ABOUT JELENA
More than techniques.
A way of understanding people.
My interest in the human mind has always been shaped by two worlds: science and people.
My background in Biology and Neuroscience taught me to ask why—to look beneath the surface and understand how the nervous system and body work together. For more than twenty-five years as a teacher, I also had the privilege of walking alongside hundreds of young people through some of the most challenging periods of their lives.
Over the years, my role gradually became much more than teaching Biology. Students often came to me not only for academic guidance, but also for reassurance before exams, support through difficult times and someone who would genuinely listen. As my interest in psychological wellbeing grew, I began developing and delivering professional development sessions for teachers on resilience, stress management and emotional wellbeing, helping colleagues better understand both the science of stress and practical ways to build resilience.
Alongside this, leading Sixth Form students on transformative expeditions to Nepal and Cambodia reinforced something I have never forgotten: people grow most when they discover strengths they never knew they had. Many of the cards and letters I have received over the years speak not only about lessons in the classroom, but about confidence, resilience and believing in themselves. Those experiences quietly shaped the way I work today and ultimately led me towards psychotherapy.
Today I combine evidence-based Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy with approaches such as ACT and Core Transformation, always tailoring therapy to the individual rather than following a rigid formula. My scientific background helps me explain anxiety in ways that make sense, while my life experience reminds me that real change rarely comes from information alone—it comes from feeling safe enough to experience something different.
I also know that life isn't a straight path. Like many people, I've experienced uncertainty, change and moments that demanded resilience. Those experiences have deepened both my compassion and my belief that meaningful change is possible at any stage of life.
Away from my work, I'm a mother of two wonderful daughters and a proud grandmother of three. I find balance in photography, singing, tending my garden and spending time in nature. Those quiet moments remind me that growth is rarely dramatic—it usually happens gently, one small step at a time.
My philosophy
I don't believe therapy is about becoming someone different.
I believe it's about gently clearing away the fears, habits and protective patterns that have gradually hidden who you already are.
Like a forest after years of undergrowth, the path is often still there—it simply needs enough light to become visible again.
My role isn't to tell you which direction to take.
It's to walk beside you until you begin to trust your own steps.
Every person already carries the capacity for change. Sometimes it simply becomes hidden beneath fear, self-doubt or years of surviving.