A little bit about me…

I grew up in Portugal, near Lisbon, and have lived in Washington DC, New York, Glasgow, and now in London for more than 14 years.

I was always interested in how people functioned: their thoughts, their feelings, their motivations, the why’s and the how’s of their actions and experiences. I was, and still am, deeply sensitive and intuitive about people around me, and people of all ages always came to me for advice, or always found themselves telling me their innermost thoughts and feelings without any prompts.

Growing up, I was curious, sensitive and intuitive. I lived through many highs and lows, and have survived many experiences. Whilst many factors have influenced my sense of self, none has been more significant than my queer identity.

Being gay and queer led me to experience early life with an acute sense of difference and not belonging. This allowed me to meet others who experienced life at the margins and made me aware of similar, but different, experiences of difference and marginalisation. My sense of difference and not belonging, is what still drives and motivates me to support others in their life paradoxes.

I have also been very fortunate to live and grow up in a professional world at a more fluid, more experimental, and slightly less regulated time where I was able to try new things, including encountering some tough lessons, in professional roles and environments, and learn almost everything on the job and in real time.

I was 20 years old, the first time I found myself on a stage in front of 200 people or so, facilitating a dynamic and audience-participation focused presentation on using theatre within youth work to improve wellbeing (although we didn’t phrase it like that back then).

That marked the beginning of a career, skill, and expertise which I acquired over time through dedicated effort, self-study, creativity, collaboration, and genuine excitement of being with people as they learn something new or reflect on a new perspective about something they already knew.

Over the last 17 years and counting, I have created and delivered hundreds of lessons, public seminars, workshops, trainings, and met thousands of people. It continues to be one of my great joys.

Clinical Experience

I strive to focus on my humanity first, rather than my role as a therapist, when meeting clients. Reminding myself that I am human and not an “expert” of something, allows me to remain humble and connected to the many human experiences I support in my therapy space.

As a therapist, my work has included working with hundreds of people from the age of 5 to 65, and thousands of clinical hours supporting:

  • Individuals and relationships in psychosexual explorations

  • Gay men and intersectional LGBTQ+ wellbeing

  • Adults exploring consensual non-monogamy and polyamory

  • Adults living with HIV

  • Adults in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction

  • Adult survivors of trauma and abuse

  • Children with behavioural and emotional needs, and their parents

  • Children, young people and adults at the intersection of class, ethnicity, and different cultural backgrounds