Ocnos clinical team
María de los Ángeles Sanz Ruiz General Health Psychologist in Palmones
She supports psychological processes with a warm, relational and clinically responsible approach that considers each person's history, emotions, relationships and wider circumstances.
- COPAO AN 12933
- In-person and online appointments
- Relational and emotional approach
General Health Psychologist · Ocnos Psychology Clinic
Professional profile
Understanding distress within a personal history and relationships
María de los Ángeles Sanz Ruiz is a General Health Psychologist in Spain, registered with COPAO under membership number AN 12933, and a member of the clinical team at Ocnos Psychology Clinic in Palmones.
Her work is guided by a relational, emotional and contextual perspective. She understands that feelings and behaviour do not develop in isolation: they make sense within a person's history, current stage of life, relationships and the ways they have learnt to protect themselves.
In therapy, María Ángeles pays close attention to emotions, the needs that may sit beneath conflict and relationship patterns that recur. The aim is to help each person understand what is happening, integrate their experiences and develop more conscious ways of relating to themselves and others.
Her style combines empathic listening, clinical clarity and respect for each person's pace. Therapy is approached as a safe space in which to organise what is happening and move forwards gradually, without judgement or ready-made solutions.
Areas of support
Processes commonly explored in therapy
María Ángeles supports people who want to understand their distress more clearly, regulate difficult emotions and find more thoughtful, sustainable ways of navigating relationships and everyday life.
Emotional regulation
Anxiety, sadness, guilt, irritability, emotional blocks or intense feelings that are difficult to understand and manage.
Relationships and bonds
Recurring patterns, difficulty setting boundaries, interpersonal conflict and relationships that have become a source of distress.
Personal history
Understanding how biography, family context and emotional learning continue to shape present-day experiences.
Self-esteem and identity
Working with self-criticism, insecurity or disconnection to develop a kinder and more coherent relationship with oneself.
Life changes and crises
Bereavement, separation, major decisions, uncertainty, family changes or the feeling of having lost direction.
Couples and communication
Recurring conflict, emotional distance, difficulty expressing needs and the wish to build safer, healthier relationships.
Therapeutic approach
Relational and emotional therapy connected to your circumstances
Every process is different, but three ideas consistently guide the way María Ángeles works.
Understand before changing
Making sense of distress and the purpose certain responses have served can reduce self-blame and prevent change from being forced before it feels meaningful.
Listen to emotions and needs
Emotions carry information. Recognising them can help identify needs, conflicts and boundaries that may not previously have found a way to be expressed.
Build more conscious relationships
Therapy helps people notice relational patterns and practise safer ways of communicating, caring for themselves and connecting with others.
Her work at Ocnos
Warm, thoughtful and clinically responsible support
At Ocnos, María Ángeles offers a listening space where people can explain what they are experiencing without being reduced to a diagnosis or a single difficulty. The initial assessment helps place the problem in context and agree realistic goals for therapy.
Her way of working brings understanding and change together: making sense of emotions and relational patterns whilst also developing resources that can be used outside the consultation room.
- Empathic listening
- Shared goals
- Attention to relationships
- Emotional understanding
- Contextual perspective
- An adaptable pace
Training and professional development
Training focused on health and emotional support
Alongside her qualification as a General Health Psychologist in Spain and her COPAO registration, María Ángeles has training related to emotional, relational and psychological health processes.
Further training is presented as additional professional information. It does not replace verification of professional registration or, by itself, imply an officially recognised healthcare speciality.
Beyond the consultation room
Accessible psychology for families and the community
María Ángeles takes part in outreach activities and creates resources about emotions, relationships, childhood, behaviour and psychological wellbeing. The aim is to offer reliable information that supports understanding without replacing an individual assessment.
In-person and online appointments
Psychological support from Palmones for Campo de Gibraltar
María Ángeles sees clients at Ocnos Psychology Clinic in Edificio Azabache, Palmones, opposite Quirón Campo de Gibraltar Hospital. The clinic is well connected to Los Barrios, Algeciras, San Roque, La Línea de la Concepción, Sotogrande and Gibraltar.
She also offers online therapy when this format is appropriate for the person's needs and circumstances.
Professional transparency
Professional registration and profiles
You can verify María Ángeles' professional registration and view her professional listing. These links help confirm her identity and membership of the Ocnos clinical team.
Would you like to know whether María Ángeles may be able to help?
You can contact Ocnos, briefly explain what you need and ask about availability. If another member of the team may be a better fit for your situation, we can also guide you.
Articles and resources
Latest articles and resources by María Ángeles Sanz
Articles about emotions, relationships, childhood, behaviour and psychological wellbeing, written from a warm and clinically responsible perspective. This information is educational and does not replace an individual professional assessment.
How do you know if you have a healthy relationship?
María Ángeles Sanz explains how to recognise a healthy relationship, tell ordinary conflict from harmful patterns and know when professional support may help.
Overexposure to negative news: why you cannot stop checking and how to protect your mental health
Keeping informed can become a difficult cycle: the more distressing the news makes us feel, the more urgently we feel the need to check it. María Ángeles Sanz Ruiz explains why this happens and how to develop a healthier relationship with the news.
What Are Thoughts and Why Not Everything You Think Is True
Thoughts help us understand experiences, solve problems and make decisions, but they do not always reflect reality accurately. This guide explains how thoughts develop, why some feel completely true, and how to respond to worry, rumination and intrusive thoughts.
Postnatal depression: signs, when to ask for help and how therapy works
Postnatal depression does not mean being a bad mother or loving your baby less. It can affect mood, sleep, energy, bonding and daily life. In this article, María de los Ángeles Sanz Ruiz explains the signs, what can maintain the problem and how psychological therapy works from a functional analysis perspective.
Tantrums in children: when they are normal, how to respond and when to seek help
Tantrums in children are not always simply a behaviour problem. They often express frustration, tiredness, a need for limits or difficulty regulating emotions. In this guide, María de los Ángeles Sanz Ruiz, General Health Psychologist at Ocnos Psychology Clinic, explains how to understand tantrums, what to do before, during and after them, and when it may be helpful to seek psychological support.
Night terrors in young children: what to do and when to worry
Night terrors in young children can be frightening for families, even though the child often remembers nothing the next morning. María de los Ángeles Sanz Ruiz explains what they are, what to do during an episode, when to seek help and how they can be understood from a child psychology perspective.
Signs of a toxic work environment: why you start doubting yourself and how to protect yourself
A toxic work environment does not always look obvious at first. Sometimes it starts with criticism, pressure, shifting expectations and the feeling that whatever you do is never enough. In this article, María de los Ángeles Sanz Ruiz explains why this can make you doubt yourself, which signs to look out for, and how to start protecting yourself without blaming yourself.
Eating Behaviour and Functional Analysis: Why the Problem Isn’t “Lack of Willpower”
Picture a scene that may feel painfully familiar. It is late, the day has been long, and you have been chaining tasks together: work, responsibilities, dozens of small and big decisions. At last the house is quiet. You sit down. For the first time in hours, you are not responding to anyone.
And then a thought shows up: “I could eat something.” It is not quite physical hunger. It is more that, just by imagining food, something inside loosens. As if eating marked the end of the day — permission to stop holding everything up.
Understanding challenging behaviour: what it communicates from psychology and neuropsychology
Challenging behaviour is not always defiance or a lack of boundaries. It may express emotional overload, unmet needs or neuropsychological difficulties. María de los Ángeles Sanz Ruiz explains how to understand it from a clinical, relational and contextual perspective.
Looking for a different topic?
More psychology resources from Ocnos
The Ocnos blog includes resources from our team on anxiety, depression, relationships, neuropsychology, sex therapy and emotional wellbeing. If you would like guidance for your particular circumstances, you can contact the clinic.