Dr. Andreia Santo, HCPC
About me
Andreia is a versatile and caring human being, and a chartered and registered Clinical and Counselling Psychologist Practitioner. She qualified as a psychologist in 2008 and did her training in Portugal (‘Licenciatura’) in Psychology of Education and Rehabilitation, which is academically equivalent to the British Clinical Psychology doctorate at the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences of Algarve University in Faro, Portugal. She did a full-time year placement in an internationally known Early Intervention Service in the city of Coimbra called Projecto Integrado de Intervençāo Precoce, where she provided psychological assessments and interventions to children and parents/carers, and participated in different projects promoting social inclusion and emotional health awareness.
Andreia has undergone professional placements in two other services, namely in the National Health System where she worked with all age groups for 9 months (Health Centre of Faro), and in a council service (Junta de Freguesia da Se) for 13 months.
In Portugal, she did further post-graduate training in Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy for 1 year which is accredited by the Portuguese Association of Behavioural Therapy and by the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies.
Andreia moved to the UK in 2010. She completed a 2 years part-time post-graduate diploma in Family and Systemic Theory at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in London. Since 2010 Andreia has been employed by the NHS in different Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
She is still working for the NHS, and privately. Andreia is passionate about life, psychology, science, nature, ancestral history, art, music, travelling and culinary. She honours the principle of unconditional self-love and wishes to help her clients remember that they are innately perfect and meant to feel joyful and free at all times. She is working on her innovative clinical approach on her own currently and is keen to promote her work in varied settings.
Professional experience
Additional areas of focus: LGBT, Trauma and abuse, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Eating disorders, Sleeping disorders, Parenting issues, Anger management, Self esteem, Career difficulties, Bipolar disorder, Coping with life changes, Compassion fatigue, ADHD, Abandonment, Antisocial personality, Attachment issues, Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Avoidant personality, Blended family issues, Body image, Chronic pain, illness, and disability, Co-morbidity, Codependency, Communication problems, Control issues, Dependent personality, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD), Dissociation, Divorce and separation, Domestic violence, Emptiness, Family of origin issues, Family problems, Fatherhood issues, Forgiveness, Gender dysphoria, Guilt and shame, Hoarding, Immigration issues, Impulsivity, Infidelity, Intellectual disability, Isolation / loneliness, Jealousy, Life purpose, Men's issues, Midlife crisis, Money and financial issues, Mood disorders, Multicultural concerns, Narcissism, Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD, Panic disorder and panic attacks, Paranoia, Phobias, Postpartum depression, Post-traumatic stress, Pregnancy and childbirth, Prejudice and discrimination, Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling), Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Self-love, Sex addiction, Sexual assault and abuse, Sexual dysfunction, Sexuality, Smoking / vaping cessation, Social anxiety and phobia, Somatization, Traumatic brain injury, Women's issues, Workplace issues
Clinical approaches: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Existential Therapy, Hypnotherapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems
Languages
Credentials information
HCPC Psychologist #PYL28359
Reviews
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Dr. Andreia Santo. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
Very knowledgeable and kind. Is easy to talk to and knows how to help at your own pace.
Written on Nov 20, 2024 after therapy with Andreia for 2 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, career difficulties, and coping with life changes
greatly appreciate your help
Written on Nov 03, 2024 after therapy with Andreia for 3 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, grief, sleeping disorders, coping with life changes, and compassion fatigue
Very nice, very thoughtful, she listens to you, and provides good well thought feedback on your thoughts. Her analysis and take on psychotherapy is spot on, and helps you improve mentally.
Written on Oct 12, 2024 after therapy with Andreia for 11 months on issues concerning relationship issues, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related issues, self esteem, coping with life changes, and compassion fatigue
She is kind, courteous, organised and knowledgeable
Written on Oct 03, 2024 after therapy with Andreia for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, and lgbt
I would recommend Dr. Santos at anytime without any reservartions.
Written on Sep 02, 2024 after therapy with Andreia for 1 month on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related issues, parenting issues, and self esteem
I've recently started therapy sessions with Dr. Santo, and I'm already beginning to see the benefits. The exercises and conversations we've had are both practical and helpful, making me realise the importance of connecting deeply with myself. We're focusing on understanding concepts like nurturing, productivity, and mastery, all while learning to draw strength from within. Overall, I'm finding the process to be insightful without feeling draining or tedious.
Written on Aug 22, 2024 after therapy with Andreia for 2 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, grief, coping with life changes, and compassion fatigue