About Ana
Dr. Ana Cristina Atanes trained as an integral therapeutic counsellor and brings five years of clinical experience to her work. She is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and uses that background to guide practical, straightforward care for people feeling overwhelmed by stress and anxiety.
Her style is calm and present. She uses short, clear conversations to help clients notice what matters and try different ways of coping.
Background and approach
Many sessions include mindfulness practice and simple exercises that can be used between meetings. In postgraduate study she researched stress, burnout and compassion fatigue. Her academic work looked at how mindfulness and self-compassion can support wellbeing.
She draws on that research when helping people manage tiredness, worry, and caring roles. Dr Atanes offers a flexible mix of approaches. She blends Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, cognitive behavioural ideas, psychodynamic listening and person-centred attention.
This means sessions can be practical, reflective, or a mixture depending on the issue at hand. She works with a wide range of concerns including anxiety, depression, addictions, sleeping problems, low self-esteem, anger and life changes. She also supports people facing chronic illness, caregiver stress, codependency and social anxiety.
Sessions are available in English and Portuguese. Her approach suits people who want a thoughtful, research-informed counsellor who uses everyday language and clear steps to manage stress and build steadier routines.
How therapeutic approaches are used online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on helping people notice painful thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them, and then commit to actions that match their values. It can be useful for anxiety, avoidance and life changes. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) teaches practical tools to change unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns, making it easier to manage panic, worry and sleeping problems. Mindfulness-based work trains present-moment awareness and self-compassion skills that can reduce stress and support recovery from burnout.Finding the right approach is part of therapy. The therapist will work collaboratively to try methods and adjust them to fit the client's needs, goals and preferences. Sessions may combine practical exercises, reflective conversation and short mindfulness practices so the plan evolves with what helps.
Online sessions offer flexibility and different ways to connect. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and guided exercises. Phone sessions can be used when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text-based messaging suit brief check-ins, written reflections or support between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, caring responsibilities and daily life, while still drawing on the therapist's chosen approaches.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
Also listed
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Family problems
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Self-love
- Sleeping disorders
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 5 years
- Licensed
- Languages
- English, Portuguese
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