Stephanie Costa

My name is Stephanie and I am originally from Lisbon in Portugal and this will be my 6th year in Thailand. I am very excited to be returning to Headstart and to create a comprehensive counselling programme for students, parents and staff. I studied at Brighton University in the UK where I obtained a Masters in Social Work and at The College of New Jersey in the US where I was awarded a Masters in Counselling. I completed my Postgraduate Certificate in Education at Sunderland University in the UK. I lived in the UK for many years where I worked as a child protection social worker and I have always found motivation in supporting others in whatever ways I could. Before becoming a social worker, I worked with refugees applying for asylum, in development work in Africa, with prisoners supporting them before release, advocating for people with mental health issues, for the probation service with high risk offenders, and as a School Counsellor at a couple of International Schools in Bangkok. I also had a successful private counselling practice in Phuket for 3 years which I have now closed to work full time at Headstart. These experiences taught me the value of listening, of being compassionate and non judgemental and have led me to develop my skills in family support and child therapy. “People are just as wonderful as sunsets if you let them be. When I look at a sunset, I don't find myself saying, "Soften the orange a bit on the right hand corner." I don't try to control a sunset. I watch with awe as it unfolds.” ― Carl R. Rogers, A Way of Being