Marina Stepanova

Online and in person sessions available - weekday mornings to early afternoons

Do you feel selfish when you think of looking after your needs? Does the thought of saying “no” to someone makes your stomach turn? Is it easier to just go along with something rather than express how you truly feel?

If you answered “yes” to those questions, you are most probably someone who cares a great deal about others. You have also most probably neglected yourself way too long; to the point where you may have even lost the sight of who you really are. Your life might no longer even feel like it`s yours. If crippling anxiety and depression have become your companions that are now impossible to shake off, you are in the right place.

My name is Marina. I work with clients who prioritise other people`s needs at the expense of their own. They`ve learned somewhere along the way that they are not as important as others and that their value lies in being helpful. It is a great quality to have of course, because the world would be a much better place if there were more kind, caring and empathic people in it.

The issue is though that you really need to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else. And if you weren`t shown how to value yourself and what it actually means to have self-esteem, then how are you supposed to just do it?

This is something that one-to-one therapy helps with – understanding your patterns, exploring how they developed, processing the emotions that have been buried for years, and discovering how to create life that is more on your terms. That`s in a nutshell.

If you would like to start the process of living your life in a way that is true to who you are, send me a message to book your free 15-minute introductory call. 

I work with people who feel anxious, afraid and overwhelmed, as well as unsure of what to do and how to help themselves. A lot of my clients have been through difficult experiences growing up and are dealing with painful memories which very often bring physical sensations with them. Some clients already know why they feel the way they feel, but have no idea of what to do to change the symptoms. They very often feel hopeless, as if there is no choice but to live this way forever.

I work in a way that is slow and steady, as I believe that sustainable psychological changes happen over-time, not overnight. As my client, you will have a safe space where we can explore your issues and challenges together, which will enable you to build more awareness of how you actually experience them. We then work on making changes. I will ask questions as we go along, because it is important for me to know what it is like to be in your world. As our relationship develops, you will hopefully be able to make the changes you are longing for.

I developed interest in the subject of Psychology in my early teens and had a dream of working with people on a one-to-one basis supporting them through life`s challenges.

When I was 19, I decided to travel to England with the aim of acquiring a Bachelor`s Degree in Psychology (University of Bedfordshire), which I achieved in 2007.

My further training involved a Foundation Course in Counselling and Psychotherapy (2012) and then a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy (2015). Both of them from Regents University in London.

I am dedicated to undertaking continuous professional development training.

After the initial free 15minute phone call you will have plenty of time to think whether you would like to work with me.

If the answer is "yes", I will email you potential dates and times to arrange the first session. I will also email you some documents that can be filled in and signed electronically. Those involve my privacy notice (to let you know how I store your personal information), terms and conditions (session details, cancellation policy, complaints procedure, etc.) and next of kin form (with an emergency contact number, your address, etc.).

We will then meet either online in Zoom or in person in my office. I am very engaged in the process. You will not be left "hanging" as I am aware how nerve-wracking the first session could be. I am very engaged in the process by asking questions and checking in with you about how it all feels and whether everything makes sense.