Medical psychotherapist, psychologist in Kharkiv
I work where the body and the mind meet. Over 25 years of medical practice. Experience in both classical and Eastern medicine. I see patients in person and online.
What a medical psychotherapist works with
Twelve states people come to me with most often. If even one feels familiar — that alone is reason enough to talk.
Anxiety that won’t let go
Everything inside stays tense, as if something is about to happen. There’s no reason, yet you can’t relax — not on a day off, not on holiday.
Panic attacks
Your heart pounds, you can’t breathe, it feels like the end. The ambulance comes, the ECG is clean. And now you’re afraid it will hit again — on the metro, in a shop, at the wheel.
I can’t fall asleep
You lie down exhausted, and your head starts replaying the whole day. Or you wake at four in the morning and lie there, eyes open, until the alarm.
I don’t want anything
What used to bring joy now does nothing. Not sadness, but flatness: get up, get through the day, lie down. For weeks on end.
The aftermath of war
A sharp sound — and your body reacts before you can even think. Dreams take you back to where you thought you’d already left.
Tests are fine, but the body hurts
You’ve been to five doctors. Gastroenterologist, cardiologist, neurologist — all clear. Yet your head aches, your stomach churns, your blood pressure swings.
I can’t stop
You promised yourself you’d quit — on Monday, at New Year, after the holiday. Each time the same thing repeats, and each time it’s more shameful.
Work that makes you sick
The path you chose yourself now begins with a weight every morning. A holiday doesn’t help: you come back, and within three days it’s all as it was.
An inner critic that never goes quiet
Whatever you do — it’s not enough. You write off others’ praise as politeness and remember your own mistakes for years.
Relationships that destroy
The same arguments going in circles. You can’t leave, and staying is unbearable.
Outbursts you’re ashamed of afterwards
You snap at those closest to you over something trivial. Then comes the guilt, the promise to yourself — and again.
Fear that runs your life
You don’t fly, don’t take the lift, don’t get behind the wheel. Routes, plans and holidays have long been built around that fear.
Roman Vasilyevich Budaev
“Sometimes a single conversation is enough for a person to stop doing what they couldn’t manage for years”
“People come to me with a symptom and leave with understanding. That is the very point at which the state stops running the person”
A symptom is not a breakdown. It’s the way the psyche copes with what it couldn’t cope with before. So I don’t start by silencing it: first we restore the whole picture — when it began, what preceded it, what holds the state in place now.
I don’t give advice and I don’t pass judgement. I ask precise questions and notice what you stopped noticing after years of living inside your situation. You leave not with a prescription, but with tools that stay with you long after the therapy ends.
Three steps from message to result
The message
A couple of lines on Telegram or by email: what’s troubling you and for how long. I’ll reply and offer a time — in person or online.
The first meeting
A conversation at your pace. I rule out physical causes, formulate a diagnosis and tell you honestly which method and roughly how many sessions it will take.
The work that follows
We work at an agreed rhythm — usually once a week. After each meeting you understand what has changed and what we do next.
Illness rarely begins in the body. More often it ends there. Health is not the absence of a symptom. It is a restored balance between body, feeling and life
— Roman Vasilyevich Budaev
How to tell that therapy is working
Progress doesn’t move in a straight line: a good week can be followed by a hard day, and that’s not a relapse. Look at the whole month, not at yesterday.
The requests I don’t work with
Acute psychiatric states that require hospital care and constant medication control
Work “under duress”: when someone is brought in but doesn’t want it themselves
Requests for a guaranteed result in one session — that’s not how it works
Assessments, certificates and reports for a court or an employer
Requests to “influence” another person without their involvement and consent
If your case isn’t mine, I’ll say so straight away and, where I can, point you to who to turn to. I won’t waste your time or money.
Beyond classical medicine
When I was first told I should become a psychotherapist, I didn’t believe it. Working with words seemed frivolous next to surgery and emergency care.
It wasn’t books or teachers that convinced me. It was patients — people whose state changed where, by every calculation, there was nothing to change. I kept observations for years before admitting the obvious.
I rarely speak about this side of the work in session. Not because I hide it, but because there’s nothing to explain: there is only an observation that repeats year after year, patient after patient.
Many link it to words like “healing” or “bioenergy”. I call it “the Ability”. It doesn’t switch on at will or off from fatigue. It works for exactly as long as the person is near, and depends neither on my mood nor on their belief in what is happening.
Helping people is my calling.
Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region — in person. Everyone else — online via Zoom or Google Meet
Cost of treatment
on requestThe cost depends on the format and the request. Describe your situation in whatever form is comfortable. In reply I’ll send the cost and when I can see you.
What my patients say
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to Roman Vasilyevich. After losing my husband I couldn’t find peace; my children insisted I see a specialist. His manner is attentive, unhurried. I feel considerably better.”
“I judged by three criteria: whether the approach made sense, whether the timeline was predictable, and no hard sell. Roman Vasilyevich met all three. At the first meeting I got a clear answer about what was happening to me, why it started and what we would do about it. No fog and no ‘let’s work and see’.”
“For years I was treated for a diagnosis of vegetative-vascular dystonia. None of the specialists could explain why my state would worsen and then pass on its own. Roman Vasilyevich linked it to circumstances in my life I’d never thought of that way. My wellbeing has improved considerably.”
Frequently asked questions
Is it even normal to see a psychotherapist?
As normal as going to the dentist with toothache. Emotional pain is no less real — it just doesn’t show up on an X-ray.
How is a psychotherapist different from a psychologist?
A psychotherapist is a doctor with a higher medical education and a specialisation in psychotherapy; a psychologist is a specialist with a humanities education. A doctor can assess whether a physical illness lies behind a symptom and prescribe medication if needed. A psychologist has no such right and will refer you to a doctor in that case.
How is a psychotherapist different from a psychiatrist?
A psychiatrist works mainly with severe disorders and treats with medication; a psychotherapist works through talking therapy and hypnosis. Both are doctors, but the approach differs. When needed, they work together.
For anxiety, who should I see — a psychologist or a psychotherapist?
For anxiety that lasts longer than a few weeks and comes with physical symptoms, it’s wiser to start with a medical psychotherapist. A racing heart and weakness occur both in anxiety disorders and in thyroid problems — a doctor can tell them apart.
What happens at a first consultation?
The first meeting is a conversation of about an hour. The doctor asks what’s troubling you, for how long, what preceded it and what you’ve already tried. By the end you have a preliminary understanding of the situation and a plan for the work ahead.
What should I say to a psychotherapist at the first meeting?
Speak in your own words — no special preparation is needed. It’s enough to say what troubles you and how it affects your life. You don’t have to phrase your request neatly; that’s part of the doctor’s job.
Do I have to tell everything at once?
No. You say exactly what you’re ready for, at your own pace. Some of what matters surfaces after several meetings, and that’s a normal course of therapy.
How long does one session last?
A standard session is about 50–60 minutes. The first meeting may take a little longer because it includes taking your history.
Will I be put on any register if I see a psychotherapist?
When you turn to private practice, nothing is passed to any state register. Your session records stay with the doctor and are protected by medical confidentiality.
What if I tell you something shameful?
Shame at the first meetings is ordinary, and it too can be said out loud. Often the very thing hardest to speak about turns out to be key to the work. The doctor doesn’t judge or condemn — the task is to understand, not to pass sentence.
What is psychosomatics, and can it be treated?
Psychosomatics are physical symptoms with no organic cause: headaches, spasms, blood-pressure swings, a lump in the throat. They’re treated by working with the state that causes them. The essential condition is to rule out illness through examination first.
Is an online consultation effective?
For most requests, the online format is comparable in effectiveness to in person. An in-person meeting is preferable when working with severe states and where full contact matters. For people in other cities and countries, online is a workable option.
Begin with a simple message
Two sentences about your situation. That’s enough for me to see whether I can help. Not a call, not a form — just a couple of lines about what’s happening with you. I’ll reply within 2–3 days.