Today we’d like to introduce you to Leigh Matthews
Hi Leigh, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Of course! I’m Leigh Matthews, the founder and owner of Therapy in Barcelona. I’m an Australian-trained and registered psychologist. My journey into psychology began at the age of 13, driven by a natural empathy and interest in understanding the human mind. My interest was initially sparked by all things vision sciences including optical illusions, the visual pathways, somatosensory cortex and homunculus because the brain is fascinating. I eventually turned from an academic and research based pathway to counselling psychology.
Prior to moving to Barcelona, I honed my professional skills in roles as a Counselling Psychologist in hospital, non-government, and government settings in Sydney and Brisbane, Australia. I also served as a Supervisor to Masters in Counselling Psychology students at the University of Queensland and Psychologists-in-Training at the Australian College of Applied Psychology. I completed brief studies in business management and established a successful private practice in Brisbane, Australia at age 29. I continued taking contract work in various settings to ensure I was gaining ongoing training and breadth of experience.
I pride myself on the breadth of my experiences since my work with diverse settings and client presentations has provided me with great analytical skills. My path resonates with David Epstein’s concept of those who develop ‘range’ – how professionals who are generalist, not specialist, succeed in complex and unpredictable fields of endeavour.
Further, my combination of psychology with the humanities—including comparative religious studies, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, art history, and my other major, Gender Studies (an interdisciplinary postructuralist field embracing cultural, feminist and queer studies)—has equipped me with a broad and profound understanding of the human experience. This multidisciplinary approach has enhanced my psychological toolkit, enabling me to appreciate the diverse socio-political and historical contexts that shape our clients’ lives and impact their mental health. I have always been passionate about social justice and was heavily involved in activism for many years and I also see mental health as being indistinguishable from the ideologies and cultural values that infuse our lives. Foucault’s work on Power has always been especially ‘powerful’ for me in understanding the way we are all caught in the nexus of multiple discourses about who and how we ought to be and how this impinges on our mental health.
At 34, my life found a plot twist when I fell in love and moved to Barcelona in August 2011 with my husband, a native of the city. As an expat myself, I experienced firsthand the challenges of adapting to a new culture, navigating an intercultural marriage, and dealing with pregnancy in a foreign country. During this time, I realised the lack of English-speaking therapists who could understand the unique situations faced by expats like myself.
This realisation led to the founding of Therapy in Barcelona in December 2011. Initially, it was a solo practice, where I worked while raising my son, a Third Culture Kid. Over the years, the need for specialised mental health services for the English-speaking international community in Barcelona became increasingly apparent.
By 2016, I was referring a growing number of clients to other practices and receiving frequent requests from therapists wanting to join. This prompted the expansion of Therapy in Barcelona into a group practice in September 2018. I opened a group office with five colleagues in the heart of Eixample, allowing me to embrace more therapists, help more internationals and effectively become a multiplier. I transitioned from ‘being responsible for the job to being responsible for the people doing the job’and what a learning curve that has been; it’s very different to wearing a therapist hat!
My experience as an immigrant has been key in shaping the values and mission at Therapy in Barcelona. Living in a foreign country, I faced challenges that inspired me to create a safe and understanding environment where expats can navigate their emotional struggles with professionals who truly understand their journey. We’re not going to go for the low-hanging fruit and tell you that learning the language will make everything easier – it’s not that simple, we know that!
Language does play a crucial role in our mission though. How? We provide therapy in English and all the other languages our therapists speak (currently French, Polish, Afrikaans, German, Swedish, Swiss-German, Portuguese, Spanish, and Catalan). This multilingual approach makes it easier for all clients to express themselves and feel understood.
We also pride ourselves on offering excellent customer service, ensuring that every interaction is smooth and supportive, especially when life feels complicated due to cultural differences. We strive to make Therapy in Barcelona feel like home, with an easy matching process and the great sensitivity of our therapists and intake coordinators. Our goal is to provide a sanctuary where clients feel comfortable and supported, allowing them to thrive in their new environment.
Over the last 20 years of my career, I have worked with clients of diverse ages, cultures, and backgrounds, specialising in working with internationals for the last 12 years in Barcelona. I have also provided expert commentary on expat life in the published anthology of expat women’s stories “#Living The Dream: Expat Life Stripped Bare.“
Therapy in Barcelona has grown into more than just a clinic; it has become a hub of support, understanding, and growth for the international community in Barcelona. Guided by core values of compassion, understanding, and professional excellence, we aim to provide a beacon of comfort and an effective therapeutic experience for all seeking our services. As a long-term immigrant who has built her life in Barcelona, I am committed to continuing this journey and supporting the international community here.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The journey to where I am today has certainly had its challenges. Coming from a working-class background, I often felt out of place in environments of privilege and my origins certainly put me on the back foot on the path to achieving my goals. I left home at 17 and moved to Sydney from Brisbane at 19 with my partner due to our relationship being rejected by family and friends.
Through my academic career I worked various jobs—washing dishes, domestic cleaning, postering, and even extra work on film sets. Though living week to week, I was incredibly grateful to be at university. My time as a student felt like a great luxury to me despite my circumstance being anything but luxurious.
These experiences have instilled in me a profound empathy for others striving to achieve their dreams under difficult circumstances. They have also gifted me with an enormous sense of gratitude for everything I have built and the privileges I now enjoy. I didn’t have the opportunity to travel until I was 30, when I went to Japan for a month and it was absolutely amazing to me. I never take the capacity to travel for granted, always feeling a deep sense of awe and gratitude for the opportunity.
Emotionally, I struggled with a predisposition to depression and started therapy at 19. Therapy has been a constant in my life, and at 27, I found treatments that provided me with a new level of emotional stability.
These experiences have empowered me to understand deeply the care and sensitivity each client must be met with in their vulnerable moments. My personal journey with mental health has shaped my advocacy for therapist self-care to prevent burnout. I believe my challenges have given me a great talent for championing clients’ and therapists’ needs, which is a key foundation of Therapy in Barcelona.
I’ve endured profound personal losses that have taught me the immeasurable value of presence and the fleeting nature of life. This journey has woven together my personal and professional understanding of mental health, deepening my ability to offer non-judgmental, compassionate care to my clients. I’ve become more attuned to how precious our time is, and this insight drives the work I do every day. As Anaïs Nin said, “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” This reflects my own experience—transforming hardship into growth—and the experience most of our clients bring with them. It’s a privilege to witness and be part of such profound self-development.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Therapy in Barcelona?
Therapy in Barcelona is an incredibly unique group practice comprising a highly qualified team of multilingual therapists from around the world. We are dedicated to providing specialised mental health services to the English-speaking and multilingual international community in Barcelona. We offer a sanctuary for immigrants, internationals, in-betweener’s, expats, sojourners, digital nomads, students, families, and anyone navigating the unique challenges of living abroad. Our services include in-person and online therapy for adults, couples, children aged five and above, teenagers, and families. We help clients from all around the world.
What truly sets us apart is our focus exclusively on the English-speaking and multilingual international community. Our therapists are not only highly qualified but also have firsthand experience living abroad, just like our clients. This dual perspective allows us to offer culturally sensitive and empathetic support that is deeply attuned to the immigrant experience. We understand that adjusting to a new culture involves more than just learning the language. It’s about finding a sense of belonging and managing the emotional and psychological complexities that come with living in a foreign country.
Our current team specialise in a broad range of therapeutic approaches, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Person-Centred Therapy, Existential Therapy, Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Mindfulness, Psychoanalytic, Interpersonal Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Creative Expressive Arts, and Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy (REBT). This diverse range of modalities allows us to match clients with therapists who are best suited to help them navigate their specific concerns.
Our commitment to personalised care is another hallmark of Therapy in Barcelona. We emphasise personalised matching between clients and therapists, ensuring a tailored approach that considers each client’s unique background and needs. This personalised matching process is key to optimising the chances of positive therapeutic outcomes for our clients and therapists.
Additionally, as a group practice, we provide a collaborative environment where our team of therapists can share insights and expertise, enhancing the quality of care. Research shows that group practices often deliver better outcomes than solo practices due to this collective knowledge and support. We are proud of our team’s ability to work together to provide the best possible care for our clients.
We also pride ourselves on offering excellent customer service, ensuring that every interaction is smooth and supportive, especially when life feels complicated due to cultural differences. We strive to make Therapy in Barcelona feel like home, with an easy matching process and the great sensitivity of our intake coordinators and therapists. Our goal is to provide a sanctuary where clients feel comfortable and supported, allowing them to thrive in their new environment.
As internationals and immigrants, we understand our clients’ journeys. International clients deserve a therapist who ‘gets’ the challenges of living abroad. In my 13 years in Barcelona, I have witnessed many services founded by expat coaches come and go. Therapy in Barcelona, founded by me, an Australian immigrant in Barcelona and anchored to Spain by my Catalan family, has been here since 2011 and will continue to be here for years to come, providing enduring support for the international community.
Ultimately, we want readers to know that Therapy in Barcelona is here to support them through their unique journey living in a foreign culture. We offer a compassionate, understanding, and effective therapy by highly qualified international therapists designed to help individuals and families navigate the complexities of living abroad while fostering personal growth and emotional well-being.
What makes you happy?
This question reminds me of when I took part in a speech competition in high school when I was around 16; while other kids expressed aspirations to be prime minister of Australia, mine was simply “to be happy.” I love looking back on that and feeling proud of how simple yet beautiful 16 year old me’s aspiration for happiness was.
Though my life has had its fair share of challenges and unhappiness, in recent years I have found an overarching place of happiness. Happiness is a transient phenomenon, but the ability to handle challenges, to know thyself and create the conditions to find peace and growth from that self-knowledge is part of the equation of what happiness means to me. Also, in a reductive sense, happiness involves neurotransmitters like oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin, which play crucial roles in our mood and overall sense of well-being. My neurochemical makeup is certainly more giving in recent years due to many physical and psychological aspects of my lifestyle.
On a simplified level, things that make me happy and spark awe and joy include belly-laughing with my son, husband, or friends. These moments of laughter create a deep sense of connection and joy that is both grounding and uplifting. Being in water or enjoying thermal spa circuits provides a sense of relaxation and renewal, allowing me to feel rejuvenated and at peace.
Flowers, especially those that are beautiful, decadent, and full, smelling like honey and sunlight, bring me immense joy because they symbolise beauty, life, and the simple pleasures that nature offers. I experience great happiness with my toy poodle and cat, enjoying their antics and love, as they provide unconditional affection and endless amusement. I feel happy when my team and business are functioning well, fostering a culture of gratitude, kindness, passion, learning, and well-being, because it means we are making a positive impact and creating a supportive environment.
Positive client feedback makes me happy because it affirms that we are helping others, and even when feedback isn’t positive, it presents an opportunity to make Therapy in Barcelona better, which aligns with my values of growth and improvement.
Music is a huge source of happiness (or sadness, depending on the song) because it resonates deeply with my emotions and experiences. A recent concert of Patti Smith at Palau de Pedralbes in Barcelona reminded me of how viscerally happy live music can make you feel—an electric happiness that is both exhilarating and deeply fulfilling.
I find joy in poetry, art, and music because they offer a rich tapestry of expression and beauty that deeply enriches my life. Though it’s challenging, I feel a genuine sense of happiness when I commit to strength training, experiencing the solid satisfaction of “I did it.” It symbolizes self-discipline and personal achievement. Making decisions that align with my values brings me true contentment, as it ensures I am living authentically and with integrity. This includes finding joy in saying “no,” making tough decisions, and having hard conversations—knowing they ultimately protect my wellbeing and the strength of my team. These moments are acts of courage, reflecting a commitment to what truly matters.
Watching my son grow and enjoy the world fills me with happiness as it reflects the wonder and potential of life. Hearing the ocean or breathing in mountain air with gusto makes me happy because it connects me to the natural world and provides a profound sense of tranquility. Walking amongst the Modernista buildings in Barcelona also contributes to my happiness as it immerses me in the rich cultural and artistic heritage of my surroundings.
In the face of global turmoil, including wars and injustices, or the knowledge that our lives are short and will end, I feel happy to have each day and each moment, appreciating all the good things that I do have. Gratitude and self-compassion, along with attention to the pillars of mental health like movement, nutrition, connection, sleep, and protecting my peace, provide the ground upon which I can experience happiness. Without these, even flowers will not make you happy.
In essence, happiness for me concords with what we know it to be from the perspective of psychological research: a blend of gratitude, meaningful connections, personal growth, alignment with my values, and appreciating the small, everyday joys that life offers. These things make me happy because they enrich my life, provide a sense of purpose, and connect me deeply to myself and the world around me. It’s the “little” big things, isn’t it?!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.therapyinbarcelona.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therapyinbcn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therapyinbarcelona
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/therapyinbcn
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvvUvpUP8ueXqg-qSsk9yMg
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0SLLa5Id3fySDtLJu94kXI?si=a610fe66e3e44e6e
