Psychological work in a psychoanalytic approach
Sometimes people seek psychological help not because they can name the problem precisely, but because they sense that something in their life keeps repeating, causes pain or no longer works the way it used to.
It may be anxiety, inner tension, difficulties in relationships, the experience of loss or of a life transition, bodily symptoms, emotional exhaustion or a sense of having lost yourself.
Psychological work offers a space to explore what is happening, how it is affecting you and to understand more deeply the inner meaning of your experience.
What you might come with
- Anxiety, low mood, emotional exhaustion
- Recurring difficulties in relationships
- Loss, separation or significant changes in life
- A sense of having lost yourself, your direction or meaning
- Inner conflicts and decisions that are hard to make
- Recurring life situations that are hard to understand or change
- Difficulties with self-esteem, achievement and dependence on recognition
- Bodily symptoms whose experience may have a psychological component
You do not need to know in advance “what my problem is”. Sometimes the sense that something is happening, and the wish to understand yourself and what you are going through, is reason enough to reach out.
The approach I work in
I work in a psychoanalytic approach.
It rests on the understanding that not everything in our psychic life is available to direct awareness. Our present feelings, relationships, choices and ways of coping with difficulty may be connected with earlier experience, with inner conflicts and with the psychological defences that once helped us but may, over time, begin to limit us.
This is why our work is not reduced to advice or to the search for a quick solution to a problem.
In sessions we may attend to thoughts and feelings, relationships, memories, recurring situations, bodily experiences, dreams, and to what gradually emerges in our work together.
Over time, what was experienced as incomprehensible, painful or inevitably repeating may become more conscious. And with understanding comes more inner freedom in relation to yourself, to other people and to your own choices.
Initial sessions
Psychological work begins with 3–5 initial sessions of 50 minutes. These give us time to understand what brings you, consider whether the psychoanalytic approach may be helpful, and decide whether we would like to continue working together.
They are a chance to get to know each other and to talk about what has brought you now, your life situation and the important circumstances of your history.
For me, they are also a chance to understand your request better and to consider whether the approach I work in may be useful to you. For you, they are a chance to feel whether this way of working together suits you.
After the initial sessions we discuss together whether it makes sense to continue and, if so, agree on the further frame and terms of the work.
If we decide to continue
Working together in a psychoanalytic approach requires a certain regularity and stability.
If, after the initial sessions, we decide to continue, we agree on the frequency of sessions, a regular meeting time, fees, cancellation terms and the other conditions of the work. A session lasts 50 minutes.
A constant time and constant agreements are not only the organizational side of the work. They create a stable and predictable frame within which a psychological process can gradually unfold.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is one of the core conditions of psychological work. What is said in our sessions is not passed on to other people.
As part of my professional training and practice, clinical material may be discussed in professional supervision, confidentially and without revealing the client’s identity.
My training
I am a physician by original training. My psychological practice develops within ongoing professional training and regular clinical supervision.
I am completing a Master’s degree in Psychology at HSE University, specializing in Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy; the programme includes clinical practice in a psychoanalytic approach under supervision. I am a consulting member of the All-Russian Professional Psychotherapeutic League (OPPL).
My own psychoanalytic therapy is an important part of my professional development. I am in therapy with a professor and psychoanalyst who is a member of the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA).
What psychological work does not include
- Psychological consultations within this practice are not medical or psychiatric care.
- Within this work I do not make medical diagnoses or prescribe medication.
- If a medical or psychiatric assessment or treatment is needed, I may recommend that you see an appropriate specialist.
- This practice is not an emergency psychological or psychiatric service.
How this work differs from coaching and advisory
- Coaching and leadership advisory focus primarily on your role, decisions, and the context in which you lead.
- Psychological work turns toward your inner experience, relationships, recurring patterns, and the meanings that may lie beneath them.
- These are separate practices, with different frames and different agreements, and they are never combined.
The same person cannot be a coaching or advisory client and a client of the psychological practice at the same time.
The frame of our meetings
- Format
- Online
- Duration
- 50 minutes
- Beginning
- 3–5 initial sessions
- Language
- English · Русский
- Fees
- On requestThe work is paid, including the initial sessions. After you reach out through the form, I will send you the terms personally.
- Cancellation
- At least 48 hours in advanceIf you need to cancel or move a session, please let me know at least 48 hours in advance. A later cancellation or change is charged in full.
If you would like to reach out
You can leave a short message through the form. I will reply personally within 2–3 working days and, if appropriate, suggest a time for a first meeting.
Thank you for getting in touch.
I’ll reply personally within 2–3 working days to suggest a time for an initial meeting.