Stress is a natural response to anything that requires attention or action. While some stress can be helpful, too much stress or constant pressure can become overwhelming, triggering a fight, flight or freeze response. Prolonged stress or a traumatic event can have a significant impact on mental health.
As an English-speaking therapist in Lisbon, I offer a supportive space to explore stress and its impact on your wellbeing. My approach combines talk therapy and brain-body therapy, including Brainspotting (BSP), to help you explore difficult emotions and experiences. Where appropriate, therapy may also be combined with medication prescribed by a doctor.
Hi, I’m Alicja Ligeza. I’m an English-speaking therapist in Lisbon working with chronic stress and burnout. I'm based in central Lisbon and I help expats, digital nomads and international residents to navigate stress, burnout, overwhelm and the pressure of constantly having to keep going. For me therapy isn’t simply about talking through your to-do list or trying to think your way out of exhaustion. By combining person-centred counselling with body-brain approaches like Brainspotting, together we work with your nervous system to understand patterns of stress and support deeper, sustainable recovery.
Read more about my background →
01
Express your feelings in a safe, warm and non-judgemental space. Stress and burnout therapy provides a safe, caring and confidential environment where you can express your feelings openly, without fear of judgement from your therapist.
02
Explore the underlying causes of your stress. Your therapist can help you explore both the obvious and underlying issues contributing to your stress. Additionally, with Brainspotting therapy, eye positions are used to access, process and release stress in the body.
03
Feel understood through empathic therapy and dual attunement. Your counsellor offers empathy and works with a “dual attunement” approach, providing both relational and neurological attunement.
04
Experience compassion, care and validation. Your therapist models a nurturing, kind and compassionate attitude that you can gradually learn to internalise. Feeling validated and understood can support your healing process.
05
Understand your needs and develop self-regulation. You can explore the roots of incongruence that may contribute to psychological distress, while working towards greater self-attunement and developing ways to regulate your nervous system.
06
Learn to recognise, value and prioritise your needs. With the help of your therapist, you can learn to identify, value and prioritise your needs, such as getting enough rest or becoming more assertive.
07
Develop practical strategies for managing everyday stress. Your counsellor can help you develop strategies and learn practical tools for coping with stressful situations in everyday life. These may include grounding exercises, self-Brainspotting and relaxation techniques.
08
Learn ways to regulate your nervous system. With your therapist’s support, you can explore ways to regulate your nervous system. Studies show that Brainspotting supports down-regulation of the amygdala and promotes coherence between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system activity.
09
Build healthy routines and make time for self-care. Weekly therapy sessions can help you establish healthier routines by allocating regular time for self-care and making your wellbeing a priority.
10
Understand stress and your body’s stress response. Your therapist can offer psychoeducation to deepen your understanding of stress, including the “fight, flight or freeze” response and how to recognise when you may need additional support.
I aim to respond within 24h, Mon to Fri. For urgent support, find public health helpline numbers here.
Rua Alexandre Herculano 19, 1250-008 Lisboa
Nearest Metro stations: Avenida and Marquês de Pombal.
