Emigration tests a couple. You do not have to face that test alone.
Shifts that never overlap, isolation, homesickness one of you feels more than the other, the question you keep postponing — "what if we went back?". HICOA Clinic offers online couples therapy in English or European Portuguese, for couples in any country. Without having to translate your relationship into a language that is not yours.
Book a first conversationSituations we work with
The couple who emigrated together
Routine has swallowed the relationship: work, home, children, repeat. The same arguments over and over, distance inside your own home.
One wants to go back, the other does not
The hardest decision of emigration — when you do not agree. We help turn the deadlock into a conversation with a way out.
Long-distance relationship
One in Portugal, one abroad. Video calls that turn into status reports, jealousy, plans postponed. Distance can be managed — with method.
Bicultural couple
When one of you is from another country: clashes of values, different families, which language the children speak, the "that is not how it was in my house".
How it works
- Online, in English or Portuguese — both of you on the same sofa or in different countries; the session brings you together by video call.
- First assessment session — understanding your history, where you are now and what each of you wants. No judgement and no taking sides: the client is the relationship.
- Sessions together and individually — the process combines joint sessions with individual ones, following the plan agreed at the assessment.
- Led by the HICOA team — psychologists registered with the Portuguese Psychologists Association (OPP). In our approach, clinical hypnosis is an integral part of the therapeutic process, with psychiatric support whenever needed.
Sessions and fees
Together or individually
The process combines joint sessions with individual ones — at the same fee per session in either format, confirmed at first contact. Payment from any country: Wise, PayPal, MB Way or bank transfer. First conversation with no obligation.
Frequently asked questions
My partner does not want to come. Does it make sense to go alone?
Yes. Many couples processes start with just one person; when one changes, the dynamic between the two shifts. Some partners join later, once they see it is not a courtroom.
We are in different countries. Does it really work?
It does — each of you joins the video call from wherever you are. For long-distance couples it is, in fact, the natural format.
And what if the answer turns out to be separating?
Couples therapy is not a machine for gluing relationships back together. It is a space to decide clearly — and, if the decision is to separate, to do so with as little damage as possible, especially where children are involved.
Is it confidential?
Completely, like any healthcare appointment. Professional confidentiality, GDPR, and secure video calls.
Further reading, in Portuguese: what emigration does to a couple, when one wants to go back and the other does not, loving at a distance e bicultural couples.
Talk to us — no obligation
It only takes one of you to make the first move. We reply promptly, by email or WhatsApp.