Olha Simokhodska

In 1997, I graduated from the Faculty of Psychology at the Bohdan Khmelnytsky Cherkasy National University and have almost never deviated from psychology since then. Later, I obtained a second higher education in the same field but with a specialization for working with people who lost their jobs. From 2003 to 2007, I wrote a candidate's dissertation and researched the issues of self-development among people experiencing a crisis of job loss or career change. I defended it and received a PhD in Psychology. Then, from 2013, I became interested in mediation (assistance in resolving conflict or complex situations) and dedicated (and continue to dedicate) part of my professional path to it. I went from being a negotiator to a supervisor and trainer of mediators. I studied the basics of mediation, family mediation, mediation involving children, and business mediation (started studying at the Ukrainian Mediation Center at kmbs, continued with the German Chamber of Commerce, interned in England, and with the start of the war, participated in the project "Family Mediation During the War," where I not only provided services as a mediator but also improved my skills alongside specialists from Israel, the UK, and the USA). In total, I have up to 400 hours of training in mediation. I am a member of the Association of Family Mediators of Ukraine and the League of Mediators of Ukraine (information about me can be found on the websites of these communities). In 2017, I became acquainted with Nonviolent Communication with Eva Rambala, then studied complex dialogues. At the same time, I also completed a course in organizational coaching. All this time, I worked as a psychologist. Since 2019, my journey in psychotherapy began. It started with Gestalt therapy, where I obtained two specializations: "Family Counseling" (126 hours) and "Working with Co-Dependency" (180 hours). I also completed training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (76 hours) and short-term somatic trauma therapy (160 hours). Currently, I am in the process of training for the second level of Gestalt therapy (certification in January 2026). I am a member of the National Association of Gestalt Therapists of Ukraine.

I began practicing as a counseling psychologist in 1998, working in Ukraine’s state employment service, providing psychological support and career guidance to people who had lost their jobs. Over the past decade, I have specialized primarily in mediation (family and business cases), while also offering individual psychological counseling for couples. Since 2019, I have worked with clients in long-term psychotherapy. I always practice under individual and group supervision. Since August 2022, I have collaborated with a Polish foundation that provides psychological support to Ukrainians abroad and within Ukraine. My total experience working with clients spans 26 years.