Sua Clínica
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therapeutic approach

Exposure Therapy

No surprises

every step is agreed with you beforehand. Nobody is ever pushed.

No surprises

every step is agreed with you beforehand. Nobody is ever pushed.

  • Confidential
  • Accepts insurance
  • Registered psychologists
  • ERS certified

What is it?

Exposure therapy starts from one observation: fear persists because avoidance confirms it: each time you escape, the immediate relief registers as proof that the danger was real. Exposure breaks that cycle by approaching what is feared gradually and staying long enough for the body to learn a different answer.

Who it is for

Specific phobias, agoraphobia, panic attacks, social anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, where it takes the form of exposure with response prevention. It is among the interventions with the fastest and most lasting results, and is often surprisingly short.

What a session looks like

It starts by building a ladder, from what is merely uncomfortable to what today seems impossible, and the work starts at the bottom. Each step is agreed beforehand and you only move up when the previous one has stopped frightening you. Nothing happens without your agreement, and that predictability is part of the treatment. Online therapy in English, by video call, with an English-speaking therapist: for people in Portugal and for expats, wherever you live in Europe.

available approaches

Approaches we work with

This approach is not yet available at the clinic

You can explore the approaches we work with or book a first consultation. We will help you choose the support that best fits what brings you.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Works on the link between thoughts, emotions and behaviour, with defined goals and tasks between sessions.

EMDR

Works on difficult memories with bilateral stimulation, without requiring you to recount everything in detail.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Changes your relationship with difficult thoughts and feelings, so they stop deciding what you do.

Mindfulness

Trains attention to the present moment, inside therapy and with a defined clinical purpose.

Person-Centred Therapy

A space without judgement, led by you, where the relationship is the main instrument.

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

Looks for the pattern behind the symptom, and the history that formed it.

Systemic Therapy

Works on relationships and the patterns between people, rather than looking for someone to blame.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)

A short process focused on building the solution rather than analysing the problem.

Narrative Therapy

Works on the story we tell about ourselves, and separates the person from the problem.

Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)

Treats emotion as information to work with, not a symptom to reduce.

quick booking

Book your appointment

What brings you here?
AI Assistant

Talk to Sofia

Describe how you feel, in your own words. Sofia takes care of the rest. No forms and no forced choices.

accepted insurers

Médis · Multicare · AdvanceCare · Fidelidade · Ageas · AXA · Allianz · Medicare · and others

The invoice for each consultation can be submitted to your health insurer for reimbursement, according to your plan. What you say in your sessions is confidential and never reaches the insurer.

faq

No. Exposure is gradual and agreed, and the top of the ladder is only reached once the steps below it have stopped being hard. Forced exposure is not the technique applied properly: it is a frightening experience that tends to reinforce the fear rather than reduce it.

It is an anticipated possibility, and ways of steadying what you feel are worked on before starting. A panic attack during the process is not a setback: going through one and seeing that it ends is often the part that changes the most.

Less than most people expect. For a well-defined specific phobia, the work is often counted in a handful of sessions. For broader difficulties, such as agoraphobia, it takes longer, and the plan is set out with you at the start.

No. You can book directly on our website or with Sofia, our virtual assistant, without any referral from your GP.

Online only for now, while our clinic in Cascais is being refurbished. We reopen in December, and in-person sessions return with it.

MB Way, Multibanco, debit or credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Revolut Pay. You can also pay at the clinic itself, in cash or by card, leaving a card on file as a guarantee for the booking. Any credit on your account is applied automatically to your next session.

We have no direct billing agreement with insurers, but we work on a reimbursement basis with the main Portuguese insurers and with ADSE. The invoice for each consultation can be submitted for reimbursement, according to your plan.

Yes. The discount applies automatically, with no sign-ups and no cards: from 5 sessions on you always have a discount, up to 20%.

Yes, at no cost. Up to 24 hours before, you can cancel and choose between a full refund or keeping the amount as credit, valid for 90 days. You can also reschedule to any time, with the same or another professional. Between 24 and 3 hours before, it can no longer be cancelled, but you can still reschedule with the same professional. With less than 3 hours to go, the session can no longer be changed. All of this is done in your client area or through the link in the confirmation email.

Yes, for online sessions too. After the session, ask the clinic team for it by chat, email or WhatsApp. The certificate is available in your client area and states only the day, the time and that it was a psychology session, without mentioning the reason. It has a code that lets your employer confirm it is genuine at suaclinica.pt/verificar.

Yes. All data is processed in accordance with GDPR and the professional confidentiality psychologists are bound by. Our data protection policy explains what we collect, what it is for and how you can exercise your rights.

Have another question?

Ask your question and get an answer here, from the clinic's own information.

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Your mental health deserves the best care

Booking and paying for your session takes under 3 minutes, all online.