I became deeply involved both on an individual level and on a family level - there were numerous instances where I had to deal with parents thousands of miles away, on the telephone, as well as dealing with embassies where consular help was sought in serious issues.

In addition to all the above, from 1989 to 1993, I helped to organise a local immigration centre for newly arrived Russian immigrants and the centre became a counselling support centre for these immigrants. I became extensively involved in this area, having had to learn to speak rudimentary Russian in order to facilitate closer contact with them in my counselling and supportive role.

In 1997, I emigrated to Australia and since arriving here, I have been drawn to focus almost exclusively on the personal and social dynamic of human beings. To this end, I initially became involved in setting up and running various support groups, one of which has become a national Australia-wide body.

From 1999, I became more involved with general counselling, working with core groups of people - groups of people with panic disorder, with social phobia, with generalised anxiety disorder and with people suffering from a variety of phobias. I also work extensively with people suffering from depression. Another area of my expertise is working with immigrants facing the inevitable difficulties in readjusting to their new environments. To this end, I run work-shops on the stresses of immigration, and the effects on the family as a whole and on each member of the family individually. Part of my work involves preventative programs to deal with immigration issues - to effectively handle the evolving new realities before they become crises.

I run a thriving private clinical practice and, to formally equip myself and comply with pending Australian regulations covering the counselling profession, I completed a Graduate Diploma in Counselling at the Australian College of Applied Psychology and then completed my Master's degree in Counselling at the University of Western Sydney, specialising in Trauma work and Narrative Counselling.

I have also completed a formal Group Leadership course through the Institute of Group Leaders in order to formally hone my wide group experience in light of the groups I was then running.

On an ongoing basis, I run numerous types of groups and workshops in several areas but my core group work and private practice is run either from rooms at a major medical clinic in Bondi Junction where I have been the resident psychotherapist for nearly 2 years, or from my private rooms in North Bondi. I run about 6 varied groups concurrently each week, with a total group participation of about 30 people. My private face-to-face practice continues to be rewarding. Finally, I offer internet therapy to various people around the world, either to new clients who find me through search engines or to existing clients who move or who go away on holiday but want to maintain contact with me.

This is the formal me in a nutshell!

I believe that as a therapist, I draw on some singular advantages which I am able to offer my clients. I have lived life in the full in several different environments, different cultures and different countries, all of which have opened up unique windows for me in cross-cultural awareness and expanded empathy. I have successfully immigrated twice and made the necessary adjustments in each case, re-inventing myself in different career paths, all of them successful. I have worked as a corporate lawyer and a human resource director. I have been a travel agent/tour operator and have won national awards for my achievements. Finally, I have become a psychotherapist. I have done all this in the space of my life so far. It is this broad exposure to life which has made me what I am and my experience of having to re-invent myself and acquire and nurture a new identity in each of my new environments has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. I have had to learn to grab life and make things work and that is one of the most valuable perspectives I can offer my clients. I believe I am able to offer this to my clients in terms of 'helping wisdom' which implies my own self-knowledge; some maturity; a readiness to admit mistakes; a psychological and human understanding of others; insight into human interactions; the ability to see through situations; avoidance of stereotypes; the ability to spot flaws in reasoning; and being a counsellor who both challenges and frustrates.

The last few lines have been taken from Gerard Egan's "The Skilled Helper" and it does embody something which approximates the person I think I now am becoming.

But most of all, my clinical practice is my passion - it offers me challenges, laughs, a real dip into life and deep, deep fulfilment. I feel profoundly privileged to have continual contact with a wide variety of wonderful human beings who allow me into their lives and who share so much of themselves with me. To them I owe my thanks - I am constantly amazed at how much they teach me about myself and about the human condition.

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