YARYNA RYBAK

Yorkville University MACP Practicum Student

  Українською

По-русски

A bit about me

I have always been fascinated by people — why we think the way we do, why we repeat certain patterns even when we know they are not working for us, and how our relationships and experiences shape the way we see ourselves.

My path to psychotherapy wasn’t a straight one. My previous educational background is in science, and I think I have carried that same sense of curiosity into psychology. I like asking questions, looking beneath what is immediately visible, and understanding how different pieces of a person’s experience connect.

Having built my life across Ukraine and Canada has also shaped who I am and how I see the world. It has given me a personal understanding of change, adaptation, belonging, and the experience of carrying more than one cultural perspective at the same time.

How I understand therapy

I don’t see therapy as someone sitting across from you and telling you how to live your life. I see it as an opportunity to understand yourself more clearly — including the parts of yourself that may feel confusing or contradictory.

Sometimes we already know what we are doing but don’t fully understand why we keep doing it. Therapy gives us room to become curious about those patterns: where they came from, what purpose they may once have served, and whether they still fit the life we want today.

For me, the goal isn’t to turn you into a different person. It is to help you know yourself well enough to make choices that feel genuinely your own.

What matters to me in this work

I care deeply about autonomy. I believe there is a meaningful difference between helping someone find an answer and giving them one.

I want my clients to feel that there is room for their entire experience in therapy — including feelings or thoughts they may worry are unreasonable, messy, uncomfortable, or difficult to explain.

I’m particularly interested in the moments in life when the answer isn’t obvious: when a relationship no longer feels right, when an old version of yourself no longer fits, when you are facing a major change, or when life looks fine from the outside but something internally feels unsettled.

Those are often difficult periods, but they can also become opportunities to understand yourself in a much deeper way.

What I bring into the room

You might experience me as warm, perceptive, curious, and straightforward.

I listen closely, but I am also interested in what sits underneath the words — recurring themes, inconsistencies, emotional reactions, relationship patterns, and the things that may be difficult to say out loud.

I am comfortable with complexity. You do not need to arrive with a perfectly organized explanation of what is wrong or know exactly what you want from therapy. We can figure that out together.

I also value humour and humanity. Therapy can involve very serious things without every moment of it having to feel clinical or heavy.

My way of working

My approach is integrative, which means I do not try to fit every person into the same therapeutic framework.

I draw from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and humanistic approaches, depending on what is most useful for the person sitting in front of me.

Some sessions may involve looking closely at patterns or exploring emotions and relationships. Others may be more practical and focused on what you can do differently outside the therapy room.

I am interested not only in helping you feel better in the moment, but also in helping you understand yourself in a way that stays useful long after therapy ends.

Who I work with / What I offer

I am interested in working with adults navigating relationship difficulties, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, emotional overwhelm, identity, and major life transitions.

I am especially drawn to questions around relationships and attachment, boundaries, losing or rebuilding a sense of self, and those periods when you find yourself wondering, “Is this what I actually want?”

I also welcome people navigating immigration and cultural adjustment. Having experienced life in both Ukraine and Canada, I understand that adapting to another country can involve much more than learning how to live somewhere new. It can affect identity, relationships, family roles, belonging, and even your understanding of where “home” is.

You don’t need to be in crisis to come to therapy. Sometimes wanting to understand yourself better is reason enough.

Languages

I offer therapy in English, Ukrainian, and Russian.