About Amy

Having spent my entire adult life away from my country of birth (Russia, Spain, France), and worked with people of different backgrounds, sexual and gender identities, and religious faiths, my therapeutic approach involves a deep awareness of how language, identity, oppression, dislocation, and cultural norms affect us. Human life is hugely varied and shifting, and I work with an awareness of gender, sexuality and relationship diversity, and am constantly seeking to educate myself in these areas. In particular, I am deeply concerned about the non-acceptance of trans individuals and the denial of racial inequality.

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I believe that psychotherapy opens the way to change, and to healing from traumatic experiences. It begins with a relationship between therapist and client, one I see as a collaboration, and a place of deep listening and existential exploration built on empathy. Together, we embark on a journey of making sense of your past and present experiences. The same approach is used in couples work, where space is given to each member of the couple to be heard and to explore the relationship, their formative experiences, and their feelings, in a way that feels safe and opens up the possibility for dialogue and change. ​​​

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Our goal in therapy is to empower you to make changes where necessary and possible, and to find the capacity within yourself to live a life that allows you to thrive. My background in literature makes me highly attuned to the way we communicate the narrative of our lives, and how this affects our feelings, thoughts, and life choices. I love working with creative people – both harnessing creativity for healing and working through inevitable creative blocks. I am a qualified yoga teacher, meaning I will always pay attention to how you feel in your body, and ask about sleep, diet and exercise. When the mind struggles to explore painful experiences, the body is an invaluable entry way to healing.

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A note on my research interest: From 2020 to 2024 I worked on my doctoral research into sexual grooming in the adolescent years, and how this experience affects the individual into adulthood. During this time, I studied different forms of childhood maltreatment, and also investigated how various schools of psychotherapy approach the concept of relational and sexual trauma. I have contributed papers and a chapter on the subject, and am currently working on collaborations in the field.