Online psychotherapy makes it possible to work with a psychotherapist from a private and convenient location without travelling to a psychological practice.
I provide online psychotherapy in Armenia for adults experiencing anxiety, emotional difficulties, behavioural problems, relationship difficulties, gambling problems and other psychological concerns.
My clinical work is structured and evidence-based, primarily grounded in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and complemented, where clinically appropriate, by other therapeutic approaches.
Online sessions are available in Armenian, English, Russian and Polish.
Is online psychotherapy real psychotherapy?
Yes.
Online psychotherapy is not simply psychological advice by video call. The therapeutic process follows the same fundamental professional principles as psychotherapy conducted in the office.
It includes:
- assessment of the presenting problem;
- development of an individual case formulation;
- establishment of therapeutic goals;
- structured psychotherapeutic interventions;
- evaluation of changes over time;
- work between sessions when appropriate;
- confidentiality and professional boundaries.
The main difference is the medium through which therapist and client communicate, rather than the basic principles of the therapeutic process.
For many psychological difficulties, therapeutic work can be conducted effectively without the therapist and client being physically in the same room.
Who may benefit from online psychotherapy?
Online psychotherapy may be particularly convenient for people who:
- live outside Yerevan;
- have limited time for travelling to sessions;
- travel frequently;
- prefer receiving psychotherapy from home or another familiar environment;
- have mobility or transportation difficulties;
- need access to psychotherapy in a particular language;
- prefer greater flexibility in integrating psychotherapy into their working week.
It can also be useful for people whose professional or family schedules make regular office visits difficult.
Convenience, however, is not the only criterion. The most important question is whether online psychotherapy is clinically appropriate for the specific person and problem.
What psychological difficulties do I work with online?
Depending on assessment and clinical suitability, online psychotherapy may be used in work involving:
- anxiety and generalized anxiety;
- panic attacks and panic disorder;
- social anxiety;
- fears, phobias and agoraphobia;
- obsessive-compulsive symptoms;
- persistent worrying, rumination and overthinking;
- health-related anxiety;
- depressive symptoms;
- anger and emotional regulation difficulties;
- gambling disorder and problematic gambling;
- stress-related difficulties;
- relationship and interpersonal problems;
- perfectionistic and avoidant patterns;
- difficulties with uncertainty and decision-making.
Different psychological problems require different treatment strategies. Therefore, the format of therapy is determined not simply by a diagnosis but by an individual assessment and case formulation.
How does online psychotherapy work?
Initial consultation
The first consultation is primarily devoted to understanding the problem.
We discuss:
- what brought you to psychotherapy;
- when and how the difficulty developed;
- situations in which it becomes stronger;
- thoughts, emotions and bodily responses;
- behavioural patterns and ways of coping;
- the effect of the problem on everyday life;
- previous attempts to manage it;
- what you would like to change.
This allows us to develop an initial formulation and decide whether online psychotherapy is an appropriate format.
Therapeutic goals
Psychotherapy works better when we have a reasonably clear understanding of what we are trying to change.
Goals may involve, for example:
- reducing avoidance;
- responding differently to anxiety;
- changing persistent behavioural patterns;
- developing more flexible thinking;
- improving emotional regulation;
- reducing compulsive or gambling behaviour;
- changing recurring interpersonal patterns;
- making decisions with greater psychological flexibility.
Goals can be revised as therapy progresses.
Work during sessions
Depending on the problem, sessions may involve discussion, cognitive analysis, behavioural planning, skills development, exposure planning, review of behavioural experiments, psychoeducation or other therapeutic interventions.
Online psychotherapy should remain an active therapeutic process, rather than becoming only a weekly conversation about what happened during the previous week.
Work between sessions
When appropriate, therapeutic work may continue between consultations.
This can include:
- observation of specific situations;
- structured records;
- behavioural experiments;
- exposure exercises;
- changes in everyday routines;
- practising new responses or skills.
The purpose is to transfer therapeutic learning into real-life situations.
CBT in an online format
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is the primary framework of my clinical work.
CBT is particularly suitable for structured online work because many of its central components can be implemented through conversation, shared conceptual models, behavioural planning, monitoring and real-life experiments carried out between sessions.
A simplified CBT model may look like this:
situation → interpretation → emotion and physiological response → behaviour → consequences
Therapy aims to understand how this system operates in the individual case and identify the points at which meaningful change can occur.
Online work does not mean that therapy is confined to the computer screen. Much of CBT is ultimately about what happens between sessions in everyday life.
Privacy and confidentiality
Privacy is important both for the therapist and the client.
Online sessions should therefore be conducted from a location where you can speak freely and are unlikely to be interrupted or overheard.
Using headphones may provide additional privacy, particularly when other people are nearby.
My professional work is conducted under conditions of confidentiality, professional boundaries and ethical responsibility. My website also states that my work is guided by the ethical principles of the American Psychological Association, the Polish Federation for Psychotherapy and the European Association for Psychotherapy.
Preparing for an online session
For a productive online consultation, I recommend:
- choosing a private and reasonably quiet place;
- ensuring a stable internet connection;
- using a device with a functioning camera and microphone;
- using headphones if greater privacy is needed;
- allowing enough time so that you do not have to rush immediately before or after the session;
- avoiding conducting the session while driving or performing other activities requiring attention.
The setting does not have to be perfect. It simply needs to allow you to participate in the therapeutic work with sufficient privacy and attention.
When online psychotherapy may not be the best option
Online psychotherapy is useful in many situations, but it is not automatically appropriate for every clinical circumstance.
In some cases, another format of care may be more suitable—for example, when a person requires urgent psychiatric or medical assessment, intensive treatment, emergency intervention or another form of specialized support.
The initial assessment therefore includes not only understanding the psychological problem but also considering whether the online format is clinically appropriate and sufficiently safe.
Where necessary, I may recommend another form of professional assistance.
Online psychotherapy does not mean anonymous self-help
Reading psychological materials, using applications and completing self-help exercises may be useful, but these are different from individual psychotherapy.
In psychotherapy, interventions are selected based on an understanding of the particular person’s psychological mechanisms.
Two people may both describe themselves as “anxious,” for example, while the mechanisms maintaining their difficulties are substantially different.
Individual formulation allows treatment to be adapted to the person rather than applying the same generic advice to everyone.
About my professional approach
I am a psychologist (PsySD) and psychotherapist holding the European Certificate of Psychotherapy (ECP).
The principal framework of my clinical practice is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, complemented by evidence-based and integrative approaches where appropriate.
My main professional and research interests include psychotherapy and neurobiology of anxiety disorders, gambling disorder, cognitive science and the integration of CBT with neuroscience.
Psychotherapy services are provided in Armenia within my professional scope of practice. My website distinguishes these services from my work in the United States, where I provide psychological consulting and executive coaching rather than psychotherapy.
Languages
Online psychotherapy is available in:
Armenian · English · Russian · Polish
Working in a language in which a person can describe thoughts, emotions and experiences naturally can be particularly important in psychotherapy.
Online and in-person sessions
If you are in Yerevan, sessions can be conducted either: online or in person in Yerevan.
It is also possible, where appropriate, to combine online and office-based meetings depending on circumstances.
Schedule an online session
If you are considering online psychotherapy, you can schedule an initial consultation to discuss your difficulties, therapeutic goals and whether online work is an appropriate format for your situation.