Who I am and how I work

Dr. José López

I am Dr. Jose Lopez, a clinical psychologist for expats with more than 12 years of experience in the treatment of adults, accredited in CBT and EMDR. I work with people who, like you, are looking to move forward, feel better and regain a sense of direction in their lives.
My approach combines scientific evidence with a practical approach, using tools from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy CBT, EMDR, ACT and Couples Therapy. I work in both English and Spanish, in person in Barcelona and also online.

My experience as an expatriate:

I draw on my experience having moved to UK aged 23 for what was meant to be a one-year project and settling there for twenty years, before recently deciding to put an end to that project and return to Spain. In doing so, I have experienced a great deal of the challenges reported by many people deciding to leave their country of birth. Whilst rather privileged, as it was my choice and not difficult circumstances forcing me to move, there were moments where I felt it was not what I was hoping for, that my decision was making my life ‘unnecessarily difficult’ and that I should return home with family and friends. There were others -certainly more of them- when I felt it was the right thing and where I was living very aligned with my values despite the risk taken. And the rest (and most of the time) where life simply flowed and I was living the present without overly thinking or doubting.

People in my family and friends married and had children, some relatives died, major events happened whilst in the distance at one and the other side, which was difficult to manage. With all this, a whole range of emotions, from sadness and loss to joy, from guilt to pride, from fear to excitement, from self-doubt to self-confidence… And, fast-forwarding to more recently, I faced the experience of returning, seeing that things in my own country, in my region and family were different. Missing what I expected to see and getting surprised at other aspects I hadn’t encountered.
Adding to that, my experience working with the Spanish-speaking Latin American community in London has made me more aware of the range of experiences people face and how living abroad (whether chosen and planned or forced by circumstances) can affect us and our relationships. It has made me more determined to working with people facing similar situations.

My training:

  • BA Psychology – Universidad Complutense Madrid, 1998-2003
  • Master in Ageing and Mental Health – University College London, 2005-2007
  • Doctorado en Psicología Clínica (DClinPsy) – University of East London, 2009-2012
  • Dipl. Postgrad. – Ter. Cognitivo-Cductual – Royal Holloway Univ, 2013-2014

Accreditations:

  • HCPC Registered Clinical Psychologist (No. PYL28750)
  • BABCP Accredited Cognitive-Behavioral Therapist (No. 150634)
  • EMDR Accredited EMDR Clinician by EMDR UK Association (No. L0367)
  • General Health Psychologist registered with the Official College of Psychologists of Catalonia (no. 33290).

PUBLICATIONS IN PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS

Lopez, J.E., Rees, M. & Castro, M. (2013). Are low-intensity CBT interventions effective and meaningful for the Latino community in the UK? International Journal of Culture and Mental Health, 7 (4), 410-425.

López J.E., Orrell M., Morgan L. & Warner J. (2010). Empowerment in older psychiatric inpatients: development of the empowerment questionnaire for inpatients (EQuIP). Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 18 (1) 21-32.