Daniela Huepe

Professional Experience

Daniela is an experienced psychologist and published researcher. She is especially skilled in assessing, diagnosing and treating autism and ADHD. She helps these clients accept themselves and find strategies to work on their needs, which may include emotional regulation, self-esteem and more. She also provides interventions for stress, depression, anxiety disorders and sleep-related disorders.

Throughout her career, Daniela has performed neuropsychological assessments and worked in different areas of psychology including education and research. She has published an array of scientific articles on social cognition, empathy and functional neurological disorder.

Daniela treats children, adolescents and adults. As a Chilean, she has the ability to connect quickly with other Latin people and Spanish speakers. Daniela loves working with all kinds of people, and has deep respect for all beliefs, religions, gender identities, sexual orientations and cultural backgrounds.

Daniela provides a safe space where people can be their true selves. She empowers her clients by helping them better understand their thoughts, emotions and relationships. In her sessions, Daniela builds mutual respect and trust with a non-judgmental approach, positive attitude and sense of humour. She applies evidence-based strategies and collaborates with each client to help them consolidate their strengths and develop new skills.

For Daniela, compassion, empathy, acceptance and support are cornerstones to promoting every individual’s growth and well-being. She believes that experiences do not define who we are, and that we can learn from them regardless of their emotional valence. She sincerely accompanies her clients in their journeys, tackling challenges that arise together. She finds it incredibly rewarding and inspiring to see clients who, despite their difficulties, make progress towards their goals and gain more control of their lives.

From children to older adults, Daniela has learnt so many ways of observing the world. She is convinced that we can all learn from this diversity and understand that what is different may not necessarily need to be fixed, but can instead be enriching. She believes that we need to learn to accept ourselves as we are, with all our strengths and weaknesses. At the same time, we can also learn to change aspects that we don’t feel comfortable with and tailor our environments to accommodate our needs.

Daniela uses play therapy to help children express and understand their emotions and thoughts. This allows them to feel safe and comfortable and develop coping, communication and social skills. With older children, adolescents and adults, she uses cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to help them explore the relationship between their thoughts, emotions and behaviours. She also uses mindfulness-based therapy (MBT), helping her clients develop acceptance, self-compassion and a non-judgmental view of their thoughts and emotions. She also uses techniques from dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).

Daniela shares this quote by the biologist and philosopher, Humberto Maturana, “Only love expands intelligence. To live in love is to accept the other and the conditions of their existence as a source of richness, not as opposition, restriction or limitation.”

When she isn’t working, Daniela is a photographer and an amateur painter. She also enjoys riding her bike, going to the gym, watching documentaries, playing with Legos, being in nature, gardening and practising mindfulness.