Anatoliy Zubarev

I'm a psychologist for adults.
Which means I understand how hard it is to be one. Especially when everyone around you keeps telling you to grow up — but no one really explains how.
That's exactly what we can talk about.
Book a session
Who I am
and how I got here
I came to psychology after fifteen years in the corporate world — managing large-scale social programmes and leading teams across different cultures and time zones. It was work I found genuinely meaningful.

But the longer I did it, the more I noticed that behind most organisational problems, there's usually a person who has lost touch with themselves — someone successful and capable on the outside, quietly struggling on the inside.
Six years of my own therapy across different approaches helped me understand that from the inside. It also changed how I think about what it means to help someone. I retrained as a psychologist and hold a Master's degree in Psychological Counselling (with Distinction) from the University of Manchester.

Since 2022, I've conducted over 2,300 sessions with people navigating burnout, grief, major life transitions, and the particular kind of disorientation that comes with living far from home.

I work primarily in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy — an evidence-based approach that focuses not on eliminating discomfort, but on building a life that feels genuinely yours.
What I help with
Depression:
when nothing feels good anymore
Everything seems to be in place — a job, a family, a stable income. There's nothing left to strive for, it seems. But instead of contentment, there's exhaustion. Getting out of bed feels pointless. Work looks grey. The people closest to you start to irritate you, and thoughts about the future bring nothing but anxiety.
Depression shows up differently in everyone. Often it's the state that emerges when the psyche can no longer ignore the gap between how you're living and what truly matters to you. Depressive symptoms can and should be addressed — and I know how to help.
Burnout:
when success has become a cage
Work used to energise you. But somewhere along the way, the familiar satisfaction was replaced by a permanent fatigue. You make decisions on autopilot. The idea of one more task makes you want to disappear.

External noise, rising expectations, accumulated exhaustion, a loss of meaning — these are a direct path to burnout. It can feel like there's no way out. But with the right support, there usually is — and it rarely requires quitting your job.
Grief and loss:
the things we're not supposed to talk about
As we get older, losses pile up. Society and the people around us expect us to "cope" and "stay strong" once again. But grief needs time and space. Drawing on my experience and training (including a Death Doula programme), I help people not to skip over grief, but to move through it.
So they can actually move forward.
  • Death of loved ones
  • Loss of home and belonging (emigration)
  • Divorce or breakup after years of marriage
  • Loss of health or physical capability
  • Loss of professional identity
A crisis of meaning:
when the old answers stop working
"What's the point of any of this?" — the older we get, the harder it becomes to avoid that question. The children have grown up. Career goals have been reached or lost their meaning. There are still years ahead. But for what?

Often our identity is built around external tasks or social roles. When circumstances change, those identities dissolve. Our work together can help you rebuild yourself around your own values — to hear your own inner voice more clearly, and find your way back to a life that feels like yours.

How to start

  • Message me on

    Tell me briefly what brought you here.
    No need for the whole story just yet — give me a sense of what you'd like to work on and we'll take it from there.
Informed consent
FAQ
Important note:
I'm a psychologist, not a psychiatrist — I don't prescribe medication. For clinical depression, suicidal thoughts, or bipolar disorder, I work only alongside psychiatric support.

If you need urgent help, please contact the crisis services in your country or your nearest hospital.
Details
Special rates are available for NGO workers and people in difficult financial circumstances — discussed individually
  • Format Online
  • Duration 50 minutes
  • Price 50 €
  • Frequency Usually weekly
  • Language English
Book a session
My approach:
six dimensions of psychological flexibility
My approach is grounded in ACT — Acceptance and Commitment Therapy — an evidence-based method that doesn't try to "fix" you or get rid of uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. Instead, we build psychological flexibility: the ability to live a full and meaningful life even in the presence of difficulties.
  • Defusion
    "I'm a failure." "It's too late to change." "Nobody needs me." — thoughts we mistake for truth. Together, we learn to see thoughts as mental constructs, not facts. They can be present without running our lives.
  • The Observing Self
    "I've always been this way." "People don't change at my age." — stories we tell ourselves. The ability to observe yourself from a distance creates freedom of choice and loosens the grip of the stories we've invented about who we are.
  • Acceptance
    Years can go into trying not to feel pain, not to think about death, not to acknowledge limitations. Accepting a situation means becoming willing to fully experience and make sense of what has happened — so you can actually move through it.
  • Present moment
    Depression tends to pull us into the past ("things used to be better"), anxiety into the future ("what if…"). We practise returning to the present — the only place that actually exists, and the only place where real change is possible.
  • Values
    What truly matters to you?
    Not what "everyone" considers success. Not what others expect. What gives your life meaning? The answer is often surprising.
  • Committed action
    Small steps in the direction of your values matter more than grand plans. Action even through fear and doubt. We move from "I'll start living once the depression lifts" to "I'll start — despite the depression."
Message me on Telegram @zzbbrrvv,
WhatsApp +382 68 754856,
or by email aazoubarev@gmail.com
Ready to start the conversation?
The first step is always the hardest.
Especially when it means admitting you need help.
Think of working with a psychologist as an investment in the quality and stability of your life.