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Psychology seeks to understand and improve the way people function, their thoughts, feelings and behaviors. A psychologist can help with many different situations and problems:

When we have to deal with difficult life experiences or feelings, such as the end of a relationship, the loss of someone we loved or feelings of fear, sadness or guilt;
When we have painful experiences or situations in our past that interfere with our lives and prevent us from achieving our goals;
When you have a physical illness that is interfering with your life and health;
When our thoughts, feelings or behaviors interfere with our normal day-to-day functioning, or when we feel overwhelmed with our work, raising our children or caring for a sick or elderly relative.

In fact, you don’t need to have a “problem” to seek the help of a psychologist. A psychologist can help when we want to build good self-esteem, change psychological traits and characteristics in ourselves or simply get to know ourselves better. Or when we have a general feeling that something isn’t right and we want to discover and create meaning in our lives. In turn, it can also help resolve mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, phobias, panic disorder, eating disorders, stress-related problems, problems in relationships with others, addictions or serious mental disorders.

The work of psychologists also includes:

Prevention (of bullying at school or stress in the workplace, for example);
Promoting positive health and mental well-being or learning and academic success;
Psychotherapy based on scientific evidence makes it possible, through a collaborative effort between the psychologist and the person seeking it, in a safe and confidential support environment, to develop healthy and effective strategies for dealing with thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
Vocational guidance and career development processes.
Intervention in psychosocial risks can increase our satisfaction and productivity at work, as well as improving the functioning of organizations.
Helping people prepare for surgery or adapt to a physical health problem or cope with the emotional and social demands of a particular health treatment.
Support victims of violence, harassment or other crimes.
Collaborating with the courts in different legal proceedings, for example providing advice in cases of sexual harassment, divorce or parental custody.
Help athletes, artists or executives improve their performance and reduce anxiety.

A psychologist can help anyone – an executive in a large company, a student or an unemployed person; children, teenagers, adults or the elderly; healthy people or those suffering from a disabling or even terminal illness; men and women of any race or religion. All of us, for different reasons and at different times in our lives, can benefit from the help of a psychologist.

We can expect a psychologist to respect us and provide us with a safe, trusting and private environment in which to explore our problems and feelings. A psychologist makes a collaborative effort with us to help us think more clearly and flexibly and resolve our difficulties.

Dra. Sílvia Salomé Costa

Academic Medical Training
Psychologist specializing in Clinical and Health Psychology – professional certificate from the Portuguese Psychologists’ Association, no. 7501
PhD from the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Pernambuco (Science and Technology Foundation scholarship holder)

Direct Clinical Activity
Personal and family intervention in the processes of adaptation to illness and disability (cancer, seropositivity, pain and chronic illness and addiction situations)
Psychotherapeutic intervention in situations of work-related stress, depression, suicide, Anxiety disorders (panic, social anxiety, phobias), bipolar disorder, bereavement, obsessive-compulsive disorder, parenting and marital challenges, bullying, psychological adjustment difficulties in general, coaching, managing emotions and promoting emotional intelligence.

Indirect Clinical Activity
Training of health technicians – burnout in health technicians, the HIV-positive patient, the doctor-patient relationship, the terminally ill patient, the patient with chronic pain, oncology, patients with chronic illnesses and disabilities requiring psychosocial and emotional adjustment
Member of the research team of the Health and Rehabilitation Unit of the Psychology Center of the University of Porto (Foundation for Science and Technology)
Member of the Portuguese Society of Health Psychology
Psychologist certified by the EFPA – European Federation of Psychologists Associations PT-067501-202112
Scientific publications in various specialist journals (Revista Psiquiatria Clínica; Arquivos de Medicina; Psicologia, Saúde & Doenças)
Invited to take part in a panel discussion on Suicide and Para-suicide, at the Mental Health Festival, 2018 (Direção Geral de Saúde and Programa Nacional da Saúde Mental)
Intensive training in Neuropsychopharmacology
Training in Psychological Intervention in Crisis and Catastrophe

Dr. Luís Cunha

Academic Background
Psychologist with professional registration number 25513
Degree in Psychology and Master’s Degree in Psychology of Work, Organizations and Human Resources from the University of Minho
Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Minho
Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from the European University of the Atlantic (Spain)

Current Activity
Provision of clinical psychology services, namely psychological counselling/psychotherapy, psychological assessment of drivers and psychological assessment of private security, as well as training in the area
Provision of organizational psychology services, such as professional coaching, recruitment and selection and training

Other professional experience
Project development in the area of professional and organizational development, such as management and coordination of training and recruitment of professionals
Postgraduate degree as a Senior Occupational Safety Technician from the Polytechnic Institute of Guarda
International Certified Professional Coach by the Association for Coaching
Advanced specialization in Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy in Depression and Anxiety (in Training)