, we practically share the same hours.

Your country isn’t in the table? That’s fine: the list shows the most common time zones, not a limit. Because sessions are by video call, we see patients in any country, including Asia, Oceania or Africa. Tell us where you are and we will find a time slot that works for you.

Fees and how to pay from abroad

Living abroad doesn’t change the fee: 190 Bs for a 60-minute individual session and 300 Bs for a couples session, the same as for any patient in Bolivia. Packages apply too: 4 individual sessions for 650 Bs or 10 sessions for 1,500 Bs.

We don’t publish the equivalent in euros or dollars, and that is on purpose. The Bolivian exchange rate moves too much for a figure printed here to still be accurate a month from now. We would rather not publish a number than publish a wrong one right where you are making your decision. If you want today’s equivalent, write to us and we will tell you right away. What we can tell you without it going out of date: a session here costs a fraction of what a private session costs in Spain or the United States.

Payment methods available from abroad:

• RIA or Western Union: the option our patients who no longer have an account in Bolivia use most. They are easy to use, the money arrives quickly and they usually offer a good exchange rate.
• Bolivian mobile banking QR code: if you still have your account back home, this is the most direct option, since it can be scanned from any Bolivian banking app.
• International bank transfer to an account in Bolivia (Banco Nacional de Bolivia, Banco Mercantil, Banco BISA).
• PayPal or international card, with an additional 5% to cover the processing fee.

Payment is confirmed before each session begins.

What if what weighs on you is having left?

For some people, migration itself is a burden; for many others it isn’t, and they come to therapy for reasons that have nothing to do with having left. Both are normal, and neither is more valid than the other.

When it does weigh on you, it has a name: migratory grief. Psychiatrist Joseba Achotegui, of the University of Barcelona, described migration as a multiple grief: close family, everyday language, culture, landscape, social status and the network of belonging are all lost at once. It is not an illness or a diagnosis: it is a normal process that most people go through without professional help. It only becomes a reason to seek help when it gets stuck and turns into ongoing anxiety, persistent sadness or insomnia.

The same applies in reverse: if you are thinking about returning to Bolivia, or you have already come back and readjusting is harder than you expected, return grief is real and often takes people by surprise.

If you live in Bolivia and are looking for sessions by video call, our online therapy in Bolivia page covers that option. And if you would prefer therapy in English, psychologist Jazmín Villazón conducts full sessions in English: Therapy in English.

• How much psychological therapy costs in Bolivia
• Meet Junisse Montaño
• See available times
• Contact