Therapy in English in São Paulo, with someone who lives between cultures too.
Moving to a new country — or living between two — comes with its own emotional weight: a new language, a new routine, and often a distance from the people who know you best. I'm a psychologist and psychoanalyst offering therapy in English for expats, internationals and intercultural couples, in person in Higienópolis or online, worldwide.
The exhaustion of navigating daily life in a second language.
Missing people who are thousands of miles away.
The feeling of not quite belonging anywhere yet.
Culture shock
Adjusting to Brazil's rhythm, customs and unwritten rules — even when the move was your choice.
The language barrier
It's hard to put what you truly feel into words when therapy is only offered in a language that isn't your own.
Homesickness
Missing family, close friends and the familiar textures of a life left behind.
Anxiety and low mood
Stress, worry or a sadness you can't quite name — often heavier when you're far from home.
Therapy in English for people whose lives cross borders
Some of the people I see moved here for work or love. Others grew up between countries, or simply live their lives in English. What they share is the need to be understood without translating themselves.
Expats and internationals
Whether you relocated with a company, followed a partner or chose Brazil on your own — support with adaptation, anxiety, low mood, identity and the loneliness of starting over.
Intercultural couples
When partners come from different countries, love also means negotiating two languages, two families and two ideas of home.
People who feel at home in English
Third-culture adults, people who have lived abroad, international professionals — therapy should meet you in the language you think and feel in.
Two cultures, one relationship
In an intercultural relationship, small misunderstandings can carry more weight than they seem: what counts as closeness, how conflict is expressed, what family is owed, where “home” really is.
Couples therapy offers a space where both partners are heard in the language they're most comfortable with — and where cultural differences become something to understand together.
- Sessions in English, Portuguese or a mix of both
- Communication and recurring conflicts
- Family expectations on both sides
- Deciding where to live
- Parenting between two cultures
Depth to understand. Tools to change.
Many people have been to therapy and felt they were just repeating the same story, session after session. Listening matters — but listening alone doesn't change much. My work brings together two trainings:
Understanding the roots
My training in psychoanalysis helps us understand what's really going on beneath the surface — the why behind what you feel and repeat, beyond the symptom.
Practicing change
My training in psychodrama brings practical tools to experiment, in session, with new ways of coping and connecting — not just talking about change, but living it.
Depth to understand. Action to change.
No judgment. Just real listening.
Real reviews from clients. The phrase that comes up again and again is “free of judgment”.
“I do online therapy with Rafa and I truly love our sessions. She is wonderful and always helps me see what I can't notice on my own; it's incredible how she understands what sometimes even I can't quite explain.”
“Rafaela is an excellent professional, very ethical and attentive. I felt welcomed from the very first session. She conveys trust, empathy and safety, guiding the therapeutic process with great sensitivity and professionalism — and above all, free of judgment, which makes all the difference.”
“Rafaela has incredible sensitivity — I have never felt so welcomed. The calm way she guided the process helped me slow down in life; I've always been very anxious. Congratulations on such beautiful work!”
“Rafaela is an excellent professional; her care is simply wonderful, human and welcoming. I always feel respected and heard during our sessions. Extremely attentive to every detail. Top marks!”
“An excellent professional. We are making real progress on my life purpose — I recommend her to anyone looking for their purpose, whether in business or in family life.”
“My experience with Rafaela was very important in my life. She helped me learn to live again and showed me that I am, and can be, capable of having my life back. My word for her is GRATITUDE.”
Rafaela Goodman
I'm a psychotherapist trained in psychoanalysis and psychodrama. I work with adults, couples, families and groups, and with adolescents from 16. I was a collaborator at the Grief Support Program (PROALU) at Unifesp's psychiatry department, and today I see clients at my private practice in Higienópolis, São Paulo, and online, worldwide.
I'm Brazilian and married to an Englishman, so living between two languages and two cultures is part of my everyday life — not just something I studied.
I work in English and Portuguese, with particular attention to people who live between cultures. Whether you're an expat in Brazil, part of an intercultural couple, or simply someone who lives life in English, you won't need to translate yourself here.
Starting is simple
Get in touch
Send a message on WhatsApp, a text or an email — whichever feels easiest.
First conversation
We talk about what brings you here and see whether working together feels right.
Choose the format
In person in Higienópolis or online by video — in English, Portuguese or both.
Regular sessions
Sessions last one hour, at a time we agree on together, in your time zone.
Frequently asked questions
Are the sessions fully in English?
Yes. Sessions can be held entirely in English, entirely in Portuguese, or moving between the two — whatever feels most natural to you. You don't need to speak any Portuguese.
How long is a session?
Each session lasts one hour.
Do you see clients in person or online?
Both. In person at my practice in Higienópolis, São Paulo, or online by video call, wherever you are in the world.
Can my partner and I do couples therapy if we speak different languages?
Yes. Intercultural couples are a particular focus of my work. Each partner can speak in the language they're most comfortable with, and we can move between English and Portuguese during the session.
What approach do you use?
My work is grounded in psychoanalysis and psychodrama: understanding the deeper roots of what you're going through, and practicing new ways of relating and coping. I see adults, couples, families and groups, and adolescents from 16.
Is therapy confidential?
Yes. Everything shared in sessions is protected by professional confidentiality, in line with the Code of Ethics of the Brazilian Federal Council of Psychology. I'm registered with the São Paulo Regional Council of Psychology (CRP SP 06/184484).
How do I book a first conversation?
Send a message on WhatsApp, a text message or an email. I'll reply to find a time for a first conversation, so we can see whether working together feels right.
This practice does not provide emergency care. If you are in crisis in Brazil, call CVV on 188 (24h, free) or SAMU on 192. Outside Brazil, contact your local emergency number.
Book a first conversation
Reach out however you prefer — WhatsApp, text message or email. From there, we'll find the best time together, in person in São Paulo or online, wherever you are.
- Rua Doutor Albuquerque Lins, 537 — Higienópolis, São Paulo
- Online sessions worldwide
- +55 11 98180-6230 (WhatsApp & text)
- rafaelagrzywaczgoodman@gmail.com
