Psychotherapy

Yes. What we discuss during our sessions is confidential. I follow professional ethical standards and take your privacy, trust, and safety seriously.

I work with clients across a wide range of time zones, from the United States to Kamchatka. Over the past few years, my own time zone has ranged from UTC+3 to UTC+5.

I am a clinical psychologist, not a medical doctor. I do not make medical diagnoses, prescribe medication, or have the authority to hospitalize anyone. My work is primarily based on conversation: together, we explore your experiences, emotional responses, relationships, and ways of coping. My clinical training allows me to work with complex psychological difficulties, including those that may overlap with psychiatric conditions. However, it does not give me the authority of a physician. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can diagnose psychiatric conditions and prescribe treatment, including medication.

If I believe you may need medical support, I will explain why and recommend consulting a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist will assess whether medication is necessary. Seeing a psychiatrist does not mean you have to stop working with me. Psychotherapy and medical treatment can complement each other.

That's a fair question. No psychologist can guarantee results, and you shouldn't have to rely on assurances alone. We'll discuss what you'd like to change and how you might recognize progress in your everyday life.

If you feel therapy isn't helping, you can tell me directly. Together, we'll explore what's happening and what we might need to adjust in our work. You don't have to figure out all the psychological processes on your own. Helping you understand what's happening is part of my job.

This is an important question, and I'm glad when clients bring it up. In the first few sessions, pay attention to what it's like to talk with me. Can you talk about difficult things, ask questions, disagree with me, or say when something doesn't make sense? Do you understand what we're working on and how it relates to your goals?

You don't have to trust me right away. Trust takes time. If you feel we're not a good fit, you can tell me directly. We can discuss what's missing and whether there's something we can change. If we can't resolve it, I'll recommend another therapist.

You don't have to continue working with me out of politeness or fear of offending me. My responsibility is to help you receive the care that's most effective for you.

You don't need to prepare anything in advance. All you need to do is pay for the consultation and attend the session. I'll ask any questions I need to during our conversation. During the first consultation, clients usually talk about the difficulties they'd like help with and ask any questions that are important to them.

It depends on your situation, including the nature and complexity of the difficulties you're facing, how long you've been dealing with them, your personality, and the support you currently have in your life.

I can't predict exactly how long therapy will take. However, after the first few sessions, I can usually give you a rough estimate based on my professional knowledge and experience.

You can, and support from people close to you can be very valuable. Sometimes, though, you've already talked things through, been listened to, comforted, and given advice, yet the problem remains. This is where a psychologist's professional knowledge can help.

My role is to help you understand what's happening, what has contributed to your situation, and what you might be able to change. I have no personal stake in the choices you make, and you don't have to live according to my ideas about how your life should be.

You can also talk about things you find difficult to share with people close to you. Respecting your confidentiality and approaching what you share without judgment are part of my professional responsibilities.

No. The belief that strong people should be able to handle everything on their own is surprisingly persistent. But we're social beings, and we all need help and support from others.

If your washing machine breaks, you call a repair professional. If you break a leg, you see a doctor. Seeking professional help with psychological difficulties is just as reasonable.

You can see a psychologist when things get difficult, when you feel lost, or when your usual ways of coping no longer seem to work. You don't have to wait until you feel you can't go on to have a good reason to seek help.

To me, asking for help means recognizing a difficulty and deciding to do something about it. There's nothing weak about that.

I'm a clinical psychologist and Gestalt therapist. I've been practising continuously since 2007, receiving regular professional supervision since 2010, and attending personal therapy since 2006. You can read more about my education and qualifications on the About Me page.

My areas of specialisation include difficulties related to emigration, depression, panic attacks, phobias, anxiety, psychosomatic symptoms, grief, codependency and toxic relationships, loss of meaning in life, aggression, psychological trauma and PTSD, the effects of violence, and life crises.

You can read more about the issues I work with on the home page.