About me

I am a Clinical Psychologist, Cognitive Behavioural and EMDR therapist registered with the Health and Care Professions Council, HCPC (n. PYL28750) and accredited by the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, BABCP (n. 150634) and by the EMDR UK Association (n. L0367) and registered with Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Catalunya (n. 33290).

I have been qualified for over twelve years, working for the National Health Service (NHS) and in private practice in the UK and now in Spain.

I specialise in working with adults (individuals and couples), offering evidence-based treatment for a variety of psychological difficulties. 

MY EXPAT EXPERIENCE

I draw on my experience having moved to UK aged 23 for what was meant to be a one-year project and settling there for twenty years, before recently deciding to put an end to that project and return to Spain. In doing so, I have experienced a great deal of the challenges reported by many people deciding to leave their country of birth. Whilst rather privileged, as it was my choice and not difficult circumstances forcing me to move, there were moments where I felt it was not what I was hoping for, that my decision was making my life ‘unnecessarily difficult’ and that I should return home with family and friends. There were others -certainly more of them- when I felt it was the right thing and where I was living very aligned with my values despite the risk taken. And the rest (and most of the time) where life simply flowed and I was living the present without overly thinking or doubting.
People in my family and friends married and had children, some relatives died, major events happened whilst in the distance at one and the other side, which was difficult to manage. With all this, a whole range of emotions, from sadness and loss to joy, from guilt to pride, from fear to excitement, from self-doubt to self-confidence… And, fast-forwarding to more recently, I faced the experience of returning, seeing that things in my own country, in my region and family were different. Missing what I expected to see and getting surprised at other aspects I hadn’t encountered.

Adding to that, my experience working with the Spanish-speaking Latin American community in London has made me more aware of the range of experiences people face and how living abroad (whether chosen and planned or forced by circumstances) can affect us and our relationships. It has made me more determined to working with people facing similar situations.

HOW WHAT I DO CAN HELP YOU

To give you a sense of what I do, these are some of the bits of my job I will always treasure. Some of them illustrate unique expat challenges whilst in most being an expat can only be considered circumstantial:

  • helping a high-achieving expat woman in her thirties overcome her lifelong fear of rodents, cats and dogs that had been limiting her life massively and bringing a lot of shame and difficulties in her relationship.

  • using EMDR with a man in his sixties to help him get rid of the ‘holograms’ he held of a terrorist attack nearly 40 years ago (both raw memories and a strong sense of guilt) that had been haunting him ever since.

  • guiding a professionally achieving woman in her thirties struggling with ‘internalised homophobia’ developing a kinder relationship to herself that frees her to live according to her values.

  • supporting a woman in her twenties in overcoming her traumatic memories of domestic violence as a child and embrace them, by deciding to get involved in policy-making and empowering other women and girls with similar experiences of domestic abuse.

  • working with a woman in her forties with a history of narcissistic abuse regains her sense of agency in current relationships and the choices she has in the present.

  • counselling a young couple dealing with ongoing difficulties in the relationship that they both dragged from their individual backgrounds, affecting their communication just as they approached their wedding day.

In my practice I make use of the different evidence-based therapeutic tools and modalities I am familiar with together with my life experience, which has also informed my approach to working with people.

I hope this gives you a sense of how my work could be helpful, but get in touch for an initial non-commitment conversation.

MY QUALIFICATIONS
• Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, University of East London

• Master in Ageing and Mental Health , University College London

• PG Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Royal Holloway - Univ of London

• EMDR basic training + accreditations + attachment informed EMDR

• Licenciatura Psicología (BA Psych), Univ. Complutense (Madrid)

 
 
 

FURTHER TRAINING

Attachment-informed EMDR part 1 (‘Unleash your EMDR’) with Mark Brayne (EMDR Focus) - November 2022 - Working on attachment-related difficulties affecting daily functioning/relating to others.

Attachment-informed EMDR part 1 (‘Unleash your EMDR’) with Mark Brayne (EMDR Focus) - February 2023 - Working on intergenerational attachment-based trauma.

EMDR Therapy and the Treatment of Substance and Behavioral Addictions with Hope Payson - May 2022 - Use of EMDR to work on addictive behaviours and substance difficulties.

EMDR 2.0 with Ad de Jongh - April 2023

EMDR and Dissociation across the Lifespan with Ana Gomez, Dolores Mosquera and Kathy Steele - January 2022

MY EXPERIENCE

I have worked in the NHS for over 15 years in different capacities and roles and with a range of client groups. In these roles, I have helped people experiencing a range of emotional and behavioural difficulties or stuck in situations they want to move from. After working for over 3 years with older adults in psychiatric in-patient care and the community, I moved to primary care mental health work. During my doctorate I worked with children and adults in the community and in-patient care and across the range of severity and abilities. Once qualified, I specialised in working with adults in primary care, where I continue to work providing individual, couple and group therapy and supervising other professionals. 

 
 

“I have worked with Jose on my trauma, using EMDR, which has been successful. Jose has been brilliant and a great help”

— Con, London

 

Contact me if anything you’ve read above resonates with you or if you’d like to discuss how my work can benefit you.