BA (Hons), MBA, Graduate Student in Psychology

I have lived in Russia, Greece, Cyprus, and the United States before moving to Canada, which gives me a unique perspective on how family and society influence our perception and experience of mental health. I hold a BA (Hons) degree in Psychology from York University and am currently in the final year of the Master of Psychology program at Adler Graduate Professional School.

I work in Guelph under the supervision of Dr. Greenaway (C. Psych.) as an intern therapist. I have received training in Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI). Acceptance Commitment Therapy helps people get in touch with their core values, build a life congruent with these values, and accept the full range of emotions as part of life.  Emotionally Focused Therapy helps people become aware of several layers of their emotions, learn to recognize patterns in how they experience and express them, and develop new patterns that promote self-acceptance and making sense of life experiences.

While I believe that these therapeutic modalities are instrumental in helping people develop better coping skills, I also strongly believe that enjoying sound mental health largely depends on how well we are able to build interpersonal relationships that foster our sense of self worth and promote personal balance and growth. Psychotherapy guided by the principles of attachment theory and research is very helpful in recognizing our working models of relationships. It can be liberating to become aware of the fact that we formed our patterns of relationships at the time when our coping options may have been limited. Awareness provides the freedom to choose whether to keep these patterns of relationships or work to develop new ones that may better affirm our sense of self.

I am fascinated by human resilience and how it can help us overcome challenging life experiences and turn them into opportunities for healing, spiritual growth, and becoming a better person. I am also convinced that we have what we need for healing within us, and the role of the therapist is to help us connect with this healing part of ourselves and bring forward this ingrained knowledge. I also believe that mind-body connection is a profound resource for cultivating health which can be tapped into by learning to feel safe in and appreciate one’s body.