What I work with

From the outside your life may look perfectly fine: work, plans, friends, things going on. But inside there is constant tension, anxious thoughts going round in circles and a feeling that something is about to happen. It's hard to relax, switch off, fall asleep or simply be at peace.

Anxiety shows up not only in your thoughts but in your body: a tight chest, shortness of breath, tense muscles, a racing heart, itching, weight gain and more. You may keep listening to yourself, searching for explanations for your symptoms or fearing that you're losing control.

In therapy we can explore what lies behind your anxiety, how you've learned to cope with it and what happens to you in moments of uncertainty. Together we can find ways to deal with what you feel and build the kind of footing that will support you.

You want close relationships where you can be yourself, talk about your needs, feel that it's mutual and not be afraid of being left. But as soon as someone becomes important, the doubts begin: could anyone choose me, am I too much, will this person lose interest in me?

Maybe you're used to adapting to others, hiding your dissatisfaction, analysing every message or keeping your distance so you don't become too vulnerable. Or you keep finding yourself in relationships where you have to earn attention, wait for your feelings to be returned or give yourself up to keep the relationship going.

In therapy we can explore how you build closeness, what happens to you when you're near another person and what you fear in relationships. Step by step you'll understand your own needs better, notice familiar patterns and find ways to be closer to someone without losing yourself.

Separation, put simply, is the process of growing up and becoming separate from the family you grew up in. It is rarely easy: it can come with pain, guilt, doubt and the fear of losing closeness. And at the same time it's necessary if you are to become the author of your own life.

Separation is one of my favourite themes to work with. I'm interested in how you can stay in touch with the people close to you without giving up your own decisions, feelings and needs. Or what kind of distance will help preserve a bond that matters.

Separation doesn't have to mean moving away from your family or cutting off contact. It's more about being able to be a separate person with your own wishes, views and choices, even when they differ from what your family expects.

In therapy we can explore what keeps you in familiar family roles and why it can be hard to stand by your own decisions. Gradually you can find more freedom in your relationships with family, staying in contact with them without losing yourself.

For many Ukrainians, emigration is not simply a move and the start of a new life. It is a decision they may never have wanted to make. Leaving because of the war, fear for your own life and the lives of those you love, forced separation, the loss of a familiar world and an uncertain future.

You may be safe, have a job, be setting up a home and even slowly getting used to a new country. And still miss home, feel lonely, feel guilty about your own wellbeing, worry about those who stayed, or feel angry that you had to leave your life behind. Behind an outward composure there is often exhaustion, fear, grief and a sense that you've lost something far bigger than a place to live.

In therapy we can make room for your experience, without any pressure to adapt faster, be strong or find the positive in what happened.

There are many stereotypes about personal boundaries. As if standing up for yourself means pulling away from others, being harsh or destroying relationships. In fact, healthy boundaries help build relationships with room for both you and the other person.

If you're used to adapting, avoiding conflict, keeping quiet when you're hurt or putting up with things that don't suit you, standing up for yourself can be hard.

In therapy we explore this gently and without ready-made recipes: learning to notice your own needs, not to make yourself smaller for others and to stop what is unacceptable to you in time. So that your relationship with yourself and with others can change for the better.

You want to grow, earn more, create something of your own and take the place you feel you deserve. But along with the wish to move forward comes fear: what if it doesn't work out, what if I'm criticised, turn out not to be good enough, or someone decides I think too much of myself?

Maybe you spend a long time preparing, doubt your decisions, compare yourself with others or put off the steps that could bring you closer to what you want. Or you've already achieved a lot but can't feel satisfied with the results, because the bar keeps rising.

In therapy we can explore what you really want, what stops you from acting and how fear of failure, shame and the need for recognition shape your choices.