Martha Helliesen, Ph.D

I am a seasoned sexologist and Gestalt therapist with 25 + years of clinical experience. Born in Norway, I currently practice in Lisbon, Portugal. I work with adults, individuals and couples, both in person and online. I spent the majority of the last 30 years in private practice in New York City where I worked with clients from all over the world online, or in person.
I use a Gestalt therapy approach to help my clients untangle emotional problems including anxiety, depression, burnout, grief, stress and loneliness to name a few. The essence of Gestalt therapy is experience, rather than analysis, the moment rather than the past, the how rather than the why, and awareness rather than interpretation. It is a relational therapy where the therapist- client relationship is a vehicle for transformation.
In regard to sexuality, I help individuals and couples with issues related to intimacy, sexual trauma, lack of sexual function and painful sex. Sexual problems are often the tip of an iceberg, a symptom of a person’s unhealed wounds or unresolved issues within the couple unit, thus we have to dig deeper to resolve the problem.
Being an expat myself and having moved across the world a few times, I know in my heart and bones what it means to start over, create connections and a sense of belonging in a new country and culture.