Individual Therapy Sessions

“Healing is the application of love to the places inside that hurt.”

Iyanla Vanzant

Art Therapy

Processing and releasing emotions

Art therapy is a powerful way to unlock emotions, promote healing and self-awareness. It can be described as a deep active visual meditation and reflection process, which allows you to experience a catharsis – a powerful release of emotions.

The release of the stuck toxic emotions (or “energy in motion”) can lead to improvements not just in mental and emotional well-being, but also in physical symptoms related to those emotions, which makes it a powerful tool in psychosomatic healing.
The impact of art therapy can be partially explained by neuroscience. Creating art triggers the release of neurochemicals and hormones that facilitate emotional release and healing.

Connecting with the unconscious

Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” ~ Carl Jung

Art-therapy can also help us tap into our unconscious and intuition. The unconscious speaks to us in the language of images and symbols, and through exploring and understanding their messages we can make our unconscious conscious. Although the work of the unconscious is yet to be explained by science, there is already good evidence that the right hemisphere of our brain operates in intuition and insight, and this is the same part in the brain that is activated during creative processes.

Whether I work with children or adults, artistic talent is not a requirement in my therapy sessions. Depending on your intention or request for the session, I can suggest specific art therapy techniques where simple materials, like crayons and watercolors, can be used to allow your creativity to flow freely.

I guide my clients to explore the imagery and the stories behind their artwork, encouraging a non-judgemental dialogue about what they have created and how it connects to their lives. My questions will guide you to go deeper, seeking meaning and endeavouring to make your unconscious (expressed through the art) conscious. Many of my clients experienced epiphanies, or “aha-moments” when they saw what was right there on the page but was not visible to their conscious understanding before the session.

(You can watch a brief video about art therapy on my Instagram channel).

Art Therapy with Adults

My art therapy sessions with adults and teenagers can be provided both in-person (in Lisbon) and online.

The areas where art therapy can be beneficial include:
– Enhancing emotional awareness and personal growth;
– Navigating life transitions and challenging situations (divorce or relationship change, job loss/career change, relocation, health changes, etc.);
– Discovering innovative solutions to challenges and gaining clarity for difficult decisions;
– Managing anxiety and stress;
– Healing from trauma and grief (loss of a loved one);
– Exploring the roots of chronic health issues (additional support in psychosomatic therapy);
– Improving relationships and resolving conflicts.

Art Therapy with Children

Art therapy is especially effective with children, as for them engagement in a creative process, such as drawing, painting or sculpting, is their most intuitive self-expression and one of their first forms of communication. Their complex ideas and feelings are often hard to express with words, but the moment they start drawing or sculpting their feelings find a way to be expressed. Once the feelings are expressed through their art, children often find words that correspond to these deep inner feelings.

I work with children starting from the age of 4 (in-person support based in Lisbon).

The areas where art therapy can be beneficial for children include:

  • improving self-expression, communication and emotional processing;
  • coping with strong feelings (anxiety, stress, sadness, frustration, anger);
  • healing from trauma and grief;
  • addressing behavioural and social problems, and some learning disabilities.

Gestalt Therapy

Gestalt therapy, founded by Fritz Perls, is a holistic, experiential approach to psychotherapy that emphasizes self-awareness, personal responsibility, and living in the present moment. Rooted in humanistic psychology, Gestalt therapy aims to help you gain insight into your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to foster greater self-understanding and connection to yourself and others.

Key Principles of Gestalt Therapy include:

Awareness: By focusing on your current thoughts, emotions, and experiences, Gestalt therapy encourages you to become more aware of your internal processes and how they impact your life.

Presence: This therapeutic approach emphasizes the importance of the “here and now”.


Personal Responsibility: Gestalt therapy promotes the idea that you are responsible for your choices and actions. It encourages you to take ownership of your experiences and recognize how they shape your identity.

Authentic Experience: The therapy fosters an environment where you can express your true self. It encourages honest communication and explores the authentic feelings and thoughts that arise in the therapeutic space.

Integration: Gestalt therapy aims to help you integrate various parts of yourself, including unresolved feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. This holistic approach encourages a sense of wholeness, allowing you to live more fully.

This holistic approach encourages a sense of wholeness, allowing you to live more fully.

What to Expect in Gestalt Therapy:

Experiential Techniques: In sessions, you may engage in role-playing, empty-chair dialogues, or creative exercises that allow you to explore issues in a dynamic, hands-on way.
  
Focus on the Therapeutic Relationship: The relationship between you and me, as your therapist, is crucial. Gestalt therapy fosters a safe, supportive space where you can explore vulnerabilities and deepen your self-awareness.

Self-Discovery: Your journey in Gestalt therapy will be one of self-discovery and personal growth, enabling you to develop healthier relationships with yourself and others.

Who Can Benefit from Gestalt Therapy?

Gestalt therapy is suitable for individuals seeking to enhance self-awareness, navigate life transitions, improve emotional regulation, or resolve interpersonal issues. Whether you’re dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, or simply looking for greater fulfillment, Gestalt therapy offers valuable tools for insight and growth.

Psychosomatic therapy

Psychosomatic therapy is a holistic therapeutic approach that focuses on the intricate connection between the mind and body. It recognizes that emotional and psychological factors can significantly influence physical health and well-being. This therapy aims to address both the psychological aspects of a person’s experience and any physical symptoms they may be experiencing.

Key Principles of Psychosomatic Therapy include:

Mind-Body Connection:
Psychosomatic therapy operates on the understanding that psychological stress and unresolved emotions can manifest as physical symptoms. By exploring this connection, the therapy seeks to uncover the root causes of these symptoms.

Holistic Approach:
This therapy views individuals as whole beings, integrating emotional, mental, and physical dimensions. It aims for balance within the body and between the mind and body, promoting overall wellness.

Self-Discovery and Awareness:
 Clients are encouraged to engage in self-discovery and increase their awareness of thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. Identifying patterns and triggers is a crucial part of the healing process.

Emotional Expression:
Psychosomatic therapy allows us to learn to understand the language of the body and its symptoms, identify triggering events and emotions causing these symptoms, and for the expression of emotions that may have been repressed or unacknowledged. By processing these emotions, clients can reduce physical symptoms and improve overall well-being.

Customized Therapeutic Techniques:
 In my psychosomatic therapy sessions, I use a variety of techniques, including biological decoding therapy, specifically designed talk therapy and guided visualization techniques, mindfulness exercises, and somatic awareness practices, to help clients explore their experiences and emotions.

Who Can Benefit from Psychosomatic Therapy?

Psychosomatic therapy can be particularly beneficial for individuals experiencing chronic pain, digestive issues, anxiety, depression, or stress-related disorders. If you find that your physical symptoms correlate with emotional challenges, psychosomatic therapy provides a compassionate space to explore and address these complexities.

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