International Work
Specialized in working with women and LGBTQ+ clients navigating life in the midst of living abroad.
Offering in-person sessions in Lisbon and online therapy across Portugal and internationally.
A nervous system, IFS/parts-informed approach.
I work with English-speaking adults who live in multiple countries, including but not limited to Portugal and the United States. While relocating to another country can involve significant change, many people reach a point where life settles and begins to feel meaningful, stable, and aligned with the choices they have made.
At that stage, people often return to therapy for the same reasons they might anywhere else. Not because something is wrong with their life abroad, but because they are human, with inner lives that continue to unfold regardless of location.
When life abroad is good, but something still feels off
For many people, there is a point after an international move when things finally settle. Residency or citizenship is in place. The logistics are done. Daily life begins to feel stable. You may genuinely love where you live.
You might notice moments of gratitude that feel almost constant. Walking through your neighborhood. Looking out the window. Noticing the pace of life. Feeling thankful for the choices you made and the life you have built.
And then, quietly, another experience shows up.
A sense of feeling flat, disconnected, or less alive than you expected. Or a familiar struggle reappears. Anxiety, self-criticism, relationship patterns, grief, or old emotional responses. Sometimes this follows something difficult in your own life. Sometimes it comes after something difficult in the world or in someone else’s life. Or sometimes it is simply part of a pattern you have known your whole life, without being able to point to anything specific that brought it on.
Often, a part responds quickly, trying to make sense of it or shut it down.
“I should be happy.”
“I should be able to let this go.”
“Look where I live. Look how fortunate I am.”
“I should be over this by now.”
These parts are usually protective. They are trying to keep things steady and avoid rocking the boat, especially after so much effort went into creating a better life. But when those parts take over, other parts do not get much space. The ones that feel tender, activated, overwhelmed, lonely, or unsettled remain underneath.
From a nervous system perspective, this also makes sense. Even positive change requires adaptation. Moving countries, learning new systems, and building a life from scratch asks a lot of the body, even when the outcome is good. When things finally slow down, the system often has room to feel what it could not fully process before.
This is where therapy that would be needed anywhere begins to matter again.
Living in a beautiful or meaningful place does not erase your inner world. The parts of you that learned how to cope, protect, stay alert, or carry pain do not disappear simply because your external life has improved. You are still human. You still have a nervous system that responds to stress, safety, connection, and loss.
In my work, this kind of exploration happens with care and pacing. We pay attention to what feels ready to be touched and what needs more support or containment. Therapy is not about opening everything at once or pushing past protective parts. It is about creating enough steadiness that what needs attention can emerge without leaving you feeling overwhelmed between sessions.
“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.”
How I work
My work is trauma-informed and grounded in Internal Family Systems (IFS). I help clients build a more compassionate relationship with themselves, including the parts that fear or resist change. Together, we focus on creating enough inner safety for healing and growth to unfold at a pace that feels sustainable.
IFS is closely integrated with nervous system awareness and polyvagal-informed therapy. We pay attention to how your body responds to stress, safety, and connection, and we work in ways that support regulation rather than overwhelm. This is especially important for clients who have lived through trauma, long periods of adaptation, or chronic stress.
While I draw from multiple therapeutic approaches, including mindfulness-based therapy, EMDR, CBT, energy psychology, and feminist theory, the focus is always on what supports you most. Location, culture, and regulations may shape the structure of our work, but the care, depth, and attention to pacing remain the same.
If you’d like to learn more about my overall approach and the way I work, you can read more on my Home and About pages.
Therapy for real life, wherever you live
The concerns that bring people back to therapy are often the same, no matter where they live. Below are a few examples of the kinds of work I often do, offered here to give a sense of how therapy with me may look rather than as a complete list.
Many people notice that patterns in relationships follow them across moves and life transitions. If attachment wounds or relational trauma feel relevant for you, you can learn more about this work on the Relational Trauma & Attachment page.
People living abroad still experience anxiety, overwhelm, and periods of feeling stuck or hard on themselves. For many clients, questions about focus, follow-through, self-criticism, and adapting to change resurface once life stabilizes. This is the same work I do with adults navigating feeling blocked or burnt out, life transitions, and the effects of ADHD & change, regardless of where they live.
Relationship endings continue to shape our emotional lives, no matter the view outside the window. Whether a move is related or not, breakups, attachment patterns, and unresolved grief can re-emerge after the initial intensity of change has passed. Many people return to therapy during these moments because relationship wounds still matter.
Identity does not stop evolving once someone relocates. For LGBTQ+ clients, living abroad can bring both relief and new layers of reflection around safety, visibility, belonging, and self-expression. Queer-affirming therapy offers space to explore these experiences without needing to explain, justify, or educate.
How international work is offered
I work internationally within professional and regulatory guidelines. Depending on where a client is located, services may be provided as psychotherapy or as coaching-style support, and this is always discussed clearly before we begin working together.
In some locations, including Portugal, I am able to offer psychotherapy within local regulations. In other situations, the structure of the work may differ, even when the themes and depth of the work remain similar. This is something I am responsible for adhering to, so feel free to reach out, and I can determine whether we can work together and what adjustments to my work may be needed. Transparency, informed consent, and ethical clarity are central to how I practice.
In-person work in Lisbon
I am currently based in Lisbon, Portugal. The majority of my work with clients takes place through remote online video sessions with people living in multiple countries. I am also offering limited in-person sessions in Lisbon. Availability and structure will depend on space and time considerations.
Whether working in person or remotely, my approach remains the same. Therapy is collaborative, paced, and grounded in respect for protective parts and nervous system regulation. Life can be meaningful and fulfilling, and there can still be places inside you that deserve care. Those two things can be true at the same time.
FAQs
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No. Many clients I work with internationally have already settled into their lives and are not actively navigating a move. Living in another country is simply the context. The reasons people come to therapy are often the same ones they would have anywhere else. Learn more.
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Yes. I work with English-speaking adults living in multiple countries, including the United States. The focus of this page is on how my work applies across borders, but the approach itself does not change based on location. Learn more.
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That depends on where you are located and what is permitted under local regulations. In some locations, including Portugal, I am able to offer psychotherapy. In other situations, the structure of the work may shift. This is something I will discuss clearly with you before we begin. Learn more.
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Yes. I am currently offering limited in-person sessions in Lisbon. Availability depends on space and scheduling, and the majority of my work continues to take place through secure online sessions. Learn more.
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You do not need to figure that out on your own. You are welcome to reach out, and I can help determine whether we are able to work together and what structure would be most appropriate. Learn more.
If you’re wondering whether we might be a good fit given where you live, you’re welcome to schedule a free consultation. We can talk together about your location and see whether working together feels like the right next step.