MY PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY

           After graduating in July 2004 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU), I embarked on a journey to find myself and the professional I aspired to be. I arrived in the United Kingdom in the end of 2004 and by 2005, I had already started my first postgraduate degree in clinical psychology at Birkbeck University of London. Over the course of nearly eleven years, I completed several postgraduate courses, attended numerous CPD courses and conferences, completed a Master’s degree from the University of Westminster (London) and ultimately a Doctorate in Counselling Psychology from Roehampton University (London).

          With all this knowledge, I used my practice as the tool to consolidate my professional experience, opening the doors to various places where I worked. During more than ten years living in London, I had the privilege of working in well-known and recognized organizations such as the Maya Centre, The Haven Whitechapel, St Barts Hospital, Brent Bereavement Services (BBS), LAWRS (Latin American Women’s Rights Services), and Sybil Elgar School (National Autistic Society). In all these places, combined with continuous theoretical learning, I explored various fields including autism, severe depression, domestic violence, sexual crimes and child sexual abuse, the grieving process, female genital mutilation, post-traumatic stress, eating disorders, certain behavioural and personality disorders, as well as other issues (stress, identity crisis, sexuality, relationship issues, anxiety, low self-esteem, and others).

      Currently, I work in a private practice, seeing individual clients, families and couples, and supervising professionals and students. Many of my sessions are face-to-face, but a significant number is conducted online.

“We are all personalities that grow and develop

as a result of all our experiences.”

                     Axline, 1971

POSTGRADUATE AND LONG-TERM CPD COURSES

• Working psychotherapeutically with sadism and masochism – Confer (London)
• Couples therapy – Tavistock Relationships / Couples counselling and psychotherapy (London)
• Eating disorders – Confer (London)
• Domestic violence – LAWRS (London)
• Bereavement – Brent Bereavement Services (London)

“The psychologist looks at the foundations of the human soul,

at the structures that are essential

like the solid foundations of a house, and

are completely invisible when everything seems fine.”

                                                                           H. Krystal

OTHER CPD COURSES

• Shame and Belonging: A Somatic-Relational Approach – Confer (London)
• Creative Techniques for Therapy – The Maya Centre (London)
• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) – The Haven (London)
• Working with Suicidal Patients – Letchworth Centre for Healthy Living (London)
• Working with Child Sexual Abuse – Quality Training UK (London) 
• Brief Therapy and Solution-Focused Practice – Brief-therapy (London)
• Post-Traumatic Stress: Using the PDS Test – The Haven (London)
• Mental Illness and Diagnosis – LAWRS (London)
• Attachment Theory: An Integrative Approach – Nscience UK (London)

MY THEORETICAL APPROACH

     In England, the Professional Doctorate, in addition to the research component of a PhD, also includes professional development aspects. I opted to pursue a Professional Doctorate (5 years) despite its longer duration compared to a PhD (3 years), because of its theoretical approach which is expading in the USA and Europe, promising to be the future of psychotherapy worldwide.

The theoretical approach of the course, is one of the most recent and emerging models in contemporary psychotherapy. It has attracted the attention of professionals and researchers from around the world. I work with Integrative Relational Psychotherapy, based on theories of psychodynamics, psychoanalytic theories, humanistic, person-centered, and even cognitive-behavioral therapy. It is also an approach that emphasizes the need for therapists to know themselves and to constantly reflect on their professional practice.

Relational Psychoanalysis challenges the traditional, formal model with fixed ideas. With a relational focus, there arose an interest in the individuality and subjectivity of the human being (the subject), allowing therapy to go beyond mere interpretation. The relational approach considers the therapeutic alliance, and the interaction between therapist and client, not only as the most important part of the therapeutic process but also as the most effective tool and instrument of the process, regardless of theoretical orientation. Theorists have considered that the key to change is the therapeutic relationship itself.

Psychotherapy is always a challenge that the client may or may not choose to embrace. Facing our fears and problems can be very painful, but it will never be harder than going through life avoiding them. Psychotherapy requires commitment and willingness from the client, as the psychotherapist only acts as a facilitator in the process. The therapeutic relationship is based on mutual trust and respect, guided by the client’s developmental process. It is common for clients to feel vulnerable during the therapeutic process, thus it is crucial to understand that vulnerability is the only truly authentic state. Being vulnerable means being open to suffering, but also to pleasure. It means being open to life’s wounds, but also to its rewards and beauties. It is common to deny our vulnerability as a sign of strength, while we should discover our strength through the acceptance of our vulnerability.