Welcome and thank you for checking my profile :)

I'm Dr Ana Costa (you can call me Ana). I'm a Clinical Psychologist with over 15 years of clinical work experience. I have worked both in the NHS and in private practice. I offer psychological therapy to adults with a wide range of difficulties, either in the form of short-term or longer-term therapy.

I am passionate about helping people to reduce their emotional distress, but most importantly I want to support them leading meaningful lives, which are aligned to what is important to them (their values). I believe therapy should be an empowering experience, and therefore in my work with clients I like to emphasise that we work as a team, whereby you bring the knowledge of what it is to be YOU, and I bring psychological knowledge and psychological skills to help you manage difficult thoughts and feelings and to bring you closer to your goals. 

My expertise within therapeutic approaches includes evidence-based therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based therapies, and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). If it's aligned with the clients' goals, I also like to explore a bit of the past to understand how it has contributed to the current problems. I aim to provide tailor-made psychological interventions that suit each individual’s needs.

I have worked with clients across the life span from different ethnic and religious backgrounds, and I value sensitively working with diversity. Finally, it is of paramount importance to me to provide a person-centred approach, by treating clients with respect, dignity, empathy, and emphasising a collaborative approach that respects their values and beliefs.

I'm aware that finding a suitable therapist can feel slightly overwhelming (I've been there!), and therefore I'm more than happy to answer any questions you may have. Also, I provide a (free) 15min telephone call so we can meet each other, before you commit to booking a session. You can either contact me through WellDoing, or through my website: dranacosta.com

Thank you for reading, and I look forward to hearing from you!