psychologist in Stockholm English speaking

Areas of Expertise

  • Expat and relocation issues such as loneliness, identity, low sense of belonging, homesickness, sense of “not being good enough”, “not fitting in”

  • Significant life transitions like grief, divorce, painful breakups, career changes, chronic illness

  • Adults experiencing intercultural issues with their partner, depression, anxiety, stress, fluctuating mood, unhelpful thinking, self-sabotage, and more

  • Male clients struggling. with their emotions, male distress, emasculation, attachment and relationship difficulties, self-sacrifice as an expression of masculinity, depression in men and more

Hi, I’m vanessa bandini. Certified clinical psychologist, health psychologist and Schema therapist

“I help you heal emotional wounds, overcome relationship and attachment struggles, and break free from anxiety, depression, burnout, and chronic stress — so you can feel confident, emotionally stable, and truly thrive in live, not just survive”

I work with adults experiencing grief, loss, and significant life transitions, with particular attention to the distinctive challenges faced by expatriates, including the impact of living between cultures on my client’s identity, sense of belonging, and relationships.

My work combines Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Schema Therapy, Health Psychology, and Attachment-Focused Approaches. By integrating mindfulness practices with evidence-based emotional regulation strategies, I help clients to recognise early changes in mood and unhelpful thinking patterns, with the aim of strengthening resilience, enhancing self-awareness, and fostering healthier, more balanced ways of relating to themselves and others.

I’m also clinically trained in supporting men encountering relationship difficulties and exploring attachment patterns, helping them to understand how earlier experiences may shape present dynamics.

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Registered full member of the International Society of Schema Therapy #94933275

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Registered psychologist at the British psychological society GMBPSS3111628

Specialisation in Male psychology approved by the Australian Psychological Society

Follow me on Instagram. I’m creating a space for understanding your inner world, softening self-judgment, and reconnecting with what matters, one reel at the time:

The Rooted Growth Collective

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I provide therapy in english and spanish

attachment therapy

  • Repeated patterns of unfulfilling relationships

  • Difficulty to trust partners will stay. Fear of abandonment

  • Low self-worth in relationships

  • Needing constant reassurance or simply numbing yourself not to feel emotional pain

  • Repeating unhealthy relationship patterns, attracting the same type of partners

  • Difficulties to end relationships even though you realise that you are not happy

  • Healing from past betrayals, emotional injuries

  • Struggling with closeness, intimacy, commitment

  • Re-playing old wounds in relationships

  • Hyper-independence or relying only on yourself

  • Feeling torn between wanting connection and wanting space

  • Attachment wounds showing up in parenting, friendships, at work, etc.

individual therapy

  • Anxiety and constant worrying

  • Depression, sadness, low mood

  • Loss of interest in activities, old hobbies, socialising

  • Irritability, frustration, restlessness, “short fuse”

  • Repeated patterns of unfulfilling relationships

  • Healing from childhood emotional neglect

  • Healing from emotionally immature parents

  • Healing from a difficult socio-economic or religious background

  • Expats’ cross-cultural adjustment issues

  • Unrelenting standards, perfectionism, self-criticism

  • Life/relationship/job dissatisfaction

  • Struggles setting boundaries

  • Cultivating resilience and finding a sense of purpose

health psychology

  • Managing stress related to health issues

  • Recovering from chronic overload, mental fatigue, reduced focus, decision making fatigue and emotional depletion

  • Living with pain or fatigue. Psychological tools and skills to navigate them

  • Coping with medical diagnoses mitigating shock, fear, uncertainty, anger and more

  • Addressing insomnia

  • Lifestyle change. Acquiring healthier habits and self-care routines

  • Coping strategies to deal with the emotional impact of upcoming surgeries and medical procedures (mammography, biopsies, magnetic resonance imaging, plastic surgeryetc.)

  • Processing emotions triggered by surgical complications

  • Therapy focused on the aftermath of a traumatic surgery or delivery

  • Skills building and anxiety management related to pregnancy, delivery and general anaesthesia

  • Processing fear of death

  • Coping strategies to deal with anticipatory distress and avoidance when you have medical procedures scheduled

Grief therapy

  • Coping with the overwhelming sadness, shock and the emotional waves after the death of a loved one

  • Sudden or traumatic loss that feels confusing, abrupt or too intense

  • Anticipatory grief

  • Being in a care-taking role of a loved one facing a long-term illness

  • Identity changes after loss

  • Complicated or prologued grief. Feeling stuck, heavy, endless pain

  • Feelings of guilt or regret related to a loss

  • Loss and trauma intertwined

  • Miscarriage, stillbirth or fertility loss

  • Navigating anniversaries and triggers

  • Rebuilding life after loss

  • Grief after relocation. Mourning old identities, familiar life left behind

  • Loss of a pet or companion animal

My fees

  • Free introductory session

    You are very welcome to book a free ONLINE introductory session (30 minutes) with me. In this session you will have space to describe what brings you to therapy and ask questions. I will explain my therapeutic approach and give you some insights. This is a gentle starting point to make sure you feel comfortable, informed and supported.

    Book a free session

  • Individual session

    1,200 SEK / 110 EUR

    Each session is a focused, empathic, and highly attuned-to-your-needs space designed for real and lasting change. We work collaboratively to understand the patterns that shape your emotions, relationships, and choices—using validated tests, clear formulation, and evidence-based Schema Therapy tools.

    Sessions are active and tailored to you. We use practical materials, experiential exercises, imagery, and structured techniques to help you not only understand your patterns, but transform them—at a pace that feels safe and respectful.

    Clients often describe the work as deep, contained, and surprisingly clarifying. This is therapy that combines emotional depth with clinical precision.

    If you’re looking for therapy that is compassionate, structured, effective, and state-of-the-art this is a good place to start.

    Book a session

you are most Welcome to my practice!

I see clients online on Zoom from 7.00 - 13.00 CET (Sweden, Spain, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, etc)

Exclusive and sought after “Before going to work” time slots for the same price!!

7.00 am and 8.00 am (CET)

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“I consider it a privilege to witness people at their most vulnerable and seeing them confront old patterns, and step into the lives they truly want.”
— Vanessa Bandini
Best therapist online in English. Communication problems in relationships, infidelity, boundaries

My path

From an early age, I found myself drawn to people’s stories—their quiet resilience, their unspoken wounds, and the spark of life that persists even in the darkest moments.

My path to becoming a psychologist began not in textbooks, but in lived experience. In my early twenties, I spent several years volunteering in underserved communities, witnessing how emotional wounds affect physical health, relationships, and self-worth. These experiences shaped my understanding of how deeply our histories, environments, and unmet needs impact our well-being.

Later, while working in medical settings, I became acutely aware of how often psychological suffering goes unnoticed, especially in those who appear to “function” on the outside. This led me to pursue advanced studies in Health Psychology and then specialise in Schema Therapy—a powerful approach that helps clients uncover and transform the deep emotional patterns that keep them stuck.

Along the way, I’ve also walked my own therapeutic path. Years of personal therapy, therapeutic retreats, and meaningful conversations with mentors have helped me cultivate the presence, clarity, and emotional depth that I now bring to my clinical work. These experiences didn’t just educate me—they transformed me.

Today, as a psychotherapist and lecturer, I remain committed to learning, growing, and offering therapy that is not only evidence-based but deeply human.

Whether working with individuals, I create a warm and structured space where people feel genuinely seen, supported, and challenged to create meaningful change.

  • BSc (Hons) Psychology (England)

  • MSc Health psychology (England)

  • MSc Clinical psychology (England)

  • Schema therapist certification, Dutch institute for Schema therapy

  • ISST (International Society for Schema Therapy) approved schema therapy training

  • Grief counselling. American Institute for Health Care Professionals

  • Attachment-focused therapy. American Psychological Association.

  • Male psychology specialisation. Men in Mind - Movember Institute. Australian Psychological Society.

credentials

Psychologist in English in Stockholm and online therapy

testimonials

  • “As an expat in Sweden, I struggled with loneliness, cultural shock, and relationships that kept me repeating the same painful pattern of feeling that i dont fit in. Vanessa helped me understand my attachment style instead of blaming myself. For the first time, therapy actually made sense and created real change.”

    Siobhan

  • “I searched for months for an English-speaking therapist in Sweden who truly understood expat life. Vanessa didn’t just understand it — she can “read in between the lines”. She helped me rebuild safety, identity, and confidence when everything felt unstable. I’m forever grateful to you, Vanessa!”

    Stephanie

  • “After being ghosted four times in one year, I felt so down and disposable. Vanessa helped me see that the problem wasn’t my worth — it was my attachment wounds choosing emotionally unavailable partners and staying for too long. That insight changed everything. I’m now in a committed relationship with a man who really cares about me”

    Isabella

  • “Vanessa is exceptional with attachment issues. She explained why I kept chasing emotionally distant men and how my nervous system confused anxiety with love. We worked so hard on this! Therapy with her was like finally getting the instruction manual I never had while holding the hand of someone who really cared about me. Hugely recommended. Vanessa, You should have a podcast! You are amazing!”

    Malin L.

  • “Living abroad amplified my childhood issues without me realizing it. Vanessa helped me understand why relationships felt harder in Sweden — the isolation, independence culture, and lack of emotional closeness. Her schema therapy work is incredibly deep and practical. Thank you!”

    Kevin

  • “I started therapy heartbroken after a painful breakup. I felt that my life would collapse. I left therapy feeling confident in my self worth. I can now set boundaries without guilt. Vanessa doesn’t just help you heal — she gives you concrete tools that you can see everyday in your phone!”

    Xila W.

  • “Living with constant pain and fatigue changed my mood, my patience, and my confidence. Vanessa helped me find ways to live my life without fighting my body all the time. I learned how to manage the bad days without sinking emotionally.”

    Paul

  • “After receiving a medical diagnosis, I was in shock. One moment I was fine, the next I was terrified of the future. Vanessa helped me process the fear, anger, and uncertainty without pushing me to ‘stay positive.’ I felt understood instead of rushed.”

    Tristan

  • “Grief changed everything about me. My sleep, my patience, my relationships. Vanessa helped me understand that what I was feeling wasn’t weakness or failure — it was loss. Little by little, I learned how to carry the grief without it crushing me.”

    George

  • “After loosing my brother, I felt completely numb one moment and overwhelmed the next. People around me expected me to ‘move on,’ but I couldn’t. Vanessa gave me a safe space where my grief didn’t have a timeline. I dodn’t feel broken — just human. Tahnk you for the amazing work, Vanessa.”

    Magnus