Home · For yourself
For yourself
When you understand everything intellectually, yet living is still somehow hard. This page is set up like our first session: in order, I answer what you would have asked.
Is this for me?
What people come to me with most often. If you recognise yourself in at least one point, most likely yes.
Developmental and attachment trauma, assault, emotional, sexual or physical abuse. When the past keeps running the present.
Depression, bipolar disorder, cyclothymia, seasonal lows. When “just pull yourself together” does not work, because the self is depressed too.
Anxiety disorders, panic attacks, social anxiety. When the brain has appointed itself head of security and is trying too hard.
ADHD, autistic traits, sensory overload. Accepting a diagnosis and your own neurodivergence, setting life up for yourself rather than for the average person.
Relocation, loss, age milestones, the birth of a child. Life in the state of “still in progress”.
Boundaries, conflicts, recovery after infidelity and break-ups, the inner critic, shame, burnout.
When there is too much of a swing in close relationships and in the sense of self. I draw on schema therapy and ACT, together with a psychiatrist if one is needed.
Alcohol, substances, behavioural addictions. Only together with a psychiatrist: the doctor leads the treatment, I lead the therapy of what stands behind the addiction.
When I am not the right fit. I do not work with children and adolescents and do not replace a psychiatrist. If I see that I am not the right fit, I will say so directly and suggest who is.
How do you work?
All the methods below are evidence-based: research and clinical guidelines stand behind them. In my experience different methods give different results for different requests, so the method is chosen for our goal and for you, not the other way round. We choose it together: I explain how the model works and why it includes this or that exercise, and you have the right to influence the choice.
ACT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Learning to notice thoughts and feelings without fighting them, and to do what matters to you even when it is scary or sad. Very practical, with exercises.
CFT, Compassion-Focused Therapy
For those whose inner critic works without days off. Learning to treat yourself as a person who is having a hard time, not as a failed project.
IPSRT, Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy
For mood disorders, especially bipolar disorder. We set up rhythms of sleep, meals, contact and light: mood loves predictability, even if you do not.
CBT and schema therapy
We look at which beliefs about yourself and the world you carry without noticing, where they come from and what to do with them.
MBCT and metacognitive therapy
Mindfulness without esoterics: learning to notice how the mind winds up anxiety or depression, and to step off that carousel earlier.
What the work looks like
We get acquainted, work out the request, agree a goal and a rough number of sessions. A perfect wording is not required.
We build a working hypothesis: in which situations the problem appears and what feeds it. Sometimes I ask you to complete one or two questionnaires.
The method fits the goal, not the other way round. Exercises between sessions if they are needed. You can ask “why” and say “stop”.
When the goal is reached or you decide to stop. With a closing session rather than a disappearance, and with the right to come back.
What happens in the first session and what to prepare?
- What you need to start
Willingness, a stable internet connection and a quiet place that feels safe to you, as far as possible. A perfectly worded request is not needed: you can start with what is happening now and what has become hard.
- What happens in the 1st session
We get acquainted, work out the request and at the end agree the goal of the work and a rough number of sessions. I ask many questions, sometimes several at once; I warn you in advance.
- Questionnaires
If the request is already specific, I may ask you to complete 1–2 questionnaires before we meet. It is not an exam but a way to save you time and money.
- You can always ask “why this?” and say “stop”.
- I do not diagnose or prescribe medication.
- Everything said stays between us, except a threat to life.
- Cancellation with 24 hours’ notice is free.
The full memo is below.
Informed consent · memo
Individual therapy memo
Therapy is a professional relationship with its own terms, and it is better to agree them on the shore. Below is what the consent form you will sign before the first session says, written as answers to your questions. By starting the work you agree to these terms. You can ask about any point in a session or by email.
What the psychologist is responsible for
- Agreeing the goal of our work together: which changes you consider good for you and how we will get there.
- Giving straight answers to your questions about my qualifications, experience, training, methods, the likely length of therapy and my professional views where they concern our work.
- Sending the Zoom link on time and being there at the agreed time.
- Giving at least 1 month’s notice of holidays, fee changes and other important changes to the terms.
- Following the code of ethics, keeping confidentiality and speaking with respect.
What will be asked of me during the work
- Tell me if you know about a pregnancy or are planning one, if your condition gets worse, if you have suicidal thoughts or an urge to harm yourself or others, about medical diagnoses, medication or psychoactive substances, prescribed treatment, dose changes or stopping medication. And anything else that may affect our work. This is not an exam, it is a map of the terrain.
- Pay for sessions on time and in the agreed amount.
- Come to the session sober. If you have taken psychoactive substances, including alcohol, tell me.
- Keep a respectful tone: no threats or insults. Being angry is allowed, and we will talk about that too.
How you work and what you do not do
- I am a clinical psychologist with a diploma from the Institute of Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology. My training exceeds 2000 hours, including more than 500 hours of psychotherapy training, more than 100 hours of personal therapy and more than 50 hours of supervision. I work with both psychological disorders and life difficulties, using psychotherapy without medication.
- I do not diagnose, prescribe or change medication: only a psychiatrist does that. I will help you get oriented and prepare for the conversation with one.
- In practice since 2021. Methods: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT), CBT and schema therapy, MBCT. I hold training certificates in each.
- The quality of my work is checked in regular supervision: I discuss my cases with a more experienced colleague, without your name or identifying details.
- The goal of our work is the change in your wellbeing and life that you yourself have agreed to. We discuss the list of goals and the approximate number of sessions in the first meetings; you can change and add to them as we go.
What it costs and how to pay
- An individual session costs £70. You can pay by card from any bank except Russian ones. Unfortunately I can no longer accept roubles; in exceptional cases we can discuss it separately.
- The fee is fixed for the first year of work. I do not raise it more than once a year or by more than 20%, and I give 1 month’s notice.
- Payment is before the session or right after it, no later than 2 hours after it ends, unless we agree otherwise. You can pay for several sessions in advance.
- 2 places in my schedule cost half price: these are reduced-fee places for people from vulnerable groups, including LGBTQ+ people and single mothers. They are often taken, so please message me directly before booking to check whether a place is free.
How sessions work: booking, time, lateness, cancellation
- Where. Online, on Zoom. If you book through Calendly, the link arrives by email automatically (check your spam folder). For regular work I create a permanent link. Join 3–5 minutes early to check your camera and sound.
- How to book. At calendly.com/olgaantonova or on Telegram. If I have not replied on Telegram within a day, please write again. Practical questions between sessions go there too.
- Length and frequency. A session lasts 50 minutes. We usually meet once a week; another rhythm can be discussed. If needed, you can book an extra supportive session yourself. How many sessions you need depends on the request, your wishes and your means.
- A fixed slot. For stability we meet on the same day and at the same time; that slot is reserved for you. It can be changed by agreement.
- If you are late. The session still ends on time and is paid in full. If I am late. The time is compensated, and you decide how: extend this session, extend the next one or get a discount.
- Cancelling and rescheduling. Rescheduling is a normal part of life, and I accommodate it as long as it does not harm the work and does not become abuse on either side. Give at least 24 hours’ notice on Telegram or by email. Later than that, the session is paid in full: that time was set aside for you. If you did not warn me, did not come and did not get in touch within the next 3 days, further sessions are cancelled; you can return when there is space in the schedule. If I cancel a session with less than a day’s notice, the next one is at my expense. I give 1 month’s notice of holidays longer than 7 days. If I cannot continue, I will help you find another specialist.
- Emergencies. You have the right to one free emergency cancellation with less than a day’s notice, but no more than 2 times a year.
- Can I leave and come back. You can stop at any moment, no conditions. Therapy brings discomfort, dissatisfaction, anger and sudden urges to leave; that is normal. It is highly advisable to discuss these feelings before deciding: the most important things are often right behind them. You can also come back if I have space in the schedule.
- How to finish. If possible, give 1–2 sessions’ notice so we can sum up and say goodbye gently. You can ask me for a summary of our work for another specialist, a plan for what comes next, and contacts of specialists, groups or doctors.
- What to prepare. Nothing special. What matters is that you feel calm and safe: a quiet place where you will not be disturbed, a decent camera, sound and internet. A glass of water and tissues do not hurt. Alcohol and drugs during a session are out.
- When a doctor is needed. Body and mind are connected. In some conditions (severe depression, moderate or high suicide risk, bipolar disorder outside remission and others) I may decline to work without psychiatric support: online, without it, this is ineffective and unsafe. If needed, I will give you contacts of trusted doctors and help you prepare for the appointment.
What stays between us, and what does not
The main thing. I do not disclose who you are or what we talk about to anyone, under any circumstances, except a threat to life and health: yours or other people’s. If such a threat is real, I reserve the right to use lawful means to ensure safety, including emergency services and child protection where children are involved. We talk about this openly.
If we meet in the street. I do not reveal the fact that we work together, so I will act as if we do not know each other. You can be the first to say hello; that is your right.
Recordings. I do not record audio or video without your consent. During our work I keep notes on sessions and my thoughts; you are entitled to receive them. I keep them for 3 years after the work ends; they can be deleted earlier at your request. A warning: reading such notes without special preparation can be emotionally hard.
Supervision. I take the technical details of my work to supervision while fully preserving your anonymity. This is a check of my skills and your safety. You are entitled to know who my supervisor is. If I ever need to describe our work publicly, I will not do it without discussing it with you.
Reviews. I do not publish our correspondence, reviews of the work or personal information about you. You, in turn, are free to talk about our work anywhere and however you like.
No dual relationships. I do not provide you with other services, do not receive services from you, do not socialise outside sessions, do not become friends or enter romantic relationships with clients, during the work or after it. I do not work with your relatives and friends. If we happen to cross paths in a community, a training or a group, tell me.
Social media. I do not follow your life outside sessions, do not study your profiles and do not comment on posts. My social media are personal communication and professional presentation; I do not recommend reading them, but if you do and difficult feelings come up, that is normal and can be brought to a session. I do not add clients as friends and do not follow current or former clients.
Ethics. If my competence is insufficient or my values prevent me from being impartial, I am obliged to say so and refer you to another specialist. Everything else follows the codes of ethics of the European and World Associations for Psychotherapy (EAP and WAP). I am a member of ACBS, the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science.
What to do if I do not like something
Tell me. Unpleasant feelings, doubts, dissatisfaction and disagreements in the process are normal and useful information. I am open to discussing difficult and contentious moments. If you feel I have breached ethics, say so directly, as far as that is possible for you.
If there is no answer, or you feel your case was not given proper attention, you can contact the interdisciplinary ethics committee psyethics.ru or the ACBS association, contextualscience.org.
You are also free to voice complaints publicly and discuss our work with anyone, at any time.
How to reach you and when you reply
Email and messengers are not always confidential, so personal and sensitive matters are for sessions, and messages are for practical questions.
I am available from 09:00 to 20:00 London time and reply within 48 hours. Telegram: @olantonova. Email: olga.antonova.y@gmail.com.
Messages and booking are not for emergencies. If you are in danger now or thinking about harming yourself, contact the emergency services or the crisis line in your country.
This is the full text of the consent form. Before the first session I will send the same document for signing. All documents
Fees
Very individual. A consultation on a specific question: 2–10 sessions. Work with complex trauma: from 40. Meeting more than 2 times a week is not advisable: it does not help the process, it only gives situational relief.
With 24 hours’ notice, free. Later than that the session is paid in full: that time was set aside for you. If something serious has happened, write to me, I am human.
Therapy, a group or a handout?
Three formats side by side. Some people start with a handout under the pillow, then come to a group, then to individual work. Some the other way round.
One to one, for your request and at your pace. Suits trauma, depression, anxiety, crises.
BookGroups based on evidence-based protocols for a specific task, 10–24 sessions, closed and not recorded. Groups run in Russian.
See groupsHandouts, workbooks and questionnaires, much of it free, mostly in Russian.
Materials and testsFAQ
I cannot really formulate a request. Can I still come?
Yes. You can start with what is happening now, what has become hard or what you would like to change. Then together we will try to understand what we will work with and how.
How do you choose the method?
For the request and for you: different methods give different results for different tasks. We choose together: I explain how the model works and why it includes certain exercises, and you influence the choice and can ask “why this?” at any moment.
What if your way of working does not suit me?
You can say so directly. We will discuss what does not suit you: pace, format, exercises or something in our relationship. As a result we can change the work, end it or discuss another specialist.
Do you diagnose? Do you prescribe medication?
No. Only a psychiatrist can prescribe and stop medication. I will help you get oriented in groups of medication, make sense of side effects and prepare for the conversation with a psychiatrist, and if needed give you the contact of a doctor I trust.
I already see a psychiatrist. Can I do both?
You can, and often should. Therapy and treatment work well together when the psychiatrist and the psychologist know about each other.
Can I avoid going into the details of the trauma?
You can talk about how what you lived through affects you now, and together decide what you are ready to approach. What to tell and in how much detail we agree as we go. Forced return to details without a purpose does not help; it harms.
Do you work with suicidal thoughts?
Yes, if the risk is low or moderate. With high risk a psychiatrist’s consultation comes first, and we make a safety plan together. Booking on this site is not for emergencies.
Do you take payment in roubles?
Unfortunately I can no longer accept roubles. If it is really necessary and there is no other way, write to me and we will discuss it separately.
Reduced-fee places
For people from vulnerable groups: LGBTQ+ people, single mothers and those for whom paying the full fee is objectively hard right now. One of the two places is currently taken; the second frees up from time to time. Message me directly before booking.
