Create a life in line with what matters to you

Psychological therapy for adults who are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, stuck, or simply finding life harder than they expected.

Perhaps you're struggling with anxiety, stress, relationships, self-esteem or a major life transition. Perhaps you've moved to a new country, become a parent, changed career, or reached a point where the ways you've always coped no longer seem to be working.

Therapy can provide a confidential space to understand what's happening, develop new ways of responding, and move towards a life that feels more meaningful and fulfilling.

Book a free 15-minute consultation

Online therapy in English and Portuguese

Hi, I'm Dr Ana Costa

I'm a Registered Clinical Psychologist with over 15 years of clinical experience. I hold a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from King's College London, as well as a PhD and a BSc degree in Psychology.

I work with adults experiencing a range of difficulties, including anxiety, stress, low mood, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem and major life transitions.

More about me

Perhaps you're here because...

You're constantly worrying or overthinking.

Your mind rarely switches off and you find yourself anticipating problems, analysing situations or trying to control things that are difficult to control.

You're feeling overwhelmed.

You're managing work, family, relationships and everyday responsibilities, but you feel as though you're constantly running on empty.

You're struggling with confidence or self-esteem.

You are highly self-critical, compare yourself to others, or often feel that you're not good enough — despite everything you've achieved.

Your relationships aren't where you'd like them to be.

You may be experiencing conflict, insecurity, difficulties communicating, or finding yourself repeating patterns that you don't fully understand.

You're going through a major transition.

Perhaps you've moved country, become a parent, changed career, experienced a separation or loss, or simply reached a point where you need to reconsider what you want from your life.

You feel stuck.

You know something needs to change, but you're not sure what — or how to make it happen.

Navigating major transitions

Finding your feet in a new country.

Moving to another country can be exciting, but it can also be much more emotionally demanding than you anticipated.

You may be adapting to a different culture, rebuilding your social network, navigating changes in your career or identity, or raising children without the support of your usual family and friends nearby.

Sometimes the hardest part is that life looks good from the outside. You may have moved for an exciting opportunity, your children may be settling into their new school, and there may be many things to be grateful for — while you are privately feeling lonely, anxious, overwhelmed or unsure of where you belong.

Therapy can offer a space to make sense of these changes, reconnect with what matters to you, and explore how you want to build your life in your new environment.

You don't have to be in crisis to benefit from therapy.

What therapy with me is about

Therapy isn't about trying to eliminate every difficult thought or feeling.

Life inevitably involves uncertainty, disappointment, anxiety, sadness and change. Sometimes, however, the ways we have learned to cope with these experiences — overthinking, avoiding, controlling, criticising ourselves or constantly trying to keep everyone else happy — can start to make life harder rather than easier.

Together, we can explore these patterns with curiosity and compassion, understand what keeps them going, and develop more flexible ways of responding.

My approach draws primarily on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), alongside other evidence-based approaches where appropriate.

The aim isn't simply to feel better in the short term. It is to help you develop the skills and flexibility to respond differently to life's challenges and make choices that are more consistent with the person you want to be and the life you want to live.

Testimonials

What my clients say

Ana was a wonderful psychologist. In my sessions with her, it was evident that she genuinely cared about me and my recovery, and I'm sure that she takes that stance with all of her patients. She saw me as a human, and together we worked through some long-standing issues that I had been dealing with. As Ana got to know me I also got to know myself, and I have left with a great let understanding of the feelings and thoughts that drive some of my unhelpful behaviors. I loved working with Ana, and I have already recommended her to some of my friends that I know are going through their own struggles. I wouldn't hesitate to reach out to Ana again if I struggled in the future.
Andreas, Origination Manager

I found my sessions with Ana incredibly helpful. She helped me to explore and discuss my thoughts in a safe space, and I felt very much her desire to help by providing logical and compassionate thinking techniques to help bring about change. Her compassionate style made me feel secure and part of a team, which helped when I would practise techniques we had discussed in our sessions together. I would highly recommend Ana as a therapist to anyone who is experiencing difficulties in navigating their lives or current situation they find themselves in. Thank you Ana.
Sarah, Events Manager

Ana is very good at articulating the things you struggle to articulate yourself. I was sceptical of therapy before I saw Ana, but I felt like the whole experience was a constant discovery of things I didn’t fully appreciate about myself. It was like each session I would accept something about myself and dig a layer deeper into my mind and the things that drive my behaviours.
Joe C., Sales Manager

Ana has been exceptional and my time with her has been transformative. I had been struggling with anxiety in my work and had reached a point where I could no longer function professionally or personally. Ana provided a safe, kind environment for me to uncover the underlying issues, she helped me identify ingrained behaviours that fed my anxiety and then provided me with the tools and mindset to self-manage going forward. I am very grateful for the help Ana has provided and I would happily recommend Ana to anyone else who is struggling.
Darren, Senior Architect

Areas I can help with

I work with adults experiencing a wide range of difficulties, including:

Anxiety and excessive worry

Stress and burnout

Low mood and depression

Self-esteem and self-criticism

Relationship and communication difficulties

Life transitions and adjustment

Trauma and difficult past experiences

Grief and loss

Perinatal difficulties

Disordered eating

You don't need to have a diagnosis to seek therapy. Sometimes you simply know that the way you're living or coping isn't working for you anymore.

About me

I'm Dr Ana Costa, a Clinical Psychologist with over 15 years of experience supporting adults with a range of psychological difficulties.

I have a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from King's College London and have worked across different clinical settings, using evidence-based psychological approaches to help people understand themselves, change unhelpful patterns and develop more flexible ways of responding.

My approach is warm, collaborative and practical. I don't see therapy as something that should be done to you; we work together to understand what is happening and identify what will be most useful for you.

I work with adults from a range of backgrounds and cultural experiences, including people navigating the challenges of living between countries and adapting to significant changes in their lives.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

What happens in the first session?

In our first session, I'll ask you questions to start getting to know you and understand what has brought you to therapy. There are no right or wrong answers — I'm interested in understanding your experience from your perspective.

We'll also start identifying some goals for therapy. Ideally, by the end of our first session, we will both have a clearer idea of what you'd like to get from therapy and what it would take for you to be able to say, "My sessions with Ana have been helpful."

How do online sessions work?

Online therapy is very similar to attending therapy in person. We meet at an agreed day and time using a secure online platform.

Whether you're joining from home or work, I'd ask you to choose a private space where you can speak freely and are unlikely to be interrupted.

How long is a session?

Standard sessions are 50 minutes.

If we're doing trauma-focused work, sessions may sometimes be extended to up to 90 minutes. This would always be discussed and agreed with you in advance.

How often would we meet?

To begin with, sessions are usually weekly. As therapy progresses, we may decide together that it would be helpful to space sessions further apart.

The frequency of sessions is something we'll review together depending on your needs and how therapy is progressing.

Do I need a diagnosis to have therapy?

No. You don't need a diagnosis or a specific mental health condition to benefit from psychological therapy.

Many people seek therapy because they're going through a difficult period, facing a major life transition, struggling with relationships, or feeling stuck in patterns they'd like to change.

You don't have to wait until things become overwhelming before seeking support.

What are CBT and ACT?

CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and ACT stands for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Both are evidence-based psychological therapies that can help you develop more flexible ways of responding to difficult thoughts, feelings and situations.

Rather than trying to eliminate difficult emotions, they can help you change the way you relate to them, so that they have less control over your behaviour.

ACT also places particular emphasis on understanding what is truly important and meaningful to you — your values — and using these as a guide when making changes in your life.

Both approaches are supported by a substantial body of research demonstrating their effectiveness for a range of psychological difficulties.

Do you work in English and Portuguese?

Yes. I offer therapy in both English and Portuguese.

How do I know if therapy will work?

Therapy isn't about never feeling sad, anxious, disappointed or heartbroken again. Difficult emotions are an inevitable part of life, and I'd be cautious of anyone who promised to take them away.

Instead, one way of thinking about progress is whether you're gradually becoming better able to handle difficult thoughts and feelings while living more in line with the life you actually want to live.

My aim is to help you clarify what really matters to you, take effective action in line with those values, and develop more flexible ways of responding when difficult emotions inevitably show up.

We'll also regularly review how therapy is going and whether you're getting what you hoped for from our work together.

What if I'm not sure therapy is what I need?

You can still get in touch. We can talk about what's bringing you to therapy and whether I might be the right person to help.

I offer a free 15-minute consultation, which gives us an opportunity to briefly meet, discuss what you're looking for and decide whether it would make sense to work together.

If I don't think I can offer you the most appropriate support, I'll be honest about that and, where possible, suggest a colleague or another option that may be more suitable.

Do you work with people who have recently moved countries?

Yes. Moving to another country can be an exciting but challenging transition. I work with adults who are adjusting to changes in their relationships, identity, social network, work and family life following relocation. You don't need to be experiencing a mental health disorder to seek support during a major life transition.

Thinking about therapy?

You don't need to know exactly what's wrong before getting in touch.

If something in your life isn't working in the way you'd like, an initial consultation can be an opportunity to talk things through, understand what you're looking for and consider whether therapy with me might be helpful.

I'd be happy to hear from you.