Grief therapy in English, for losses near and far.
Losing someone is hard anywhere. Losing someone while living in another country brings its own layers: not being there, grieving far from the people who share your loss, and mourning in a language that isn't your own. I offer grief therapy in English, in São Paulo or online.
You couldn't be there to say goodbye.
Life here goes on as if nothing happened.
No one around you knew the person you lost.
Loss from a distance
The death of a parent, friend or relative back home, and the guilt or helplessness of being far away.
Grieving alone
Mourning without the rituals, the family and the friends who would normally hold you.
Other losses
The end of a relationship, a pregnancy loss, a life left behind — grief takes many forms.
When it doesn't ease
Months later, the pain is still there, or it shows up as anxiety, irritability or numbness.
Space for grief, in your language
Grief doesn't follow a timeline. Therapy offers a place to feel it, make sense of it, and slowly find a way forward.
Grieving far from home
For internationals in Brazil who lost someone in their home country.
When a partner is grieving
Supporting a partner through loss across cultures and languages.
Loss of any kind
Death, separation, illness or the loss of a life you imagined.
Care grounded in real experience
I was a collaborator at PROALU, the Grief Support Program of the psychiatry department at Unifesp (Federal University of São Paulo), accompanying people through loss.
In sessions there's no right way or right time to grieve — only space to honour the person you lost and what that loss has changed in you.
- Bereavement and complicated grief
- Loss while living abroad
- Anticipatory grief and illness in the family
- Separation and other losses
- Sessions in English or Portuguese
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. Grief has been a central part of my clinical experience.
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.
When is the right time to start grief therapy?
There's no right time. Some people seek support right after a loss; others, months or years later. If the grief is weighing on you, that's reason enough.
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.
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
