Dr. Andreia Santo, HCPC

Dr. Andreia Santo offers calm, direct support for people facing stress, anxiety, addictions and major life changes. She speaks English and Portuguese and works remotely with people across the United Kingdom and internationally. Her approach is practical and focused on everyday problems, so sessions tend to centre on what is happening now and what can help next.

Andreia trained originally in Portugal and holds HCPC registration. She qualified as a psychologist in 2008 after studying Psychology of Education and Rehabilitation. Early in her career she worked in an early intervention service providing assessments and interventions for children and parents and took part in projects promoting emotional health and social inclusion.

Since moving to the UK in 2010 she has worked in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services within the NHS and completed further post-graduate training in family and systemic theory at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. Her background includes clinical work across health and council services and post-graduate training in cognitive and behavioural approaches accredited in Portugal and Europe.

Her clinical style draws on several well-known approaches including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, attachment-based methods, client-centred work, cognitive behavioural approaches and dialectical behaviour ideas. In practice this means she helps people notice patterns, try new actions, and build skills for managing difficult feelings.

She also explores issues such as grief, trauma and relationship or intimacy-related concerns, and she supports people dealing with ADHD, eating and sleeping problems, chronic health challenges and addiction. Sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging according to each person’s needs.

To begin, people complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule sessions through the platform. Andreia works remotely and aims to respond to messages during her working times while observing her regular rest days.

Therapeutic approaches and online sessions

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thinking and choose actions that match their values. It is often used for anxiety, stress and coping with life changes. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings and behaviours and teaches practical skills for managing symptoms like low mood, panic or sleep problems. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationship patterns shape current connections and can help with intimacy issues, abandonment concerns and communication problems.

Deciding on an approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals and preferences and then suggest a way forward. That plan can change over time as progress is reviewed, so people help shape which methods are used during their care.

Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging to suit different needs. Video is useful for a fuller conversation, phone can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and messaging or chat works well for brief check-ins or when writing feels more comfortable. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, family and travel while keeping continuity of care with registered or accredited professionals.