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Frequently Asked Questions

Starting therapy is a big step, and most people have questions or doubts before they begin. Below are answers to the most common ones. If yours isn't here, or you'd like to talk about your situation, write to me.

Frequently Asked Questions

Psychotherapy is a method of treating mental or somatic disorders by psychological means, or more precisely, through the relationship between therapist and patient. The term and the practice are relatively modern, but they had counterparts in ancient healing ceremonies. Psychoanalysis is regarded as its ‘father’, and modern psychotherapy took a great deal from Freud’s methods. When Jung developed his own theories, work in the consulting rooms of analytical psychologists began to look different, but psychotherapy is still a conversation between two people. The psyche cannot be treated piece by piece: in mental disorders everything is connected and concerns the whole person. So therapy is a dialectical process between two psychic systems that respond to each other.
Research shows that most people who receive psychotherapy get relief from symptoms of anxiety, depression and trauma, and function better in their lives. It helps you learn healthier ways to manage stress and resolve conflicts, and to get through major life changes such as divorce or loss. You can come to understand yourself, your motivations and your patterns of thought and behavior better, and this usually improves relationships: communicating and expressing emotions gets easier. Psychotherapy has also been shown to improve emotional and psychological well-being and is linked with positive changes in the brain and body, sometimes similar to the effects of medication. The benefits reach beyond mental health too: fewer sick days, less disability, fewer medical problems and greater satisfaction at work.
You might consider therapy if you’re experiencing overwhelming or prolonged sadness, anxiety, or irritability, or if you’re having difficulty coping with daily life, work, or relationships. It can also help you through major life changes like divorce, job loss, or the death of a loved one, or after trauma such as abuse or an accident. If you’re struggling with addictions, unhealthy habits, or notice unhealthy reactions like excessive anger or social withdrawal, therapy can offer support. Persistent sleep problems or physical complaints without a clear medical cause can also be signs. Therapy isn’t reserved for crises. People also come to grow, to understand themselves better, or simply because life isn’t going the way they want, even when they can’t say exactly what the problem is.
No. Therapy is for anyone who wants to improve their quality of life, understand themselves better, or cope with emotional difficulties, however severe or mild. You do not need to feel ‘sick’ or have a diagnosed mental illness to benefit from psychotherapy. It helps with ordinary life difficulties, personal development, relationships, stress and everyday worries.
Research has repeatedly shown that psychotherapy is an effective treatment for a wide range of emotional and psychological problems. About 75% of people who start psychotherapy get some benefit from it: symptom relief, better functioning in their lives and better emotional well-being. Positive changes in the brain and body have also been linked to psychotherapy. The quality of the therapeutic relationship, the ‘fit’ between you and your therapist, matters a great deal. This bond can matter more than the specific type of therapy. Your readiness to reflect on yourself and to make the changes we talk about in sessions also counts. Therapy is joint work, and a lot depends on your own involvement.
The first session is mainly a chance for us to get to know each other and see whether we want to work together. I may ask what brings you to therapy, what you are struggling with now, important facts from your history, any previous experience with mental health care, and what you hope to get from therapy. If needed, I will explain how I work and go over the practical details: the length and frequency of sessions, confidentiality, and how I can help. This session is also for you to judge whether my style and manner suit you. Ask anything you want to know. This is not a test, and there are no right or wrong answers. It may take a few sessions to understand your situation fully, but we can talk about initial goals straight away.
The duration of therapy varies greatly depending on individual needs, the nature of the issues being addressed, and therapeutic goals. It can range from a few sessions for specific, short-term problems to several months or even years for more complex or long-standing concerns. Factors influencing duration include the severity of symptoms, how long you’ve experienced them, your rate of progress, the amount of stress you’re under, how much your concerns interfere with daily life, the support you receive from others, and practical considerations like cost and insurance coverage. Some therapeutic approaches, like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), are often designed to be shorter-term, while others, such as psychodynamic therapy, may be longer. Sometimes, after initial goals are met, a ‘maintenance’ phase with less frequent sessions may be beneficial.
Sessions are usually held once a week, especially at the start. Weekly sessions for the first three months are usually recommended: they help build a rhythm, establish a good therapeutic relationship and make steady progress. Over time the frequency can be reviewed and changed, depending on your needs, your progress and the therapist’s recommendation. Some people with more complex or severe symptoms, or those who want more intensive psychoanalytic work, may benefit from more frequent sessions, such as two or three times a week. Regular sessions matter because they give you time to work through emotions and bring new insights and skills into daily life.
Most sessions are conversation. I will encourage you to talk about your thoughts, feelings, experiences and whatever is troubling you. Careful listening on my part is the basis of the work. What you say stays confidential, so you can be honest and open, and no one will push you to talk about anything you are not ready for. Sessions can sometimes be emotionally intense: you may cry, feel upset or even angry. I am there to help you work through those feelings.
Yes, in principle, what you discuss with your therapist is confidential and protected by law. Therapists are ethically and legally obligated to protect your privacy. Information you share will only be disclosed to others with your explicit written consent. However, there are specific, limited exceptions where a therapist may be legally required to break confidentiality. These usually include situations where there is an immediate risk of serious harm to yourself or others, suspected abuse or neglect of a child, elderly, or dependent person, or if required by a court order in a criminal case.
Every session lasts 50 minutes and takes place online over a secure video connection, at a regular, agreed time.
Fees are agreed individually. Send me a message through the contact form and I will share the details.
Yes. I offer online Jungian psychotherapy sessions to clients worldwide. My online practice is aimed especially at people living abroad, expatriates, digital nomads, and anyone who values the convenience and privacy of remote sessions. All sessions take place on encrypted video platforms, which protects your privacy and the confidentiality of our conversations.
Research suggests that for many common mental health problems online therapy can be as effective as traditional in-person therapy. Largely the same principles apply in both formats: a good relationship with the therapist, honest communication and setting goals together. Online therapy also has clear advantages, such as convenience and easier access (especially for people in remote areas or with limited mobility). For it to work well, though, you need a reliable internet connection, a private, quiet place where you won’t be interrupted, and to be comfortable with the technology. Some people still prefer in-person therapy because it gives them a stronger sense of direct contact, or because they are dealing with serious or complex problems that may benefit more from meeting face to face. The best choice depends on your needs, preferences and circumstances.
You’ll need a reliable internet connection, a device with camera and microphone (computer or tablet), and a private, quiet space where you won’t be interrupted. I send the secure video platform link after your booking is confirmed. You usually don’t need to install any special software, as most platforms work directly in your web browser. If needed, I’ll send you technical instructions, and we can test the connection before our first session.
I use only secure, encrypted video platforms that meet high security standards for healthcare communication. The same ethical and legal rules of confidentiality apply to me as in in-person therapy. I’d ask you to look after privacy on your end too, by using a separate, closed room and a secure internet connection.
Yes. I work with clients across many time zones and am flexible with scheduling for people living abroad. My booking system automatically shows available times in your local time zone. I have experience working with clients in Europe, North America, Asia, and other regions. Together we’ll find a session time that suits us both.
Yes, a significant part of my practice is work with people living outside their home country: expatriates, digital nomads, international students, and professionals working abroad. I understand the difficulties of adapting to another culture, questions of identity, relationships between people from different cultures, and the psychological effects of frequent moves. My international experience helps me take clients’ different cultural backgrounds into account with care.
I conduct online sessions mainly in English, which lets me work with clients in many countries. I also offer sessions in Polish for native speakers. I have experience working with people whose first language isn’t English but who are comfortable having therapy in it.
Jungian psychotherapy, also known as analytical psychology, is an in-depth form of talk therapy founded by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung. Its aim is greater balance and a living dialogue between the conscious and unconscious parts of the psyche. It assumes that the unconscious is more than a store of repressed experiences: it is also a source of wisdom, creativity and guidance that can support psychological growth, healing and self-realization. The approach looks at the whole personality rather than only at specific symptoms, and often pays attention to the role of symbolic and spiritual experience in human life. A primary goal is ‘individuation’, the lifelong process of becoming more fully oneself by understanding and integrating various aspects of the psyche, including archetypes and the collective unconscious. The work often includes dream analysis, working with symbols, and active imagination.
The main goal of Jungian psychotherapy, as with other forms of psychotherapy, is to address the sources of psychological suffering. The Jungian approach also has other goals, the foremost of which is so-called individuation. This is understood as a lifelong process of becoming a psychologically whole, distinct individual by integrating conscious and unconscious aspects of the personality. It involves becoming more aware of the personal, collective, and archetypal factors that shape one’s life, and reconciling the conscious and unconscious parts of the psyche. Another important goal is self-realization: becoming the person you are by nature meant to be and developing your own potential. Beyond symptom relief, Jungian therapy puts the emphasis on personal growth and ongoing psychological development. It may also involve developing a ‘personal myth’ or a better understanding of the meaning and purpose of one’s life. Growing self-awareness matters here, especially awareness of one’s ‘shadow’ (repressed parts) and ‘anima/animus’ (the contrasexual aspects). This leads to psychological integrity, emotional maturity, and a sense of inner balance and freedom.
Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist who founded analytical psychology, often called Jungian psychology. He initially worked closely with Sigmund Freud, but eventually moved away from Freud’s theories because of significant differences, particularly over the nature of the libido (psychic energy) and the structure of the unconscious. Jung’s major contributions to psychology include the concepts of the collective unconscious (a shared reservoir of human experience and archetypes), archetypes (universal primordial images and patterns like the Persona, Shadow, Anima/Animus, and Self), psychological types (introversion and extraversion, and the four functions: thinking, feeling, sensation, and intuition), the lifelong developmental process of individuation, and synchronicity (meaningful coincidences). His work drew heavily on extensive studies of mythology, religion, alchemy and philosophy, and on his own personal encounters with the unconscious, recorded above all in his ‘Red Book’. The first training institute for Jungian analysis was founded in Zurich in 1948.
The ‘collective unconscious’ is one of the basic concepts of Carl Jung’s analytical psychology. It refers to the deepest layer of the unconscious mind. Unlike the ‘personal unconscious,’ which contains an individual’s own repressed experiences, forgotten memories, and subliminal perceptions, the collective unconscious is universal and shared by all human beings. Jung proposed that it is inherited, like a psychic blueprint passed down through generations, originating in the inherited structure of the brain. Its contents are archetypes: primordial images, patterns of behavior, and universal themes found in myths, religions, fairy tales, and dreams across all cultures and throughout history. These archetypal patterns do not come from an individual’s personal experience. They are a record of experience the human species has accumulated over generations. Seen this way, the deepest layers of our psyche are not solely of our own making: we share them with all of humanity.

Archetypes, in Jungian psychology, are universal, primordial images, patterns of behavior, and themes that reside in the collective unconscious. They are inherited predispositions that shape how we experience and respond to the world, acting as ‘inherited modes of functioning’ rather than specific, fixed ideas. They show up in dreams, myths, art, and religious beliefs, and strongly influence our personalities and how we relate to others. Jung identified many archetypes, but four are particularly central:

  1. The Persona: This is the social mask or role we present to the world, our ‘public face.’ It helps us get along in social situations but can lead to inauthenticity if we over-identify with it, losing touch with our true self.
  2. The Shadow: This represents the unconscious, often repressed or disowned parts of our personality. It contains traits we might see as negative or unacceptable, but also potentially positive, undeveloped qualities and creative energies. Integrating the Shadow is essential for psychological wholeness.
  3. The Anima (in men) / Animus (in women): The Anima is the unconscious feminine aspect in a man’s psyche, and the Animus is the unconscious masculine aspect in a woman’s psyche. They represent the ‘other’ gender within us and significantly influence our relationships and perceptions of the opposite sex.
  4. The Self: This is the central archetype, representing wholeness, unity, and the totality of the psyche (both conscious and unconscious). It is the psyche’s organizing principle and the ultimate goal of the individuation process. Archetypes are often complex and ‘bi-polar,’ meaning they can embody opposing qualities (e.g., the Mother archetype can be both nurturing and devouring), which reflects the complexity of human nature.
Individuation is the central, lifelong psychological process in Jungian analysis: becoming fully, and in one’s own way, oneself. It involves the gradual integration of the conscious and unconscious parts of the personality, including aspects that may have been disowned or repressed, such as the Shadow (unacknowledged traits) and the Anima/Animus (contrasexual aspects). The ultimate aim of individuation is the realization of the Self, which Jung considered the archetype of wholeness and the psyche’s central organizing principle. This means divesting oneself of the ‘false wrappings of the persona’ (social masks and roles) and becoming less driven by the unconscious ‘suggestive power of primordial images’ (archetypal influences), thereby becoming a more authentic ‘in-dividual’, an indivisible, complete unit. The process often becomes especially important in the second half of life and usually involves a turn inward, towards better self-understanding, meaning, and purpose. Individuation does not mean reaching a state of isolated perfection or getting rid of all conflict. It means becoming more conscious of the various, often contradictory, parts of oneself and bringing them into harmony. That makes a more genuine connection with oneself and with the wider world possible.
Jungian analysis views dreams as natural, spontaneous expressions of the unconscious mind, which give important insight into personal growth and the process of individuation. Unlike Freudian theory, which often sees dreams primarily as wish fulfillment or disguised expressions of repressed (often sexual) desires, Jungian psychology considers dreams as a form of communication from the unconscious that often compensates for one-sided conscious attitudes. Dreams symbolically reveal the dreamer’s inner situation and can point towards future possibilities and psychological development. The interpretation is collaborative, exploring both personal meanings and collective, archetypal themes. The main technique is amplification. Instead of ‘free associating’ away from the dream image (as in Freudian analysis), amplification involves enriching and expanding the meaning of a dream image by exploring its parallels in mythology, folklore, religion, cultural symbols, and the dreamer’s personal associations. This connects the personal dream content to universal human patterns. Dreams are also interpreted on two levels: the objective level, where dream figures and events relate to actual people and situations in the dreamer’s external life, and the subjective level, where all dream elements are seen as representing aspects of the dreamer’s own psyche. Keeping a dream journal is often encouraged as well.
Active imagination is a therapeutic technique developed by Carl Jung for directly engaging with the contents of the unconscious mind while awake. Its purpose is to build a bridge between the conscious and unconscious parts of the psyche, giving voice to inner figures (such as aspects of the Shadow or Anima/Animus), supporting dialogue with these contents, and thus facilitating the process of individuation. Active imagination usually begins by focusing on a specific dream image, strong mood, spontaneous fantasy, or inner image. The person then consciously allows this starting point to develop, observing how images or figures take on a life of their own, while actively participating and interacting with them as if they were real. This can be done through various forms of expression, such as visualization, writing down dialogue or narrative, drawing, painting, sculpting, or even dance and movement. It differs from passive daydreaming or fantasizing in that it is an intentional, conscious engagement with unconscious material. It is linked to Jung’s concept of the ’transcendent function,’ which describes the psyche’s ability to synthesize opposing conscious and unconscious elements, out of which new attitudes, new perspectives, and further psychological development can emerge.

While both Jungian analytical psychology and Freudian psychoanalysis explore the unconscious mind, they differ significantly:

  1. The Unconscious: Freud focused on the personal unconscious as a reservoir of repressed memories and desires, largely sexual or aggressive. Jung expanded this with the concept of the collective unconscious, a deeper layer shared by all humans, containing universal archetypes and a source of creativity and spirituality.
  2. Libido (Psychic Energy): For Freud, libido was primarily sexual energy. Jung viewed libido as a more generalized life force, encompassing motivations like creativity, spirituality, and intellectual pursuits, not limited to sexuality.
  3. Human Motivation: Freud emphasized sexual and aggressive drives and the resolution of early childhood conflicts (e.g., Oedipus complex) as primary motivators. Jung proposed broader motivations, including the drive towards individuation, self-realization, and spiritual development.
  4. Dream Interpretation: Freud saw dreams mainly as wish fulfillment, a disguised expression of repressed desires, with symbols often having sexual connotations. Jung viewed dreams as more complex messages from the unconscious, serving a compensatory function, guiding growth, exploring archetypal meanings, and pointing to future possibilities.
  5. Causes of Neurosis: Freud attributed neurosis largely to unresolved childhood psychosexual conflicts and trauma. Jung saw causes more broadly, including disconnection from the collective unconscious, unlived life, failure in the individuation process, or spiritual emptiness.
  6. Therapeutic Setting & Approach: Freudian analysis often involves the patient on a couch with the analyst out of sight, using free association to uncover repressed material. Jungian therapy typically involves a face-to-face dialogue, focusing on integrating different aspects of the psyche through dream amplification, active imagination, and exploring symbols.
  7. Spirituality and Religion: Freud generally viewed religion as an illusion or a form of neurosis. Jung, however, considered spiritual and religious experiences and symbols essential for psychological health and the individuation process.
Jungian therapy can address a range of issues, including anxiety, depression, relationship problems, and trauma, from a depth-psychology perspective. It may be particularly suitable, though, for people seeking better self-understanding, personal growth, and a sense of meaning in life, something beyond symptom relief alone. It suits those interested in exploring their inner world through dreams, symbols, myths, and creative expression as paths to the unconscious. People going through midlife transitions, facing existential questions, or wishing to live more in line with who they are (the individuation process) may find this approach very helpful. It also helps those who feel a spiritual emptiness or want to bring spiritual experience into their understanding of themselves. People struggling with creativity, identity, or a sense of being stuck in repeating life patterns can come to understand a great deal. It may also appeal to those who found other therapies too focused on symptoms or behavior and not enough on the deeper dynamics underneath.