English-speaking counsellor for women in Lisbon, online

If you live in Lisbon and want to talk to an English-speaking counsellor, I offer person-centred counselling online by secure video. Lisbon keeps the same time as the UK, so a session at 7pm is 7pm for both of us. Sessions are £45 and you book directly. I'm a trainee counsellor and BACP student member under supervision, working from the UK, not within Portuguese healthcare.

Expats in Lisbon: a city of newcomers

Portugal's migration agency, AIMA, counted 1,543,697 foreign residents in the country at the end of 2024. Of those, 677,816 were women. The municipality of Lisbon had more foreign residents than any other, 202,430. Nine of the twelve municipalities with the most foreign citizens are in the Lisbon metropolitan area, together home to 614,486 people from abroad.

The community is varied. Brazilians are by far the largest group, at 484,596 across Portugal. There are also 48,238 British nationals, alongside people from across Europe, South Asia, Africa and the Americas. Some came for work, some for study, some for a quieter or cheaper life, and some because a partner's job or a remote contract made it possible.

That mix matters. Lisbon can feel welcoming and easy at first. The harder part can come later, once the novelty settles.

Finding an English-speaking therapist in Lisbon

Portugal's national health service, the SNS, is the public route into care. Getting through it in English isn't guaranteed. Appointments, phone calls and letters are likely to be in Portuguese, and finding a professional who will work with you in English is a separate search.

One recent change is worth knowing. On 10 September 2025, Portugal launched 1411, a national suicide prevention and psychological support line, as part of SNS 24. According to SNS 24, it's free, open 24 hours a day every day of the year, and staffed by professionals trained in mental health, including clinical psychologists and nurses specialising in mental health and psychiatry. The law that created it, Lei n.º 17/2024, also requires it to work with translators of foreign languages and with Portuguese Sign Language interpreters. It isn't ongoing therapy, but it's there when you need to talk to someone now.

Some internationals in Lisbon look privately for an English-speaking therapist, paid out of pocket or through private insurance. If you do, it's reasonable to ask about training, registration and supervision before you start. My guide on how to find a therapist abroad sets out those questions.

I'm not a Portuguese psicóloga and I don't use that title. I'm a counsellor, trained and supervised in the UK.

What expat life in Lisbon can feel like after the postcard

Lisbon is often presented as an easy move: sunshine, cafés, a relaxed pace, lots of other English speakers. For plenty of people some of that is true. But you might also recognise a quieter story:

• You came on a remote-work contract and realised that the job travelled with you but the colleagues didn't.
• Your social life is mostly other newcomers, and every few months someone leaves.
• Your Portuguese is coming along, but not fast enough to feel part of things.
• Rent went up, the paperwork went sideways, and the calm life you moved for became another source of stress.
• You're bringing up a child here, or about to, without the family support you grew up around.

None of that needs to be a crisis to be worth talking about. If it's the slow kind of isolation, the page on expat loneliness may help. If you've moved for someone else's work, or you're not sure who you are now that the move is done, see identity and belonging. The three-question loneliness test is a private way to check in with yourself, and my free resources for living abroad collect checked self-help in one place.

How online therapy in English works from Lisbon

This is the easy part. Lisbon and the UK share a time zone all year and change their clocks on the same weekends. Whatever time you see on the booking page is your time too.

We meet by secure video for 50 minutes. All you need is a private space and a steady connection. If you live in a shared flat or a house where voices carry, think about where you'll be on the day. Sessions are in English, and there's a page on what to expect in your first counselling session if you'd like to know how it goes.

The fee is £45 per session, charged in pounds. I offer a limited number of lower-cost places for students, trainees and people on a low income. The cancellation policy is 48 hours. You'll find everything on the fees page, and you can book a session directly. If you'd like to ask something first, email hello@michellefernando.com and I'll get back to you within 48 hours.

The page on online therapy for expats explains more about how I work with people living outside the UK.

Sharing a clock has a quieter benefit too. If you still work UK hours for a UK employer, or keep in touch with family in Britain, a session fits into the same rhythm as the rest of your day. You don't have to work out whether 8am means 8am or 9am. It's a small thing, but small things count when you're already stretched.

About me: a trainee counsellor working from the UK

I'm Michelle Fernando, a trainee person-centred counsellor and BACP student member. I'm studying for an MSc in Counselling and Psychotherapy at Keele University, and I work as a placement counsellor in Shrewsbury, under regular clinical supervision. I also have a psychology degree from Coventry University and a postgraduate diploma in counselling from the University of Colombo.

I work in a non-directive, person-centred way. You decide what we talk about. I won't diagnose you or give you a plan to follow. I'll listen closely, try to understand your experience as you live it, and be honest with you. I'm particularly interested in culture, migration and family expectations. More on the about page.

Sessions take place online from the UK. I'm not part of Portuguese healthcare, I can't diagnose or prescribe, and I'm no replacement for local services. Because I'm still in training, my fee is lower than a qualified counsellor's.

When to reach for local help

If your life is in danger, call 112.

If you're thinking about suicide, or you need to talk to someone urgently, call 1411. It's free and open 24 hours a day. SOS Voz Amiga is a Portuguese-language listening line on 213 544 545, open daily from 15:30 to 00:30.

I don't work with psychosis, eating disorders, addiction, specialist trauma treatment, couples or children. For those, your local centro de saúde is the place to begin.

My page of support services in Lisbon lists local crisis, mental health and women's support services with their hours and languages, and the helplines in Portugal page covers the national lines. If you don't feel safe at home, see domestic abuse and women's safety. For the wider picture, see English-speaking counselling in Portugal.