ABOUT ME

About Me

I used to be a petrophysicist. That’s the physics of rock. I really loved rocks 🙂

And math. I thought I loved it more than people.

But that changed. My work was fascinating — I was out exploring oil fields in Siberia and Venezuela — but a midlife crisis caught up with me at 25. Inside it, I realized that besides interests and creativity, I have values. And I want to embody them.

For example — “a person needs a person.”

First I started volunteering in orphanages after work, then helped create a volunteer organization with a team of wonderful people — and then I realized my road goes to therapeutic pedagogy and psychotherapy. To be with a person one-on-one, while my comrades change the system. My complexity and sensitivity finally had a place.

Quitting a major oil company was scary, but felt deeply right. On maternity leave I built a small business (to pay the bills while studying), got two more degrees (and a lot of support from family) — and started working with adults and children. Since 2015, I do nothing but therapy.

A few more things about me:

In 2021 I turned 40.

Since March 2022 I’m in Tbilisi.

I have two teenagers.

In Caracas, I explored the world’s largest heavy oil deposit.

In Tomsk, I studied at a branch of Scotland’s Heriot-Watt University (MSc in Petroleum Engineering).

In Izhevsk, I played on a women’s football team in the second division.

In Tyumen, I co-founded a volunteer organization (mentoring children in orphanages — running since 2007, still going).

I’ve taught school (my first of four degrees is in applied mathematics and computer science).

I worked as a school psychologist (to reduce bullying) and as a play therapist with autistic children.

I love football, singing, live-action roleplay, and dark fairy tales. The photo in armor confirms this 🙂

My Training

I graduated from the St. Petersburg Gestalt Institute (Samara branch) in 2015. First and second level (600 hours). Practicing continuously since 2014. Throughout this time — personal therapy and supervision.

2014–15: seminars on non-directive play therapy; “Child Neuropsychology: Diagnosis and Correction.”

2015–2018: three-year course in Therapeutic Pedagogy (1,054 hours), certificate recognized by the International Council for Education (Kassel, Germany).

2019: IFS seminars (Introductory, Olivia Lester, Irina Diyankova, Marina Hazan), long-term IFS supervision group (Marina Hazan). “Neurobiology of Depression and Trauma” by Ekaterina Vinnik.

2020: certified IFS training (Level 1, IFS Institute, Einat Bronstein). Supervision group with Irina Diyankova. LGBTQ+ therapy course (Kir Fedorov and Marina Kozina) — I work with gender identity questions.

2021: Somatic IFS (Susan McConnell), seminars on addiction (Cece Sykes), sexual abuse, IFS with couples/IFIO (Nancy Wonder), Self-Led Sexuality (Pat Rich), supervision group (Olya Walker). “Working with Sexuality in Couples” (Inga Green), “Neurobiology of Anxiety” (Ekaterina Vinnik).

2022: Richard Schwartz’s “Working with Extreme Parts in IFS,” assisted on “Transgenerational Trauma and Legacy Burdens” (Elena Miskova). “Transgender: Current Approaches in Professional Care.”

2023: two introductory IFS seminars (with Yulia Varlakova, in Tbilisi and online). Assisted on “IFS Therapy” course (Marina Hazan and Yulia Varlakova, Psychodemia). Helped organize the Autumn IFS Intensive with the “IFS in Russian” team. Seminars: inner critics (Chris Burris), shame (Varlakova and Diyankova), Self-led therapist (Leslie Petruck), gender and sexuality in IFS (Inga Green), facets of grief (Ann Sinko).

2024: assisted on the landmark seminar “IFS and Neurodivergence” (Irina Diyankova).

I’ve been working exclusively in IFS since 2019. My own therapy is IFS too — it’s changed my life considerably. I regularly participate in supervision and intervision groups.

How I Work in Sessions

Attention to all parts of your inner system

I won’t fight any of your parts. I won’t deliberately frustrate you or battle your “resistance.” There’s simply no need. I’m certain that every part of you — every thought, feeling, and behavior, even the scary and extreme ones — has meaning and good intention toward you. This includes skeptical, avoidant, and distrustful parts. I treat them with deep attention and respect, and I consider all protectors to be faithful allies in creating a safe therapeutic process.

Attention to your external situation — stereotypes, discrimination, and violence

I will never say that if someone is treating you badly, it’s your fault. If you’re in a difficult and dangerous external situation, I won’t claim that therapy will solve everything — that your circumstances will magically change after some internal “processing.” Sometimes it’s worth starting with external help and support, and only then working with the inner system. In that case, I’ll try to recommend support services.

You won’t hear me talk about women’s destiny or “a man should.”

I’m not fond of the phrase “LGBTQ+ friendly” — it’s vague and sometimes means nothing more than tolerance or curiosity. Better to say: I work with non-binary and transgender people, I seek additional training in this area, and I won’t exoticize you or use our session for my self-education at your expense. I’m attentive to language and to systemic discrimination. I guarantee I will address you by the name and gender you present.

Attention to neurodivergence

As a neurodivergent practitioner myself, I’m attentive to the fact that not all people are neurotypical. I hold a neurodiversity perspective, not the medical model.

I won’t try to psychologize or cure aspects of you that may simply reflect your brain’s architecture, or push everyone toward a neurotypical “norm.” I’ll help you explore your sensory profile and other features of your hardware and software, understand your gifts and limitations — and find ways to care for yourself. We can also work to heal the damage from traumatic experiences in unsuitable sensory environments and the demands of neurotypical culture.

Medication and medical support

I don’t prescribe medication and have no right to, but I’m all for medication when it helps — it doesn’t harm the therapy process at all, quite the opposite.

I won’t say “all problems come from nerves” or focus only on psychosomatic processes while ignoring somatopsychic ones. A loss of energy can come from many processes beyond emotional ones (and then the psyche reacts on top of that). Sometimes you need an endocrinologist, tests for deficiencies. And sometimes stress impacts the body so strongly that the body can use extra support during psychotherapy.

I will not discourage you from antidepressants or medications recommended by specialists. If pharmacological support is needed, I can recommend trusted doctors.

To book a session, see current session fees, and read other principles of my work, visit this page.