Graduated in Clinical Psychology (University of Coimbra). Completed a master’s degree and PhD in Social Psychology at ISCTE (with a research internship at Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia). Specializes in Work, Social, and Organizational Psychology, and holds an advanced specialty in Psychotherapy (Portuguese Psychologists’ Association - OPP), with training in EMDR (Levels 1 and 2). She has been a lecturer at ISCTE and a researcher at CIS since 1999, holding various management roles during this period. Currently, she serves as Director of the Master’s program in Community Psychology and Protection of Children and Youth at Risk (also held this position in 2018-2019) and as Chair of the Specialized Psychology Ethics Commission. She was also President of the ISCTE Pedagogical Council (2019-2023).

She has coordinated and collaborated on studies and social/community intervention projects, particularly in their evaluation at local/municipal levels (e.g., Communication for Integration - C4i/Amadora; CM Sintra - ADN Socioemocional 2.0; CM Cascais - Crescer a Tempo Inteiro), national levels (e.g., Playgroups for Inclusion/Grupos Aprender, Brincar, Crescer; Programa Escolhas, 7G; studies for CNCS), and international levels (e.g., ISCWeB - International Survey on Children's Well-being; GRIT - Erasmus+ Project - Growing in Urban Education and Diversity; Yar4all).

In 2018, she worked as a Quality Monitor for the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) on an OECD-led project on socio-emotional skills and served as a technical and scientific consultant for the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in the Gulbenkian Knowledge Academies projects (2018-2022).

In addition to her interest in inclusion (having been involved in the Portuguese Diversity Charter), she has worked in the field of risk (gambling and adolescence, in collaboration with Nottingham Trent University) and child and youth protection, developing, in collaboration with colleagues, materials aimed at promoting children’s rights ("Discovering Children's Rights," published by the Portuguese Parliament), universal prevention of sexual abuse ("The Adventures of Búzio and Coral"; "Picos and Avelã Discover the Treasure Forest"), and child hearing in court ("Hearing the Child: Best Practices Guide"; "João Goes to Court/The Day Mariana Didn’t Want"; Project 12: www.projeto12.pt).

In 2017, she participated in the T.A.L.E. project (Training Activities for Legal Experts), which trained professionals on the correct implementation of the Council of Europe Guidelines on Child-Friendly Justice. She was a member of the Steering Committee of CSIS (Child Safeguarding in Sport) and the Scientific Council of the UBUNTU Leaders Academy.

She served as a trainer at the Centre for Judicial Studies (CEJ) on Child Hearing (2016-2023). Supervised family support teams (SCML, 2017-2020). Acted as a consultant for ACRIDES (Cape Verde) and the Council of Europe on a project related to child-friendly justice.

Currently, she is part of the VITA Group, a team monitoring cases of sexual violence against children and vulnerable adults in the context of the Catholic Church in Portugal, and is a member of the national board of OPP. She received the OPP South Career Award in 2020.