Our Psychotherapists

Valerija Gnusareva – Psychotherapist
M.A., B.A.

Valerija is a qualified psychoanalytic psychotherapist who began her studies with a B.A.(Hons) in Psychology and then successfully completed a clinical M.A. in psychoanalytic psychotherapy at Dublin Business School. She is a fully accredited member of APPI (Association for Psychoanalysis & Psychotherapy in Ireland) and of ICP (Irish Council for Psychotherapy) and abides by their code of ethics. Valerija’s training consisted of intense and various components, ranging from theoretical modalities to clinical placements, including weekly psychiatric case conferences at St. Vincent’s University Hospital, infant observation and personal analysis. She continues to progress professionally by participating in and attending conferences, seminars and training groups as well as by ongoing intensive personal development.

Valerija has a breadth of experience gained from clinical, social, educational and private settings. She has worked on placements in a number of different sectors including several South Inner City Primary Schools in Dublin, and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Navan (Department of Psychiatry) where she worked therapeutically with out-patients and participated in clinical meetings, ward rounds and collaborated with a multi-disciplinary team. She has worked extensively with students in Dublin Institute of Technology, as well as with students from Dublin City University. Valerija works with several Employee Assistance Programmes providing brief, solution focused, goal-oriented counselling services. She provides psychotherapy in two languages: English and Russian.

Valerija’s practice is guided by the philosophy and ethics of psychoanalytic psychotherapy, the primary focus of which is to reveal the unconscious workings of a client’s mind in an attempt to alleviate psychic tension. It offers a way of exploring the obstacles to progressing forward which may not be accessible to everyday thinking. This approach may help the individual to gain new insights leading to a shift in repetitive patterns which negatively affect the person and are in their way of moving forward.

Valerija works with people who experience various problems, which include but are not limited to: depression, anxiety, panic attacks, relationship or marital difficulties, stress,  gender and sexuality issues.

Nadia Paruk – Psychotherapist
M.A., MPHIL., B.A.

As a qualified psychotherapist, Nadia’s clinical experience during the last number of years spans across a broad range of settings working with adults, adolescents, children and infants within both general and specialised areas of treatment. She began her studies with a B.A. in English, Media and Cultural Studies where she developed a strong interest in the area of psychoanalysis and the mind. Nadia continued her studies with an MPhil in Trinity College Dublin in Psychoanalytic Studies where she gained a vast knowledge in the theory of psychoanalysis. This lead on to her successfully completing an  M.A. in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy in DBS where she accumulated invaluable clinical experience within educational institutions (including schools and universities), hospitals, as well as drug rehabilitation services. Some of these include National Maternity Hospital Dublin, St. Vincent’s University Hospital Dublin, the SAOL Project (a drug rehabilitation service for women and their children) and has worked extensively with children in a South Inner City Primary School for two years, as well as with students in Dublin Institute of Technology where she still currently works on the student counselling service. The focus of Nadia’s work today is mainly psychoanalytically oriented, which deals with the mental and emotional ambivalences which human subject’s may experience as rooted in the unconscious component of the mind. Nadia engages in ongoing professional development through cartel study group work  with I.S.L.P (Irish School for Lacanian Psychoanalysis) and attends conferences and seminars. She is a Member of A.P.P.I. (Association of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy Ireland) and of I.C.P. (Irish Council for Psychotherapy) and works within their guidelines. She has also worked in private practise dealing with a wide range of symptoms that include but are not limited to anxiety, depression, eating disorders, body dysmorphia, self-harm, addiction, sexual abuse, gender identity issues to name a few of the presenting problems.