An English-speaking psychoanalyst in São Paulo.
If you're looking for more than coping tips — a space to understand why the same patterns keep repeating — psychoanalytic therapy may be for you. I'm a psychologist and psychoanalyst offering sessions in English, combined with the practical tools of psychodrama, in Higienópolis or online.
The same story, repeating in different places.
Knowing what you should do, and still not doing it.
A feeling you can't quite put into words.
Repeating patterns
Relationships, jobs or conflicts that seem to follow the same script, again and again.
Self-knowledge
Understanding your desires, choices and history more deeply.
Anxiety and sadness
Looking beyond the symptom to what it's trying to say.
Life transitions
Moves, endings and new beginnings that stir up old questions.
Depth, in the language you think in
For many people, speaking about what's most intimate is easier in English — even when it isn't their first language.
English speakers in Brazil
Psychoanalysis in English, without having to translate your inner world.
People who live in English
For those who dream, work or love in English, therapy can happen there too.
People who want depth
For those who have tried short-term approaches and want to go further.
Understanding the roots — and practicing change
Psychoanalysis helps us understand the why behind what you feel and repeat. Psychodrama adds something many people miss in traditional therapy: the chance to experiment, in session, with new ways of acting and relating.
The result is therapy with depth, but not only talk.
- One-hour sessions
- Free association and careful listening
- Psychodrama techniques when useful
- Individuals, couples and groups
- English, Portuguese or both
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. Psychoanalysis is the backbone of how I listen.
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.
Is this classical psychoanalysis on the couch?
My work is psychoanalytic therapy: face to face or online, one-hour sessions, combined with psychodrama tools when they help. We can talk about the format that suits you best.
What's the difference from other therapies?
Rather than focusing only on symptoms, psychoanalysis looks at the history and meaning behind them. Psychodrama adds practical, experiential work.
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
