I am an HCPC-registered counselling psychologist and an ISST-accredited advanced schema therapist offering psychotherapy to adults, adolescents, children, and families.

I currently have no availability for new clients. For mental health professionals, my next online workshop is on 28 January 2027: find out more and book.

With both medical and psychological education, over ten years of experience in neurology, and a track record in neuroscience, I am especially helpful in supporting clients whose brains work differently—neurodivergent people, and those experiencing complex trauma, chronic depression or consequences of brain injury.

As a third-wave CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) therapist, I mainly use schema therapy, a contemporary approach that integrates a practical focus on clients’ goals, work with thoughts and beliefs, and a deep emotional, attachment-based focus. I also blend EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing), classical CBT techniques, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) skills. My work is guided by the clients’ real-life goals, but to achieve these goals, we often address not only present experiences but also past ones, especially if the past was traumatic.

In schema therapy, we explore schemas, which are patterns of memories, beliefs, emotions, and bodily sensations originating from childhood adversities and shaping the way we perceive and feel today. Using special techniques, we reduce the influence of schemas and develop the ‘Healthy Adult’, our wiser part responsible for self-care and value-directed life. The process of schema therapy is intense and engaging. We not only talk but also move from chair to chair and work in imagination. Sometimes, we draw diagrams because schema therapy is guided by a case conceptualisation that is shared with the client. We often do role-play and skills training. I explain all the steps and the science behind them.

When working with neurodivergent clients, I consult on specific topics such as sensory needs, arousal regulation, attention difficulties, masking, and burnout. I use schema therapy and EMDR to process the trauma that is often present and to help my clients develop flexible, more authentic ways of dealing with current social demands. Being trained both in couples and in child and adolescent therapy, I offer support in family relationships, taking into account the influence of neurodivergence.

When I Can Help

• Neurodivergence: autism, ADHD, consequences of brain injury, and other conditions
• Posttraumatic conditions, such as PTSD and cPTSD
• Anxiety and depression, other difficulties in emotional regulation
• Difficulties in relationships, including couples and parenting
• Personality disorders, including BPD (borderline personality disorder)

About Me

I am a UK-based counselling psychologist (HCPC, PYL044166) with advanced accreditation in individual schema therapy (60360358).

My first education is medical (Lomonosov Moscow State University), and I am licensed as a medical doctor in Israel and Russia. Currently, I do not run a medical practice or prescribe medications, but I use my knowledge and experience to offer my clients the best possible psychological care. Being trained in neurology, I worked for more than ten years with neurodivergent people (autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, consequences of traumatic brain injury, stroke, brain tumours) and with psychosomatic syndromes. Due to my interest in neuropsychology and psychotherapy, I gradually shifted from classical medical work to a more integrative approach.

I completed a Master’s programme in counselling psychology, trained in person-centred psychotherapy, studied cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and completed individual, couples, group, and child and adolescent schema therapy courses certified by the International Society of Schema Therapy (ISST). I am also trained in EMDR, acceptance and commitment therapy, co-experiencing psychotherapy, and mentalisation-based treatment. I have extensive experience of my own therapy and receive regular supervision. Besides psychotherapy, I have mastered the skills of cognitive assessment and rehabilitation.

With a PhD degree in Medicine, I combine psychological counselling with neuroscience research and health technology development. Currently, I am a Lecturer in the Department of Psychological Sciences and Health and Clinical Director of the Laboratory for Innovation in Autism at the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow). Using advanced neurophysiological methods such as fMRI, I study the brain networks regulating our emotional and physical states and develop technologies supporting mental well-being. On the practical side of neurotechnology, for many years I have been using biofeedback, neurofeedback, and QEEG to enrich my clinical work. Understanding how the nervous system functions helps me support people who are autistic, ADHD or otherwise neurodivergent.

Teaching and training other professionals is an important part of my work. At the University of Strathclyde, I teach psychology at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including on the MSc in Clinical and Health Psychology; I contribute to the development of a new MSc in Adolescent Mental Health and Resilience, and supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students. In healthcare, I founded and led an integrative medical and psychological department for adults and children with brain injury, autism, ADHD, and other types of neurodivergence, training and supervising a team of 25 professionals. For practising clinicians, I run webinars and workshops on adjusting psychotherapy for neurodivergent clients and have trained over 1,000 mental health professionals worldwide, including in the NHS.

Personally, I have multicultural experience that helps me understand people with diverse backgrounds and those experiencing immigration. I was born in Moscow, spent some of my childhood in the US, moved to Israel in 2022, and to the United Kingdom in 2024. Now, I am happy to live and work in Scotland. I am also a mum of three and an ultra runner.

Contact Information and Payment

I am located in Glasgow, UK, but I mostly work online.

Email: olga@dobrushina.care.

I offer long-term psychological therapy and single consultations or a series of consultations on specific topics, such as autism and ADHD post-diagnosis support or parenting children with special needs.

My rates are £140 per therapy session and £90 for supervision. Currently, I have no availability for new clients.