Frequently asked questions

Psychological counseling focuses on emotional well-being, exploring identity, self-esteem, relationships, grief, anxiety, and processing past experiences through therapeutic approaches like ACT, EFT, CBT, and DBT. Neurodiversity coaching focuses on practical, logistical, and systemic support rather than clinical therapy alone — helping with masking and unmasking, executive function, time and energy management, regulation strategies, and building personalized frameworks for how your mind is wired.

Every session is a bit different, but typically we start by checking in with how you're arriving today. From there we explore how emotions, patterns, relationships and narratives are tied to your values and talk about their personal significance for you. We then try to find actions to match your values within the context of your life and make room for processing emotions. We may also do a guided reflection, short mindfulness exercises, or give something to practice between sessions. The aim is to understand yourself better and move toward what truly matters to you.

Coaching sessions are more practical than counseling. While in counseling we often focus on emotions and narratives, in coaching we tend to pay more attention to the problem itself. Whether it's energy, organisation, routines, boundaries, sensory needs, work or studies, we will gather information about how your brain works, and try out strategies. A session later, we will look at what worked and adjust, until we find systems that work for you rather than against you.

It's super personal. For some people six sessions are enough. I typically recommend at least 20 sessions so change has time to settle, and other times therapy becomes a multi-year space. We keep checking in on this together along the way.

It's client-dependent — anywhere from twice a week to four times a year can work. At the beginning, more is usually better: meeting more often helps us build rapport and really understand your situation.

Yes, it can be fun! But it can also be a place where we feel things that aren't fun at all. We do this in service of WHAT MATTERS to each client, because by learning and practicing welcoming all types of emotions, we can live more fulfilling and present lives.

My main aim is for you to feel comfortable and empowered to express yourself however you need. If that's not happening, you have options: you can ghost me (while still paying, of course), we can chat it out during a session, or you can ask to be referred to a better fit — I'm happy to point you toward someone you might like more :)

Sessions run in English or Spanish — whichever feels most like home. Switching mid-sentence is perfectly welcome.

Online via secure video call throughout the week, and in person on Thursdays at Kuttelgasse 7, 8001 Zürich, next to the Rennweg tram stop. In special cases Fernanda is also open to a home visit, or a walk-and-talk session in one of Zürich's green spaces.

The practice is out-of-pocket only — no direct billing to insurance. Payment is via TWINT or bank transfer, with an invoice at the start of each month.

Most people begin with a complimentary initial call. If it feels like a fit, then it is followed by the first full session which entails mapping what brings you in, what you'd like to feel differently, and how we'll work together.

The cancellation policy is strict, out of mutual respect for each other's time: your slot is reserved for you and can't easily be filled last-minute. No-shows and late cancellations are charged at the full session fee. As a gesture of understanding — because life happens — every client gets one annual 'joker': one no-show or late cancellation per year at no charge. The calendar app also sends a reminder 24 hours before every session, which many neurodivergent clients find genuinely useful.