English-Speaking Therapists in Lisbon:
Sylwia Latacz & Piotr Szmyt
Licensed English-speaking psychotherapists in Lisbon specialising in individual therapy, couples therapy and expat mental health. Accepting new clients.
Piotr Szmyt — ISTDP Psychotherapist in Lisbon
I invite you to think about psychotherapy as a way of searching for new perspectives — new ways of being, relating, feeling, and experiencing life.
Our upbringing equipped us with a certain point of view on who we are, how we love and feel, and even what we want and aspire to. Many of those experiences gave us clarity in later life but some still cast a shadow on who we truly are.
My approach in psychotherapy combines a psychodynamic perspective with a more body-focused Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP). In therapy, I value both empathy and directness. Sometimes what helps in the therapeutic process are warmth and acceptance, and other times confrontation and clear perspective. You can get to know my approach to the therapeutic relationship in the first consultation session.
I'm a certified ISTDP psychotherapist. I learned ISTDP with a world-renowned psychotherapist Josette ten Have-de Labije. My journey as a therapist started in Associação Portuguesa de Psicoterapia Psicanalítica (APPSI).
- Transference Focused Psychotherapy (TFP) for borderline personality disorder
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques and exercises
- Trauma Therapy (PTSD, C-PTSD)
- Attachment Style inventory
- Family Therapy (adults 18+)
I facilitate workshops in assertiveness, interpersonal training, anti-bias education and contact improvisation. I also work online — see the Online Therapy Portugal page — and run the Psychoterapia po Polsku online clinic.
Sylwia Latacz — Psychologist & EFT Couples Therapist in Lisbon
For me, psychotherapy is not only a method of coping with difficulties — above all it is a method of experiencing one's life more deeply.
My name is Sylwia Latacz and I am a licensed psychologist and psychotherapist.
I earned my master's degree in psychology at Jagiellonian University in Poland, completed a clinical psychiatric internship at the Babiński Hospital in Kraków, and then continued my education as an integrative psychotherapist. In total, I completed 12 years of professional training. Since 2021 I work with individual clients and couples in Lisbon.
I support people in overcoming difficulties, finding a sense of authenticity and solutions in seemingly hopeless situations. I work primarily with expats who are looking for a therapist who knows the specifics of the experience of living abroad.
Psychotherapy can be a path to deeper acceptance of oneself and others. I invite you to take this journey together.
My approach in therapy is a result of many years of learning about different therapy modalities. I've come to understand that there is no one approach superior to all others. What is truly effective is to understand what the client needs in a given moment. Integrative Psychotherapy allows for a better adaptation of the work to the distinctive characteristics and needs of each client, enabling both therapist and client to utilize the best tools based on the type of problem, personality, and stage of therapy.
- Psychodynamic understanding of psychological problems — a deep focus on the roots of current difficulties by exploring early life experiences, relational patterns, and unconscious conflicts. This helps us understand why certain patterns were developed.
- Experiential Therapies (such as Emotion-Focused Therapy) — a deep focus on actively working through emotions. For a profound and lasting change to happen, we need to go beyond intellectual insight and engage with feelings on a felt level, allowing for emotional release and reorganization.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT, Schema Therapy) — practicality and structure in the process. CBT helps to identify, challenge, and modify unhelpful thought patterns and maladaptive behaviors that maintain emotional distress.
Weekly Supervision and Intervision
Many people assume that a therapist in supervision must be a beginner. It is the opposite: ongoing clinical supervision is a professional obligation in serious psychotherapy — a standard required by the professional bodies we belong to, at every level of experience. A therapist works inside the relationship with you; supervision is how the profession makes sure someone experienced is also looking at that relationship from the outside.
Our therapists attend supervision every week and additionally organize weekly intervision — structured peer consultation between therapists. Alternative explanations of what is happening, blind spots, and possible directions for the next session are examined regularly, always in anonymized form, under the same confidentiality that protects your sessions.
How to Choose a Therapist in Lisbon
Lisbon has far more people looking for therapy than therapists available, and searching in a foreign healthcare system makes it harder. Four things are worth checking before you commit to anyone — including us.
1. Verify the license
In Portugal, psychologists must be registered with the Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses (OPP). A registration number is public and checkable — Sylwia's is No. 31224. Psychotherapy training is separate and longer; ask any therapist where they trained, in which method, and whether the training is certified by an international body.
2. Ask about the method — and why
A therapist should be able to explain how their approach works for your specific problem, not just name it. Emotion-focused and dynamic methods like ISTDP work with feelings as they arise in the session; CBT works with thoughts and behaviors between sessions. Neither is universally better — the match matters.
3. Check the language, honestly
"English-speaking" ranges from conversational to fully fluent. Therapy demands the latter — a therapist who catches irony, hesitation and cultural references, not just literal meaning. Both of us work clinically in English every day, and we know from our own experience what it means to live and feel in more than one language.
4. Treat the first session as a mutual interview
Research on therapy outcomes consistently points to the therapeutic relationship as a key factor of change. You are allowed to meet a therapist once and decide it is not a fit — a good therapist will not take it personally. That is exactly what our first consultation session is for.
Couples Therapist in Lisbon — EFT for Relationships
If the difficulty you are facing lives between two people rather than inside one, individual therapy is not always the right door. Sylwia works with couples using Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) — the approach developed by Sue Johnson and certified by ICEEFT — which targets the negative cycle a couple gets stuck in, rather than deciding who is right.
Searching for "marriage counselors near me"?
If you have been typing "marriage counselors near me" or "couples therapist Lisbon" into Google, we run a dedicated practice for exactly this. You will find how we work with couples, what an EFT session looks like, and how to book a first joint consultation on our Couples Therapy Lisbon page. Sessions are available in the same office in Avenidas Novas and online.
We Are Certified By
IEDTA
International Experiential Dynamic Therapy Association — the international body certifying ISTDP therapists. Piotr's ISTDP certification is held to its standards (read about his IEDTA membership).
ICEEFT
International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy — Sue Johnson's institute training and certifying EFT couples therapists worldwide.
Ordem dos Psicólogos
The Portuguese professional order of psychologists — a legal requirement to practice in Portugal. Sylwia is registered under No. 31224.
Psychotherapy Institute
Accredited multi-year clinical psychotherapy training — the full professional course behind our psychotherapeutic qualification.
What Clients Say
"They are professional and dedicated therapists who are able to establish the perfect environment so that each session is productive and allows for the personal growth and the reflection that is necessary and wanted. A very meaningful experience. I totally recommend them."
Google review · verified by Trustindex
"I've had a really positive experience with this practice. The therapists are professional, thoughtful, and genuinely care about their clients' growth. The environment feels safe and welcoming, and sessions are both insightful and practical."
Google review · verified by Trustindex
"W Psychotherapy Lisbon mogłem przyjrzeć się dynamice relacji i był to naprawdę głęboki wgląd w uczucia i podświadomość. Pełen profesjonalizm. Czuję wdzięczność i polecam wszystkim!"
Google review (in Polish) · verified by Trustindex
Searching for a "Therapist Near Me" in Lisbon?
If you are in central Lisbon, we probably are the therapists near you: our office is at Rua Pinheiro Chagas 32 in Avenidas Novas — a short walk from Saldanha and São Sebastião metro stations and the Gulbenkian Museum. Most clients reach us within 20 minutes from anywhere on the yellow or red line.
And if "near me" currently means Porto, the Algarve, or a laptop in a different time zone — distance stops mattering. We offer online therapy across Portugal and internationally, with the same therapists, the same methods, and the option to switch between in-person and video sessions whenever your circumstances change. For psychological assessment questions, visit Psychologist Lisbon.
Questions People Ask Before Choosing a Therapist
What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychotherapist in Portugal?
A psychologist holds a university degree in psychology and, to practice, must be registered with the Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses. A psychotherapist has completed additional multi-year clinical training in a specific therapeutic method. The titles overlap but are not identical: Sylwia is both an OPP-licensed psychologist and an integrative psychotherapist; Piotr is a certified ISTDP psychotherapist. Neither of us prescribes medication — that is the role of a psychiatrist, with whom we can coordinate if needed.
How do I know after the first session whether the therapist is right for me?
Ask yourself three questions: Did I feel understood rather than categorized? Did the therapist explain how they would work with my specific problem? Do I feel I could gradually be honest with this person? A first session should leave you with more clarity than you came with — even if the clarity is that you need a different therapist.
Do I have to commit to long-term therapy?
No. The length of therapy follows from what you want to change, and we discuss it openly in the consultation. ISTDP in particular was developed as an intensive, shorter-term dynamic method. Some difficulties resolve in months; deeper relational patterns take longer. You review progress with your therapist as you go — not sign up for an indefinite arrangement.
Is what I say in therapy confidential?
Yes. Sessions are confidential and conducted under the ethical code of the Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses, with the narrow legal exceptions that apply to all health professionals, such as serious risk of harm. Supervision and intervision discuss cases in anonymized form — this is standard professional practice and exists to protect the quality of your therapy.
Do you offer couples and marriage counseling as well as individual therapy?
Yes. Alongside individual therapy, Sylwia provides Emotionally Focused Therapy for couples — one of the best-researched approaches to relationship distress. Details, fees and booking are on the Couples Therapy Lisbon page.
Read Before Your First Session
What Happens in a First ISTDP Session
A step-by-step look at how the first consultation works — from clarifying the problem to noticing anxiety and defenses.
Read more →ISTDP vs CBT: Which Fits Your Problem?
Two evidence-based approaches, two very different ways of working. An honest comparison to help you choose.
Read more →Struggling with Anxiety?
How anxiety shows up in the body and mind, and what therapy can actually do about it.
Read more →Defenses: How We Avoid Our Own Feelings
The habitual ways we protect ourselves from difficult emotions — and how therapy works with them.
Read more →Attachment Styles and Adult Relationships
How early bonds shape the way you love, argue and reach for closeness today.
Read more →Feelings in Therapy: Why Insight Is Not Enough
Understanding your problem intellectually rarely changes it. Here is what does.
Read more →Ready to Talk to a Therapist in Lisbon?
Reach out to schedule a first consultation — in person in Avenidas Novas or online. You will get to know our way of working before deciding anything.
Schedule a Session Online Therapy Portugal