No burden for citizens The provision, included in the Milleproroghe decree approved in February 2022, therefore, does not provide for any expenditure for citizens who want to access psychotherapy sessions. The INPS will manage both the portal for applications and the payments intended for professionals enrolled in the Association of Psychologists.
"The mechanism we have identified will allow access to the contribution without charges or advances from part of the person who wants to use it "said health minister Roberto Speranza in a statement reported by the Sole 24 ore" this same person will be able to freely choose the professional among those who have naturally joined the initiative ".
How the bonus works The government has allocated 20 million euros, divided in half between the local health authorities, counseling centers and the strengthening of the public psychiatric assistance network and the other half in the form of bonuses to directly access the sessions with the specialists. Only people with an indicator of the equivalent economic situation (Isee) of less than 50 thousand euros will be able to apply for the psychologist bonus.
As already mentioned, the bonus will then be paid directly to the participating psychologists, after completing the application on the portal managed by INPS. It will have a maximum value of six hundred euros, intended to cover the costs of a package of sessions that can vary between a minimum of six and a maximum of twelve, assuming to pay a minimum of fifty euros per session or a maximum of one hundred.
"This initiative is going in the right direction" said Speranza "but I say with absolute clarity that it will certainly not be enough and that mental health is a crucial issue that certainly cannot be tackled only with the logic of bonuses". In fact, according to the statements of David Lazzari, president of the National Council of the Order of Psychologists interviewed by Il Sole 24 ore, "31% of the population over the age of 18 has a situation of severe psychological stress. While under the age of 18 this percentage rises to 50% ". Significant numbers, which require structural responses and not just one-off interventions, underlined Lazzari