Amparo Villasmil Barberá
Integrative Counsellor
I specialise in:
About me
I’m Amparo Lucía Villasmil Barberá, a clinical psychologist with over seven years of experience supporting individuals and communities facing complex emotional challenges. My professional journey has taken place across diverse contexts (humanitarian, clinical, and community-based) where I’ve worked with people navigating trauma, displacement, systemic violence, and psychosocial distress.
I have specialized training in cognitive-behavioral therapy, trauma-informed care, and psychosocial approaches, and I integrate these frameworks to adapt each process to the needs and pace of the person in front of me. I work primarily online, supporting adults who are experiencing anxiety, complex grief, burnout, identity challenges, or the echoes of past trauma. My clinical work is enriched by my background in public mental health and my ongoing involvement in international mental health policy and advocacy spaces.
What matters most to me is the human connection. I see therapy as a shared space. One where you can feel safe enough to explore, feel, question, and slowly begin to move toward healing and meaning, on your own terms.
I speak:
Location:
Approach
I approach therapy with the understanding that emotional suffering is not only individual, but deeply connected to personal history, relational patterns, and wider social and cultural contexts. I don't see distress as something to be “fixed,” but as something to be explored, understood, and given space at a pace that feels sustainable.
My work is grounded in trauma-informed principles. I hold awareness of how trauma; whether personal, developmental, collective, or systemic; can shape the way we think, feel, relate, and move through the world. I pay close attention to the impact of early attachment, survival strategies, and the ways in which the body and nervous system store unprocessed experiences.
I integrate tools from cognitive-behavioral therapy, trauma-focused interventions, and psychosocial frameworks. I draw on evidence-based techniques like emotion regulation, grounding, cognitive reframing, and values-based reflection, but I adapt these resources flexibly, depending on the moment, the needs, and the history of each person I work with.
I often reflect on the importance of context: where someone comes from, what systems have shaped them, and what kind of care has been accessible. I consider it essential to hold space for grief, anger, confusion, and complexity; especially in a world that often demands clarity and performance.
In sessions, I try to offer consistency, emotional safety, and attunement. I listen for the stories that haven’t been told, for the protective parts that have worked hard to keep someone going, and for the spaces where something different might become possible. I respect silence, ambivalence, and the moments when words aren’t yet available.
I understand therapy as a shared process that unfolds over time. I don't follow necessarily rigid protocols; instead, I like to co-create the path with the person in front of me. I pay attention to what shifts, what feels alive in the work, and what needs more care.
I believe that healing includes reclaiming agency, reconnecting with one’s body and values, and building narratives that feel coherent and honest. I hold hope that it is possible to relate differently to pain: not by erasing it, but by making room for it alongside joy, connection, and choice.
