An English-speaking psychiatrist in Lima — without translating yourself first.
Private psychiatric care in Miraflores for people who would rather do this in English. Part of my clinical training was in the United States, and I keep my continuing medical education in English — so clinical English is part of my regular practice, not an accommodation.
In person in Miraflores (Lima) or by video consultation · WhatsApp reply, usually the same day
Who I usually see
Lima has a large English-speaking population and very few psychiatrists who practise in the language. In practice, the people who reach me tend to be:
Expatriates living in Lima — on assignment, married into a Peruvian family, or settled here for good.
Executives and senior leaders — people at multinational companies for whom discretion is not a preference but a condition. See the note on confidentiality below.
Professionals at embassies, international organisations and NGOs — often mid-length postings, often with a treatment already started somewhere else.
Families from international and bilingual schools — including adolescents from age 15, who sometimes find it easier to talk about difficult things in English.
Researchers, academics and people on extended stays — in Peru for months rather than years, and unsure whether it is worth starting anything here.
Peruvians who studied or lived abroad — who simply think about their own inner life in English and would rather not translate it.
How it works
Consultations are held at my practice in Miraflores or by video, whichever suits you. The first appointment lasts an hour. If you can make that first one in person, it is usually worth the trip: a first psychiatric assessment rests on a great deal that is easier to read in the room — how someone arrives, the pauses, what the body says while the words say something else. It is a suggestion, not a requirement.
If coming in is not practical —you are still abroad, you live outside Lima, you travel constantly— say so when we arrange the appointment. Plenty of people start by video and it works perfectly well. What matters more than the format is that you start.
Entirely in English.
The consultation, the questions, the explanations and any report you need. You do not have to speak Spanish at any point.
One hour, and it is a real hour.
A psychiatric assessment is not a fifteen-minute triage. Follow-up appointments run around fifty minutes.
No prescription on a first visit as a matter of routine.
I would rather understand what is going on before treating it. If medication is indicated, we discuss it — what it does, what it costs you, and what the alternatives are.
Coordination with your therapist,
here or abroad, when it helps and when you want it.
What to bring
None of this is mandatory — come anyway if you have none of it. But if you do have it, the first hour goes much further:
Any previous psychiatric or psychological report, in whatever language it was written. I read English and Spanish.
A list of the medication you are currently taking, including how long you have been on it and what you have tried before.
Relevant blood work from the past year, if you have had any done.
If you carry a diagnosis made abroad, whatever documents support it — the assessment itself, not only the conclusion.
A rough timeline: when it started, what changed, what makes it better or worse. Written on your phone the night before is perfectly fine.
If you arrived already under treatment
This is the most common question I get from people who have just moved here, so here is the honest answer: it depends, and anyone who tells you otherwise over a website is selling you something. Peru regulates some medication differently from the country you came from, and a treatment that is routine elsewhere may follow a different process here.
What I can tell you before you book: bring your records and your current treatment, and we will go through your options in the consultation — including what is realistic in Peru and what is not. What I will not do is promise you a prescription I have not assessed.
What that review looks like in practice: we go through what you are taking and the treatment you have been on, what has worked and what has not. I do not make that call on my own — you are part of the decision, and I explain the reasoning in as much detail as you want, symptom by symptom. People who have been managing their own treatment for years tend to arrive expecting to be told what to do; that is not how this works.
Frequently asked questions
Are the consultations actually in English, or translated as we go?
In English. I see patients in both Spanish and English. Part of my clinical training was in the United States (Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.) and I keep continuing medical education in English with Harvard Medical School and the World Psychiatric Association, so clinical English is part of my regular practice.
Do I need to speak any Spanish?
No. The consultation, any report you need and all follow-up communication can happen entirely in English. The practice address and directions are in Miraflores, central and easy to reach.
Can we do the first consultation by video?
Yes. If you can come in person for the first one I would suggest it —a first assessment is easier to do in the room— but it is a suggestion, not a condition. If you are still abroad, live outside Lima or travel constantly, we start by video and it works perfectly well. Say which you prefer when we arrange the appointment.
I am only in Peru for a few months. Is it worth starting anything?
Often yes, and it is a fair question to ask before booking rather than after. A clear assessment travels with you: a well-documented diagnosis is useful to whoever treats you next, wherever that is. Tell me your timeline in the first consultation and we will plan around it honestly, including what can realistically be completed before you leave.
I have an ADHD diagnosis from abroad. Do you accept it?
I take it seriously and I will read it in full — that is exactly why I ask for the assessment and not only the conclusion. Whether it carries over directly depends on how it was made, which varies a great deal between countries. In some cases it stands as it is; in others it is worth completing. Either way you will not be starting from zero.
Will any of this reach my employer?
No. What is said in the consultation stays there. I do not report to companies, insurers or third parties, and no document leaves the practice without your explicit request. If you need a certificate or a report for someone, you decide what it says and who receives it. For patients in senior positions this is usually the first question, and it is a reasonable one.
Do you see adolescents in English?
Yes, from age 15 —I do not see children under 15, and for them a child psychiatrist is the right referral. Seeing adolescents in English is fairly common in families from international and bilingual schools, and some find it markedly easier to talk about intimate matters in English than in Spanish. For adolescents, the first consultation is ideally in person.
What conditions do you treat?
Adult ADHD, anxiety disorders, depression and bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress, burnout and work-related stress, and eating disorders, from age 15 upwards. One exception worth stating plainly: I do not take on addiction as the primary reason for treatment — if substance use is the main issue, a colleague who specialises in it will serve you better, and I can point you towards one. Substance use alongside ADHD, anxiety or depression is a different matter and we can discuss it. If what brings you here is not on the list, write anyway and I will tell you honestly whether I am the right person.
Fees, insurance and reimbursement
Fees and payment are arranged over WhatsApp before your appointment — just ask. The first consultation lasts an hour; follow-ups around fifty minutes. I issue the receipt you need to claim reimbursement, with experience in the Peruvian formats of Pacífico and Rímac. If your policy is international, the receipt is issued the same way; it is worth checking with your insurer beforehand what they require from an overseas provider.
If you have been putting this off partly because doing it in Spanish felt like one more thing to manage — that is reason enough to write.
Book a consultation on WhatsAppIf you are in crisis or having thoughts of harming yourself, do not wait for an appointment: in Peru, call Línea 113, option 5 (mental health), free and available 24 hours, or 106 (SAMU) in an emergency, or go to the nearest emergency department. Please note that these lines operate in Spanish. This page is informational and does not replace an individual medical assessment.
Dr. Daniela Málaga — Psychiatrist · CMP 76202 · RNE 42512 · More about me