Equipo

Clara Gallego è cresciuta in un ambiente molto interessato alla diversità culturale, segnato dall’emigrazione del bisnonno in Francia e dai legami con la famiglia che viveva lì e dallo spirito di viaggio dei suoi genitori, che a loro volta hanno svolto parte del loro dottorato nel Regno Unito.

L’amore per l’equitazione l’ha portata un’estate a Killarney, in Irlanda, mentre i successivi soggiorni a Dublino e a Toronto, in Canada, sono stati finalizzati a continuare la sua formazione linguistica e a vivere in altre culture. Clara è appassionata di natura e sente un legame speciale con i cavalli, con i quali trascorre gran parte del suo tempo libero. Si è interessata alla terapia assistita dagli animali in giovane età, partecipando come volontaria per quasi un decennio alle sessioni che si svolgevano nella sua scuola di equitazione (in particolare con i bambini dello spettro autistico). Ritiene che i cavalli, in quanto esseri viventi che interagiscono, offrano una relazione senza aspettarsi una risposta socialmente determinata e questo ha un effetto curativo unico.

Inoltre, è sempre stata una persona molto sociale e ha cercato attivamente le relazioni sociali. Dopo una buona esperienza personale con uno psicologo, e in combinazione con la vocazione ad aiutare, ha scelto la psicologia come laurea.

È laureata in Psicologia  nell’Università Pontificia di Comillas, dove ha svolto internship con i bambini, nell Colegio Nuestra Señora de la Merced, nell’aula di Pedagogia Terapeutica con bambini affetti da dislessia, discalculia, ritardo nello sviluppo…, e nell’Ospedale San Rafael nell’ambito dell’assistenza e della stimolazione precoce. Ha anche avuto un primo contatto con i pazienti nel campo della salute sessuale nella Fondazione Sexpol, dall’interesse per un’area del benessere umano poco esplorata. Dopo aver conseguito il Master in Psicologia Generale della Salute nell’Università Complutense di Madrid, ha deciso di concentrare il suo lavoro terapeutico sugli adulti.

Ha iniziato la sua carriera professionale come volontaria in NB Psicología e Amalgama Social dopo aver terminato il internship MPGS nella Clínica López Ibor, per continuare ad acquisire esperienza. Nell’ambiente di lavoro, ha presto rivolto la sua attenzione alla comunità degli espatriati, sia nelle sessioni terapeutiche che negli interventi in caso di crisi, nell’ambito dei programmi di sostegno ai dipendenti. Ha anche tenuto webinar e corsi di formazione sulla salute mentale per diverse aziende.

Questa esperienza gli ha permesso di confermare come un problema di ansia, un umore depressivo, una separazione o un lutto influiscano sulla nostra vita quotidiana al lavoro. L’ha anche avvicinata alle difficoltà dell’acculturazione e della migrazione, come la perdita del senso di appartenenza.

La sua esperienza come terapeuta psicosessuale che tratta uomini adulti con disfunzioni sessuali e i loro partner le ha insegnato che è ancora molto difficile chiedere aiuto e che molti tabù devono essere infranti. La relazione tra la qualità della relazione intima e la qualità della relazione affettiva rende possibile migliorare l’una, curare l’altra e viceversa. Dalla sua concezione del sesso come strumento di piacere e di comunicazione, Clara è convinta di quanto sia importante cambiare la visione coitocentrica e fallocentrica ed essere disposti ad aprire la mente ad altri modelli di rapporti sessuali.

È consapevole che la coppia è l’aspirazione e la relazione principale degli adulti, quindi è fondamentale prendere in considerazione le relazioni di coppia e le loro disfunzioni. Crede che una buona relazione di coppia sia uno spazio sicuro, in cui una persona può essere e sentirsi veramente realizzata.

Da un’innata curiosità e dalla volontà di continuare a formarsi, ha completato un corso associato all’UCM in Compassion and Mindfulness Cultivation, oltre a due diplomi universitari di specializzazione, uno in Terapia sessuale e di coppia e l’altro in Trauma, Attaccamento ed EMDR.

Per questo motivo, Clara sviluppa la sua attività terapeutica da un punto di vista integrativo, con una forte visione sistemica. Crede che sia importante percepire le persone non come un individuo isolato, ma come qualcuno che agisce, pensa e sente in relazione alle proprie esperienze e al proprio ambiente. Pertanto, dà spazio anche al discorso sulle prime esperienze di apprendimento nella vita. A suo avviso, le prime esperienze di legame modellano il modo in cui le persone si relazionano tra loro in seguito. Allo stesso modo, le prime esperienze traumatiche possono avere un impatto sullo sviluppo e sul comportamento degli adulti.

La sua concezione della terapia è uno spazio di accompagnamento in cui può sostenere e guidare il paziente come protagonista del proprio processo di crescita e cambiamento.

From his summers at Oxford and Manchester, Héctor especially remembers his bicycle routes, multicultural friendships, and the amazing music culture. It turns out that music for him is a way of living and connecting with emotions. His times as a teenage rocker with friends led to a more professional stage playing in musicals, town concerts, and cover bands to finally end up as the lead guitarist in a Madrid based indie band.

He studied at Elche’s University Miguel Hernández where he earned a degree in Psychology. It was here that he also got the chance to do an Erasmus year in The Netherlands studying at Groningen University. It was a year where he discovered an international environment and a very advanced country in aspects like mobility and open mindedness. This experience helped to challenge and expand the ideas he held about life and about himself. This was in great part thanks to the group of friends he made there, with whom he shared values ​​such as curiosity and the desire to continue growing as people.

Héctor specialized in the field of addictions, first researching the disease in a laboratory, and then beginning to do therapy in clinics with inpatients and outpatients. He discovered that in this disease that is often invisible to the human eye, group therapy has the incredible power to engage people in the processes of change and to teach us to manage emotions together. He had great mentors and colleagues who also helped him to have a very well rounded view of the disease and mental health. The goal in therapy is to never judge, see the person as a whole, and help them become who they feel they want to be.

During his training in multifamily therapy, Héctor personally participated in group therapy where he met families of all shapes and sizes such as a mother with her daughter, a couple without children, people who came alone, larger families, as well as the students of the course. This helped him understand, among many other things, the shame that can be felt while being in therapy and the importance of building a safe environment, which marked a before and after in the way he understood his patients.

To families or couples who are considering starting family therapy, Héctor says: “it can help us to see problems from the outside and in a comprehensive way, facilitating empathy, communication, intimacy, and objectivity. The experiences and emotions that arise in therapy help to get out of the loop of arguments many of us find ourselves in within our relationships.”

In recent years, he has focused on the practice of individual therapy with adult patients who struggle with anxiety, suffer from depression, want to reduce the stress in their lives, or “simply” want to work on their personal growth. He also works with couples who are striving to improve their communication, work in the area of ​​sexual intimacy, or overcome jealousy.

Héctor considers himself an integrative psychologist who places great importance on the patient’s needs and preferences when designing the treatment plan. To do this, he tries to make it easier for the patient to connect their emotions with the present moment and provide concrete guidelines that explain how to change what they need. He has a variety of tools to pull from when facilitating sessions, as not all methods work for all patients. He likes to analyze in depth where the core of the problem is and select which methods to use accordingly. It is perhaps because of this that many patients tell him he hits the nail on the head with his sessions.

Ana studied from kindergarten to high school in a bilingual Spanish-English school, where she also learned French and German, thanks to the global and forward-thinking vision of her parents who decided to invest in a school with a marked international character.

During her adolescence, Ana participated in various exchange programs in the United States, France (Biarritz) and Germany (Berlin). She still remembers the time she spent in New Jersey as one of the best of her life and still maintains contact with her “American family.” These small cultural immersions not only helped her improve her fluency in the language, but she also gained maturity and confidence from a very young age. Likewise, she began to become familiar with other cultures, which only increased her interest in the study of diversity. She considers traveling one of her great hobbies and meeting new people from all over the world as one of the things that enriches her the most.

This is why Ana decided to study Psychology in English at the Complutense University of Madrid to professionalize her command of the language and, most importantly, with the dream of being able, in the future, to cover a demand that was of interest to Ana. special: offering support to expatriates in their native language.

During her degree, Ana specialized in Neuropsychology and carried out her internship in the Memory Unit of the San Carlos Clinical Hospital, where she worked with geriatric patients with or without cognitive impairment, performing neuropsychological evaluations and functional assessments, with a view to a multidisciplinary diagnosis, as well as subsequent treatment. There she acquired basic knowledge for the interpretation of neuroimaging tests and made her first contact with action protocols in the field of public health. She chose the University of Birmingham for her Erasmus program, where she continued to deepen her interests with subjects such as Neuroimaging, Psychology of Intellectual Disability or Atypical Development and Early Intervention. During her stay in the United Kingdom, she got a job as a Spanish Teaching Assistant at a school as part of a volunteer program. There she joined the Modern Foreign Languages ​​department where she prepared students to take Spanish for their GCSE. After finishing her degree, she carried out extracurricular internships at the Neuroscience Research and Cognition Center of the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, within the Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Research Group.

That same September she was admitted to the Master’s Degree in General Health Psychology at the Complutense University of Madrid. During these almost 6 years at said University, Ana combined her studies with her position in the University’s International Relations Office, which brought her closer to the needs and challenges faced by study abroad students.

At that time Ana was beginning to show special attention to what neurodiversity meant. She chose her internship at AMITEA, the Complex Diagnostic Unit for Autism Spectrum Disorders at the Gregorio Marañón Hospital, where she was able to specialize in the psychological tools necessary for a differential diagnosis such as the ADOS-2 test. She also had the opportunity to follow up on patients diagnosed with ASD, and accompany them through behavioral, socialization and communication difficulties.

After the Master’s degree, Ana was selected as a Teaching Assistant at Vassar College, New York. During her stay in the United States she was also able to take subjects such as Neuroscience and Behavior. During that time, she also participated in volunteer work as an interpreter for a non-profit organization that provides lawyers to refugees and immigrants facing deportation in the New York City area. Knowing how language barriers can lead to other barriers such as social, emotional or cultural barriers, as well as barriers when it comes to accessing resources and ultimately, access to human rights, was what encouraged her to focus on this project.

Most of her work and academic experience has therefore been related to this passion for multilingualism, and she is excited to be able to work with a diverse and multicultural population. Currently, Ana speaks fluent German, French, English, Spanish and Galician. Having lived as an expatriate has helped her understand and connect with the difficulties that come with not identifying with a single culture when being far from your country of origin, and that is why she has decided to open the focus of her intervention to other languages ​​to cover the needs of people who do not speak Spanish or at least it is not their mother tongue.

During the last two years she has worked in an association for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) where she has been Responsible for Intervention in Natural Contexts with Spanish and English speaking families. In addition, Ana performed neuropsychological evaluations focused on the differential diagnosis of ASD, due to comorbidity and confusion with other conditions such as high abilities, ADHD or dyslexia, as well as individual sessions with adolescents and adults. Her work in the field of ASD has forged in her a depathologizing view within the world of neurodivegency and much more focused on the person and the family, with a marked systemic nature and with the quality of family life as an indicator. That is why during this time Ana has not only been able to learn more about neurodiversity, but also address and work on her problems outside of the diagnosis such as grief, breakups, anxiety or low self-esteem.

Ana is currently immersed in her Doctorate in Medicine and Surgery at the Universidad Autónoma of Madrid at the La Paz Hospital. However, for her it is vitally important to combine research with clinical practice, since she understands scientific research work as fundamental to contributing to improving the quality of life of the population.

Ana works from an integrative perspective, focused on the person, well-being and personal growth, although she values ​​above all the trust and comfort of the person in the therapeutic process, regardless of the approach applied, which, in most cases, will depend on the personal needs of each patient. Her professional commitment is to be able to facilitate, through languages, that foreign people can connect emotionally in their own language with a therapeutic process.

Laura comes from a large and diverse family. Since she was a child, she has shared long periods with them, living with up to four generations together under the same roof during summers in the village. From her personal perspective, this experience has been the greatest influence on her interest in people. Also it has given her the opportunity to develop fundamental skills for a therapist from an early age, such as active listening, communication, negotiation, understanding and non-judgment.

She owes her fascination with English to her half-Australian aunt, who has been her main mentor and guide in the language, communicating with her in English from a very young age. Later, driven by her own fascination, she began a more formal learning of the language. Her summers in Brighton and London allowed her to immerse herself in British culture and meet students from all over the world. She retains friendships from a variety of countries and takes every opportunity to explore a new culture as soon as she has an opportunity.

She studied Psychology at Autonoma University of Madrid and completed her internship at  Complejo Asistencial Benito Menni, where she had the opportunity to work with people with intellectual disabilities and severe behavioral disorders. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she completed her internship as a team coordinator in Acercando Vidas project ( emocional and social support for the elderly) and as a psychologist in Educamos Contigo, where she worked with children at risk of school failure. Within her responsibilities in Educamos Contigo were found: study techniques, planning  or time management. Although not initially in her plans, this unexpected situation gave her the opportunity to develop alternative skills, such as leadership, team management and connecting with people through screens, a skill especially relevant in an environment where online sessions are increasingly common.

Her passion for gaining an in-depth understanding of how the brain works led her to study a Master’s degree in Neuropsychology at Salamanca University. During her internship at the Intras Foundation in Zamora, she came into contact with people with dementia and acquired brain damage (due to strokes, hemorrhages or accidents) and learned to design materials to work on working memory, processing speed or executive functions, in order to recover the daily functioning of patients. She took away two main lessons: (1) the importance of psychological support for caregivers of dependent patients and (2) the incredible potential for readaptation and resilience of the brain and the human being. 

Finally, upon returning to her hometown, she took a Master’s degree in General Health Psychology at the Francisco Vitoria University with a humanistic approach, which allowed her to complement her cognitive-behavioral training and introduce into her work methodology techniques that can be more effective in problems such as grief, relationship difficulties or emotional management of the disease situation (cancer, chronic health problems).

During the year and a half that her internship at APAI Psychology Office lasted, and given that it is a center that serves all types of population and all ages, she developed the ability to adapt case by case, as well as the ability for research and self-taught learning. She was selected to stay on the team where she has been working with people with anxiety disorders, depressive symptomatology, bereavement, behavioral disorders and has diagnosed and treated specific learning disabilities (dyslexia, dysgraphia or TANV, among others) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in children and adolescents. 

Laura has so many interests within the field of psychology that she never stops studying. She is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Third Generation Therapies at the International University of La Rioja with training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness.

As a therapist, she defines herself as warm, approachable, committed and non-judgmental. However, she considers that the true way to describe her is how each of her patients sees her.

At the same time, and accompanying her in each of her vital stages, Laura has been a federated sportswoman. So many years in the world of sports have given her both, the value of commitment, and the knowledge of the great challenges faced by an elite athlete, in their day-to-day life and in competition.

Clara Gallego has grown up in a very interested in cultural diversity environment, impacted by the emigration of her great-grandfather to France and the link with the family living there, as well as the traveling spirit of her parents, who, in turn, did part of their PhDs in the United Kingdom. 

Her love for horse riding took her to Killarney, Ireland, one summer and her subsequent stays in Dublin and Toronto, Canada, were aimed at continuing her language training and living in other cultures. Clara is passionate about nature and feels a special connection with horses, with whom she spends much of her free time. She became interested in Animal Assisted Therapy very early, volunteering for almost a decade in the sessions that took place in her equestrian center (especially with children on the autism spectrum). She feels that as living interacting beings, horses offer a relationship without expecting a socially determined response and that has a unique healing effect.

Furthermore, she has always been a very sociable person and has actively sought social relationships. After a good personal experience with a psychologist, and combined with a strong vocation to help others, she chose Psychology as her career. 

She graduated in Psychology from the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas, where she did internships with children, at the Colegio Nuestra Señora de la Merced, working in Therapeutic Pedagogy with children with Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Developmental Delay…, and at Hospital San Rafael in Early Care and Stimulation. She also had a first contact in extracurricular practices at the university with patients in the sexual health area at Fundación Sexpol, given the interest in a little explored area of human welfare. After graduating from the Masters of General Health Psychology at the Complutense University of Madrid, she decided to focus her therapeutic work on adults.

She began her professional career as a volunteer at NB Psicología and Amalgama Social after finishing her MPGS internship at Clínica López Ibor, to continue on gaining experience. In the work environment, she soon turned to helping the expat community in both therapeutic sessions and crisis intervention, under the context of Employee Assistance Programs. She also provided webinars and training on mental health for different companies. 

This experience allowed her to confirm how an anxiety issue, a depressive mood, a breakup or a grieving process can affect our day-to-day life at work. At the same time, it brought her closer to the difficulties of acculturation and migration, such as the loss of a sense of belonging. 

Her experience as a psychosexual therapist, treating men with sexual dysfunctions and their partners, has taught her that it is still very difficult to ask for help and many taboos need to be broken. The relationship between the quality of the intimate relationship and the quality of the emotional relationship allows, by improving one, curing the other and the other way around. From her conception of sex as a tool for enjoyment and communication Clara is convinced of how important it is to change the coital-centered and phallocentric vision of sex and to be open-minded to other models of sexual relationships.

She understands that couples are the aspiration and the core relationship of adult humans, so it is crucial to take into account couple relationships and their dysfunctions. She believes that a good couple relationship is a safe space, where the person can be genuine and feel satisfied.

From an innate curiosity and the will to continue on learning, she completed a course associated with the UCM in Compassion and Mindfulness Cultivation, as well as two University Expert degrees, one in Sexual and Couple Therapy and the other in Trauma, Attachment and EMDR.

Given all of this, Clara develops her therapeutic activity from an integrative point of view, with a strong systemic vision. She believes that it is important to perceive people not as isolated individuals, but as people who act, think and feel in conjunction with their experiences and their environment. For this reason, she also gives importance to early learning experiences in life. The first bonding experiences mark, from her point of view, the way people relate to each other later in life. Equally, early traumatic experiences can impact adult development and behavior. 

Her conception of therapy is a space of accompaniment to support and guide the patient as the main character of their own process of growth and change.

Barbara Osset, raised in an international environment at Hastings School, a British institution where she met children of different nationalities, religions, and cultures. Her family ties to France, with summers spent in Brittany, Normandy, Marseille, and a couple of experiences as an au pair in Paris, cultivated her innate curiosity and love for diversity from a young age. These experiences taught her to adapt to various environments and appreciate the uniqueness of each individual. Her interest in people and different ways of living, combined with her natural leadership, would eventually lead her to a career in psychology.

With a strong academic background from the Pontifical Comillas University, including a master’s degree in General Health Psychology and another in Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for children and adolescents, Barbara has accumulated extensive experience over the years. Her training includes internships, international volunteer work, and specialized courses, enabling her to offer an eclectic approach that draws from systemic (family), humanistic, and mindfulness therapies based on the needs her patients bring to therapy.

Barbara received training in various settings, including roles as a counsellor in educational institutions, clinical settings, and a day hospital, where she learned to address more severe conditions such as OCD, personality disorders, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), bipolar disorder, behavioural problems, and ADHD in children, adolescents, and adults through individual and family therapy. Her approach has always been to provide comprehensive therapeutic support, recognizing the importance of considering each individual within their context.

Furthermore, Barbara has assisted adolescent and young adult patients with substance dependence, helping them recognize their use of substances like cannabis and alcohol for self-regulation. She has guided them in finding ways to initiate change while providing accessible information about the short-term, medium-term, and long-term effects of drugs on the brain, all without judgment but from a place of understanding. Due to her interest in this issue, she has collaborated on various publications related to prevention in school settings and early psychoeducation in primary school.

In addition to her clinical experience, Barbara has engaged in volunteer activities around the world, reflecting her commitment to global service and her passion for helping others. She has spent several summers in Ireland with the Aladina Foundation in collaboration with Serious Fun Camps, where she accompanied children with cancer and their families on a rehabilitative journey to restore their childhood and confidence after months of suffering. This experience provided her with firsthand knowledge of the reality of childhood cancer and how it affects children, families, and their relationships.

Another reality Barbara is familiar with through her volunteer experiences is that of children who have lived in orphanages in less privileged countries, such as Ecuador and Morocco. She has observed how their early experiences of understimulation and lack of secure attachment can impact relationship difficulties and behaviour problems that may surface later in life.

Barbara firmly believes in creating a team with parents, teachers, caregivers, and others to promote the emotional growth of each child and adolescent. Passionate about her work and committed to the well-being of her patients at all stages of life, Barbara fosters an environment of understanding and acceptance in which the patient discovers their own answers.

Noa Zelman was born in Ecuador to Uruguayan parents and raised in Barcelona, Spain. After university in Spain, she decided to continue her personal and professional path and moved to Israel, then Germany, and finally Madrid. Having grown up as a third culture kid while attending International Schools (within the American system including IB) has greatly influenced Noa. Home is what she builds with people around her, not a physical place. Because of this, creating a nurturing context is something she has always thought of as an essential anchor in her own upbringing and in her work with children. As a global citizen, wherever she went, Noa was always in the minority. Whether it was her different accent, or culture or religion, she often felt different from those around her. Throughout her upbringing and work with children, she has come to deeply embrace diversity. As the universal saying goes, we are all “Same, same, but different.” Noa learned how essential it is to deeply understand the child’s context and local culture in order to offer the best support.

For her whole life, Noa has worked with children in different settings. After obtaining her BA in Psychology (Blanquerna, URL), MA in clinical psychology (MUPGS Blanquerna, URL) and later on an MA in Child Development in University of Haifa, Israel, she continued to work as a teacher with progressive learning approaches (Reggio-Emilia and RIE/Pikler) in the Early Years and in the Walworth Barbour American International School. It was during her work there that Noa gained a wider approach on how she wanted to continue to support children’s mental health as she was working closely with learning and emotional difficulties as well as maladaptive behaviors. Noa believes that evaluation and diagnosis are a step closer to understanding how we can better support children. Nurturing and authentic child-adult relationships, adapting responsive learning environments to children’s interest and needs, and partnering with adults in children’s networks (families and other professionals) are principles of Noa’s approach.

Both her experiences of having previously worked as a therapist in mental health, and her time as a teacher have inspired Noa to identify gaps in how child development is supported. After 5 years in Israel, Noa moved to Germany and dedicated her time to building a project that is very close to her heart. Through social media platforms, Noa shared resources and offered workshops for both families and educators on important topics, such as teaching about consent, assisting in conflict resolution, brain development, and the importance of risk-taking through play. She aspires to continue to support grown ups through workshops and training programs, and children through mutual respect, deep relationship-building, and playful exploration in more therapeutic settings. During that time, Noa also decided to become a student in the European Institute of Perinatal Mental Health and discovered how much Perinatal Psychology resonated with the way she works with parents and children and their family history. As an expert in Early Development she can support parents who are navigating changes at home (divorce, a new baby coming, grief…) as well as identifying possible developmental delays (communication, motor and coordination…) and finding tools to stimulate and guide their child.

Trained in the RIE/Pikler approach Noa has experience working with groups of mothers and their babies in building a playful and natural communicative environment.

Deeply understanding and educating others about the capabilities of young children and their right to quality experiences has become one of Noa’s greatest blessings. More importantly, it is a way of thinking not just about children and learning, but about bettering our world and ourselves.

Born and raised in Toledo, Alba has always been clear about her two great passions: child psychology and languages. At the age of 18 she moved to Madrid to study a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at Complutense University of Madrid. The internship at the Clinical Psychology Unit of the UCM gave her a first-hand experience of what her future profession would be like.

As the years went by, she developed a keen interest in neuropsychology. She wanted to be able to understand the relationship between the brain and behaviour. In particular, she wanted to delve deeper into Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, emphasising the importance of executive functions and how they condition our learning and behaviour. This interest led her to study the Master’s Degree in Child Neuropsychology. The internship at the Child Brain Injury Unit of the Beata María Ana de Jesús Hospital only corroborated that this was definitely her path. During those months, she had the opportunity to help children who had either lost their abilities as a result of an accident or who started with a developmental delay related to difficulties during pregnancy or childbirth. The cognitive stimulation sessions showed her the great plasticity of these children’s brains, allowing advances that would be unthinkable for adults.

A few months later she was offered the opportunity to work in a hospital, presenting her services as a neuropsychologist in their cognitive stimulation programme for patients with early and moderate stages of neurodegenerative diseases. In each session, the different cognitive functions were stimulated, ensuring that the materials were adapted to the needs of the users and to the evolutionary stage of the disease. The closeness demonstrated by the patients day after day showed that there were also affective needs to be covered, with empathy and warmth on the part of the professional being essential to develop better adherence to the programme.

Finally, she started working at SINEWS in 2018 as a home-based educational psychology support professional with children with learning difficulties, ADHD and other neuropsychological disorders. After an initial interview with the family where the student’s needs are presented, Alba establishes and explains to them what the objectives of the work will be. Session after session, she helps the student to develop an effective study routine, teaching them organisation and time management skills, useful learning strategies and, in short, giving them all the help they need to be able to achieve good academic results. Creativity in adapting materials to the student’s needs is essential to achieve good results, as is constant communication with the student, family and school. 

In addition to her role as a study coach, Alba has continued to develop her career at Sinews providing home-based cognitive stimulation services to adults with neurodegenerative diseases, motivated by the enriching experience she had years ago.  

Thanks to Sinews, she remembered her passion for languages and her need to continue improving her English to be able to communicate openly with clients of other nationalities, bilingualism being another of her vital goals. 

Over time, Alba has become the coordinator of the specialised services of psycho-pedagogical support and speech therapy in the classroom and at home, serving as a link between families, schools and the different Sinews professionals working in this area. Her work includes the selection and training of new candidates for the team, the design of action protocols and the supervision of the professionals. She also organises first assessment interviews with families requesting psycho-pedagogical support services in order to get to know the child’s needs in depth and assign the most suitable professional for each case. She maintains constant contact with professionals, families and the school to ensure that the objectives set are being met and that there is an effective synergy between all of them.

Leidy 出生于西班牙，但来自一个中国家庭（父母均为中国人）。因此，她在两种截然不同的文化中生活与成长。

她的父母以他们所受到的教育方式为基础，遵循中国文化的价值观将她抚养成人。然而，由于Leidy出生在西班牙，她上的是西班牙幼儿园，住的是以西班牙人为主的社区中。这使得每当有人问她 认为自己是中国人还是西班牙人时，她总是感到困惑。作为一个 “第三文化的孩子” 、她的文化认同，如她自己所描述的，是如同于“混血儿”。这给她带来了身份和归属感的挑战。幸运的是，她已经学会了应对这些挑战，并希望能帮助到他人做到这一点。Leidy认为自己很幸运能够接触到两种不同的文化，并从中 “选择” 出自己最认同和舒适的部分、思想或价值观，以及行为和生活方式。她认为自己能够更好地理解那些有移民背景的人，以及那些在某些时刻感到自己是 “格格不入” 的人。

从她记事起，她就会说中文和西班牙语。从 5 岁起，她每周六都会去 “中文学校”，这使得她能够与国人顺畅地交流，并且不会让他们感受到她是在另一个国家长大的。此外，从 6 岁到 18 岁，她一直就读于一所双语学校 – St. Michael’s School，这也让她从小就接触到了英语。

由于朋友的建议，Leidy决定学习心理学和言语治疗学，因为他们觉得她是一位很好的倾听者并且能给予很好的建议。她对此非常感激，因为在多年的学习过程中，她对这两个职业的热情不断增长，至今她仍在不断学习并乐在其中。

在攻读心理学和言语治疗双学位期间，Leidy有机会在UCM大学的大学诊所进行语言治疗实习，主要针对儿童和青少年为他们提供服务。这期间她观察和解决了各种问题（如：语言障碍、言语、阅读和写作困难、阅读障碍、非典型吞咽、自闭症谱系障碍以及声音问题等）。她的心理学实习则是在阿罗约莫利诺斯市议会的青年和教育部进行 （Concejalía de Juventud y Educación del Ayuntamiento de Arroyomolinos），涉及临床、教育和社会领域的工作。这段经历促使她决定投身于临床心理学，因此她决定在URJC大学继续攻读综合健康（临床）心理学硕士学位。在不同实习期间中，她曾为 18 至 65 岁的成年人治疗抑郁症、焦虑症、失恋、社会孤立、药物成瘾问题并防止复发，以及人际关系问题… 这些经历激发了她对创伤、依恋困难和解离的好奇心，因此她决定参加EMDR 一级培训，以便掌握更多工具，从而提供更高质量的服务。

Leidy的治疗方法结合了多种心理学流派。她主要采用认知心理学疗法，同时也运用其他技术，如接纳与承诺疗法（ACT），以便能够更好地满足每位患者的个体需求，并关注他们生活的各个方面（情感、认知、身体、行为…）。然而，对她来说，最重要的不是使用哪种流派或方法，而是积极倾听，以便理解每位患者的需求、从而制定相应的治疗方案，并与患者以 “团队” 的方式共同努力，帮助他们实现健康生活的目标。

Leidy´s parents are both Chinese, but she was born and raised in Spain. Therefore, she has encountered and experienced two very different cultures.

Her parents have educated and raised her in the same way as they were educated, following the values ​​of Chinese culture. On the other hand, having been born in Spain, she attended a Spanish nursery since little and lived in a neighborhood with a significant Spanish population. As a result, whenever she is asked if she considers herself Chinese or Spanish, she doesn’t know how to answer. Being a “Third Culture Kid” her culture, as she usually answers, is “hybrid” and this led to issues of identity and sense of belonging, which she had learned how to resolve them and can help others to do so. She considers herself lucky to have been able to know two cultures, and to “pick” from each one the parts, thoughts or values, way of being, living and/or behaving with which she has felt most at ease and identified. So she feels that she can understand better those who have had a history of migration and who have felt at some point like «the outsiders or the ones who didn’t fit in.»

For as long as she can remember, she has been able to speak both Chinese and Spanish. Since she was 5 years old, she went to a «Chinese school» every week. This has enabled her to communicate with natives without giving them the impression that Leidy grew up in another country. Moreover, from the age of 6 to 18 she attended a bilingual school, St Michael’s School, giving her an early exposure to English as well.

The decision to study Psychology and Speech Therapy, was influenced by her friend´s suggestion. They admired the way she listened and advised them. She is very thankful for this because throughout her academic journey, her passion for these two professions has only grown and, nowadays she still learns and enjoy them.

During her Double Degree in Psychology and Speech Therapy, she had the opportunity to do her speech therapy internship at the UCM University Clinic, focusing primarily on children and adolescents. She had the opportunity of observing and working with a wide variety of problems (language, speech, reading and writing disorders, dyslexia, atypical swallowing, Autism Spectrum Disorder, voice problems, etc.). Meanwhile, she completed her Psychology internship at the Arroyomolinos City Council´s Youth and Education Department, where she worked in the clinical, educational and social domains. This experience led to her decision of dedicating herself to the clinic, so she proceeded to study the Master’s Degree in General Health Psychology at the URJC (Rey Juan Carlos University). Throughout her various internships, she worked with adults aged between 18 to 65 who had depression, anxiety, breakup issues, social isolation, substance abuse issues with the goal of lowering consumption and preventing relapse, relationship problems… These experiences sparked her curiosity about trauma, attachment difficulties and dissociation, so she decided to take Level I of EMDR to gain other skills and offer higher quality care.

Leidy works from an integrative approach, relying mainly on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy but also applying other techniques such as ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), in order to adjust to each patient´s needs and address each area of ​​their life (emotional, cognitive, physical, behavioural…). However, the most important thing for her is not what approach is used, but rather to show active listening in order to understand, plan and work as a team for each patient´s well-being.