Who Is This Help For?

You do not need a diagnosis or a clear name for what is happening to begin a conversation with a psychologist.

Psychological support may be for you when everyday functioning has started to cost too much. Sometimes it is connected with low mood, emptiness, emotional overload or the feeling that carrying everything alone has become too difficult. Sometimes it is connected with grief and loss, illness, dying, or being close to someone in a very difficult time.

How the first contact works
A symbolic illustration of a person considering psychological support in a calm and safe space. Who Is This Help For?

You do not need to know what to call it

Many people postpone the first contact because they do not know whether what they are going through “qualifies” for a conversation with a psychologist. Sometimes it is difficult to name the problem with one word. It is not always clear whether it is a crisis, sadness, anxiety, overload, grief or simply a long-lasting feeling that something inside no longer works the way it used to.

You do not need to come with a ready answer. A first conversation can be there precisely to look calmly at what has become difficult, too heavy or postponed for too long.

In psychological work, knowledge and experience matter, but so do responsibility, boundaries and respect for the person seeking support. This is why my work is close to the principles described in the Code of Ethics of Psychologists of the Polish Psychological Association.

Sometimes it is enough to feel that carrying all of this alone has become too difficult.

You may consider reaching out when…

The examples below are not a list of conditions and they are not a diagnosis. They are situations in which many people begin to feel that they need a conversation, support and a safe place for their emotions.

Ordinary days have become harder to get through

You feel tired in a way that rest does not remove. You do what needs to be done, but inside you increasingly lack strength.

Emptiness or loss of meaning appears

Things that used to give you support no longer feel meaningful. It is difficult to say what is missing, but something clearly hurts.

Low mood lasts longer than usual

Sadness, discouragement, tension or numbness begins to affect sleep, relationships, work or everyday responsibilities. You can read more about this area on the page Depression.

You are experiencing grief and loss

Grief and loss can follow the death of someone close, a separation, loss of work, loss of health, an important relationship or an animal companion. You do not need to grieve in one “correct” way or return to normal at the pace expected by others. You can read more on the page Grief and loss.

Illness and dying feel too heavy

You may be facing your own illness, fear of death or the illness of someone close. You may be accompanying someone who is dying and feel that there is nowhere to place your own emotions. You can read more on the page End-of-life support.

You keep telling yourself that “others have it worse”

You minimise your own difficulties, postpone contact and try to convince yourself that you can still manage. At the same time, you increasingly feel that it costs too much.

You are a teenager, young adult or parent looking for a safe first step

Support may also be helpful when a young person is experiencing low mood, anxiety, pressure, relationship difficulties, emotional overload or a crisis. You can read more on the page Psychologist for young people.

A person in an ordinary everyday situation, symbolising inner emotional overload that may not be visible from the outside.

It does not have to look dramatic

Not every psychological difficulty is visible from the outside. Sometimes a person works, answers messages, does the shopping, talks to people and looks as if they are “functioning normally”. At the same time, inside they may feel tension, emptiness, overload or increasing loneliness.

Psychological support is not only for people in an extreme crisis. It may also be for those who have been coping for a long time but are beginning to feel that pretending to be strong is no longer possible.

Areas where you may seek support

Every person comes with their own story, so the following areas of support are not a closed list. They may, however, help you check whether this place is close to what you need right now.

You may reach out when you have been feeling low, tired, numb or disconnected from meaning for a longer time. Sometimes it is not about one specific problem, but about the feeling that everyday life has become heavy from the inside.

Grief and loss may be connected with the death of someone close, separation, loss of work, health, an important relationship or an animal companion. You do not need to go through it in a specific way or return to normal at the pace expected by others.

Support may be important when illness, dependence, fear of death or accompanying a dying person begins to exceed your emotional capacity. In a conversation, there can be space for helplessness, anger, sadness, fear and silence.

A crisis does not always have one clear cause. Sometimes it grows slowly: through too many responsibilities, tension in relationships, loneliness, difficult decisions or the feeling that you have had to “somehow manage” for too long.

Support may be helpful when a young person is struggling with pressure, school or university stress, low mood, anxiety, relationship difficulties, family tension or entering adulthood.

For people supporting someone close

You can seek help not only when you are personally experiencing illness, grief or crisis. Sometimes support is needed by the person who accompanies someone close: someone who is ill, suffering, experiencing depression or approaching the end of life.

In such a situation, it is easy to put your own emotions aside. You may tell yourself: “this is not the time for me”. And yet overload, helplessness, fear and sadness also need a place.

You may consider a conversation when:

  • you feel that you have to be strong all the time,
  • you are afraid to tell loved ones about your exhaustion,
  • you have nowhere to place anger, sadness or helplessness,
  • illness or dying of someone close begins to dominate your whole life,
  • you need a calm conversation without judgment.

You do not have to earn help

You do not need to wait until it is “serious enough”. You do not need to compare yourself with others or prove that the problem is valid. When something affects your life, relationships, sleep, sense of safety or everyday functioning, that is enough reason to talk about it.

A conversation with a psychologist does not mean that you are failing at life. It may mean that you have been trying to cope alone for too long.

Schedule an initial conversation

How the first contact works

The first message does not need to be long or perfectly written. A few basic details are enough. A general explanation of talking therapies is also available on the NHS page about talking therapies.

Step 1 – You write or call

You can use the contact form, send an email or call. You do not need to describe your whole story.

Step 2 – We schedule a time

In your message, you can indicate whether you prefer an in-person meeting in Bydgoszcz or an online session. One session lasts 50 minutes.

Step 3 – We start with a conversation

The first consultation is there to understand the situation calmly and check what kind of support may be appropriate. You can also read more about how I work.

What you can write in the first message

You do not need to write a detailed description of your situation. A short message is enough, for example:

“Hello, I would like to schedule an initial consultation. I have been struggling for some time and would like to talk about possible support. Please let me know whether there are available in-person or online appointments.”

This is only an example. You can write in your own words, shorter or more simply.

FAQ – Frequently asked questions

No. You can reach out even when you do not know how to name your difficulty. A diagnosis is not a condition for the first conversation.

You do not need to wait until the situation becomes extreme. When something affects your everyday functioning, relationships, sleep or sense of safety, it is worth talking about it.

The first consultation can help name the situation and check what kind of further support may be appropriate. The decision about further meetings does not have to be made immediately.

Yes. Psychological support may also be helpful for people accompanying loved ones through illness, dying, depression or grief.

Yes. Sessions can take place in person in Bydgoszcz or online.

No. It is enough to come or connect online. You can say as much as feels possible at that moment.

Yes. Support may also be appropriate for teenagers and young adults experiencing emotional overload, low mood, anxiety, relationship difficulties, school or university pressure, family tension or crisis.

You can start with one conversation

If something on this page feels close to what you are going through, you can write. You do not need to have ready answers, a diagnosis or a clear plan for what should happen next. Sometimes the first step is simply a calm conversation.

Schedule an initial conversation