About Me

Get to know a bit about my story and background

Oriana Sousa, Psicóloga, no seu consultório

It would be impossible to introduce myself without sharing a little of the path that brought me here. Reflecting on my professional identity, I recognize that my clinical practice rests on exactly this combination: my scientific training, my commitment to continuous learning, and my own life story.

Oriana Sousa a realizar uma teleconsulta de psicologia online no consultório

My path...

Looking back on my journey, I recognize that it did not always unfold as I had planned — in fact, much of it was unexpected. Even so, it has organically gained clearer contours over time, in a constant adjustment to find greater balance between who I am and how I see myself in each moment.

Today, I recognize the profound impact of the adverse experiences I went through, which required me to rethink self-care — realizing that, to navigate moments of crisis, we don't need to like what happens to us, only to make sure we don't abandon ourselves along the way.

Beyond clinical practice...

It was the desire to look at health and human vulnerability in their entirety that drove me not only to deepen my foundational training with a second Master's degree in Psychology — specializing in Psycho-Oncology and Palliative Care — but also to work, beyond clinical practice, in health rights advocacy (Patient Advocacy).

Through European and international projects, I collaborate with medical and scientific teams with the goal of keeping the patient at the center of decisions — in care, in quality of life, and in health policy itself.

This close contact with different cultures, realities, and support needs around the world gives me a much broader perspective of human diversity. I believe this same vision deeply enriches my listening and, intersecting with clinical practice, strengthens the sensitivity, empathy, and understanding I bring to the safe space of your therapeutic process.

Learn more about my work in Patient Advocacy →

Oriana Sousa, psicóloga, em ambiente profissional

What can you expect from my consultations?

I believe my own lived experience, hand in hand with scientific rigour, gave me a deeper lens through which to understand human suffering in its rawest form, but also the sensitivity needed to hold your difficulties, existential questions, and life transitions.

For me, clinical practice requires this absolute congruence between who I am and what I provide. Today, with over 8 years of experience and more than 2500 hours of online clinical follow-up, I have supported people through anxiety and depression, relational issues and phases of change, the impact of chronic illness and oncology, grief, and burnout.

It is precisely this integrated path that allows me to be present in an authentic way, offering you a safe, empathetic, and truly individualized space.

Formação Relevante

A minha prática é rigorosamente baseada em evidência científica e sustentada por um processo ativo de atualização contínua:

Master's in Psycho-Oncology and Palliative Care

Universidad Europea Miguel Cervantes

Postgraduate Degree in Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapies (CBT)

INSPSIC Institute

Advanced Specialization in Family and Couples Therapy

CRIAP Institute

Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Psychology

ISCSEM and Fernando Pessoa University

Advanced Course in Grief

CRIAP Institute

Clinical Application in Mindfulness and Self-Compassion

OPP

Areas of Intervention and Clinical Experience

My clinical practice is conducted through online consultations, giving me the privilege of supporting people from north to south of Portugal, as well as Portuguese expatriates and citizens of various nationalities around the world. With a focus on a welcoming environment and scientific rigor, my intervention is structured in the following areas:

Individual Therapy (Adults)

A safe space entirely dedicated to your personal development, self-knowledge, and emotional balance. A personalized clinical intervention to understand and work through life challenges and phases of transition, focusing on areas such as:

Anxiety and depression
Stress and burnout
Grief, loss, and difficult transitions
Adjusting to and coping with chronic and/or rare illness
Relational and interpersonal difficulties

Couples Therapy

A safe, empathetic, and impartial space designed to help couples understand their relational dynamics, overcome crises, and restore their emotional connection. Together, we can work on the following aspects:

Assertive communication and conflict resolution
Intimacy, affection, and sexuality
Rebuilding trust and overcoming crises
Life transitions and aligning your shared path

Psycho-oncology

Specialized clinical support for people facing a cancer diagnosis, a clinical suspicion, or hereditary risk, and for their families. A personalized clinical intervention focused on providing support through the different stages of this journey, covering areas such as:

Diagnostic suspicion and hereditary cancer risk
Adjusting to the diagnosis and treatments
Anxiety around exams (scanxiety) and appointments
Changes in the body, self-image, fertility, and sexuality
Communication and emotional support for family and caregivers
Transition to post-treatment life, long-term effects, and fear of recurrence

Therapeutic Approach

In session, I favor deeply collaborative work. My clinical practice is grounded in an integrative approach: I use Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as my main axis of work, combined with a humanistic and holistic outlook.

Because I don't believe in rigid formulas, the intervention is always designed around the needs of whoever seeks me out. I flexibly integrate third-wave and depth-oriented approaches — such as Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), and Schema-Focused Therapy (SFT) — together with a systemic perspective that allows me to understand and hold the impact of your family and relational dynamics.

I hold an ongoing commitment to scientific updating and clinical effectiveness. That is why I welcome the contributions and validated techniques of other psychotherapeutic schools, with a single goal: to coherently create a safe, empathetic process built strictly around you.