Marcia Batalha
Counsellor & Psychotherapist in training
Clinical psychologist with a systemic orientation, working with adolescents, adults and couples. Bringing a multicultural perspective shaped by living across five countries.
I specialise in:
About me
My path to clinical psychology was not a straight line. After graduating in Psychology in 2010, I built a career in human resources within multinational organisations, gaining a deep understanding of people, workplaces, and the complexities of human behaviour under pressure.
Life then took me across different countries: the United States, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and now Portugal. Along the way, I continued to study, learn and grow while building a family and raising two children. Living between cultures, adapting to new environments and creating a sense of home in unfamiliar places deepened my appreciation of how relationships, context and life transitions shape our experiences.
These experiences continue to inform my clinical work. They have strengthened my appreciation of the many ways people make sense of change, navigate uncertainty and create meaningful lives within the relationships and cultures they inhabit. It also broadened my understanding of identity, belonging and transitions they experience throughout their lives, allowing me to meet clients with curiosity, openness, and a deep respect for each person's unique story.
I speak:
Location:
Approach
I work with adolescents, adults and couples across a broad range of human experiences, including depression, anxiety, personality disorders, relationship difficulties and the challenges of living between cultures and countries. I welcome couples of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and relationship structures.
My primary therapeutic orientation is systemic, which means I understand people's experiences within the context of their relationships, families, communities and cultures. I integrate other evidence-informed approaches, including Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) whenever they best support a client's individual needs and goals.
In our work together, I pay attention to the stories people tell about themselves and the systems they belong to, whether that is a family, a workplace or the cultures that have shaped and continue to shape their lives. I believe that our understanding of who we are is shaped through our relationships with others. Therapy offers a space to revisit these relationships, make sense of what we have lived through, and create new possibilities for understanding ourselves and relating to others. Above all, I offer a genuine, consistent, honest, and compassionate presence where you can bring whatever you are facing and feel heard, understood, and supported.
I welcome new clients who are currently living in, or have been displaced by, areas affected by war and are seeking psychological support. I believe that access to mental health care should not be limited by financial circumstances, and I am committed to offering flexible fees whenever possible to help make therapy more accessible. If this applies to you, please feel free to get in touch so we can discuss the options available.
If none of the available appointment times suit you, please don't hesitate to get in touch. I'll be happy to discuss flexible scheduling options whenever possible.
Experience
I currently hold a private practice in Lisbon, working with adolescents, adults and couples. My professional experience includes clinical work in both Portugal and Brazil. At Hospital de Cascais I provided individual and group psychological interventions for people experiencing depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder and psychotic disorders, drawing on approaches such as Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Metacognitive Therapy. At the Applied Psychology Service of PUC-Rio, I worked with children and families from socially vulnerable backgrounds, guided by systemic and narrative approaches.
Prior to becoming a clinical psychologist, I worked in Human Resources at Anglo American Plc and TIM (Telecom Italia), with experience in recruitment, HR business partnering, training, and talent retention across multinational organisations.
Education
I hold a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Ispa in Lisbon, a Graduate Diploma in Emotional Health for Babies, Children, Young Adults and Families from the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in London, and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) in Brazil. I am currently in training in Systemic and Family Therapy at the Sociedade Portuguesa de Terapia Familiar (SPTF) in Lisbon.
Services
Group Session
Couples Session
Individual Session
Insurances
