Ricardo Daniel Dos Santos Ferreira
Existential Therapist
I specialise in:
About me
I believe psychotherapy is a place where life can be explored with greater honesty and depth. A place where it becomes possible to speak about what hurts, what feels confusing, and what often still has no clear words. Many people arrive in therapy during moments of anxiety, depression, grief, emotional overwhelm, or significant life transitions. Rather than rushing toward quick solutions, my work focuses on creating a space where these experiences can be carefully understood.
I am an existential psychotherapist associated with the Portuguese Society for Existential Psychotherapy (SPPE). I work with adults in Lisbon and online, accompanying people who are facing emotional suffering, relational difficulties, or deeper existential questions about meaning, identity, and direction in life. My approach is grounded in phenomenological-existential psychotherapy and influenced by Focusing-Oriented Therapy, which helps people access the subtle, bodily felt sense of their experience and gradually put words to what was previously difficult to understand.
My background includes a degree in Philosophy from the Catholic University of Portugal, postgraduate studies in Logotherapy and Existential Analysis, and advanced training in Phenomenological-Existential Psychopathology and Daseinsanalytic psychotherapy. Before dedicating myself to psychotherapy, I worked in the fields of business and communication. This personal and professional path taught me that life rarely unfolds in a linear way, and that suffering cannot be reduced to technical explanations alone.
In therapy, I see the relationship itself as the central element of the process. When a space of trust is established, it becomes possible to look at one’s life story with greater clarity, recognize limits, make choices, and sometimes rediscover meaning. My commitment is to offer a thoughtful, respectful, and stable environment where each person can explore their experience at their own pace.
I speak:
Location:
Approach
My therapeutic approach is grounded in existential psychotherapy and deeply influenced by phenomenology, a perspective that seeks to understand experience as it is lived by the person themselves. Rather than starting from predefined interpretations, I aim to approach each person’s experience with openness, exploring how they feel, think, and make sense of their own life.
In therapy, I work in a collaborative way, creating a space for attentive listening, reflection, and exploration. Many of the difficulties that lead someone to seek therapy — such as anxiety, depression, feelings of emptiness, or relational struggles — are often connected to how we relate to ourselves, to others, and to the situations in our lives. By exploring these experiences carefully, it becomes possible to understand their meanings more deeply and to open new possibilities for change.
My work is also influenced by experiential approaches, including Focusing, which invites attention to the felt sense of experience in the body and to the meanings that can emerge from it. This process can help clarify emotions, deepen self-understanding, and support more authentic ways of relating to oneself and to others.
I see psychotherapy as a process of exploration and discovery. My role is to accompany each person with presence, curiosity, and respect for their pace, helping them develop a deeper understanding of their experience and find more meaningful ways of living
