Petya Randelova

One of the things I find important in trauma work is understanding how people adapted to difficult experiences. Responses like staying constantly alert, withdrawing during conflict, or feeling responsible for other people's emotions may have developed in circumstances where they made a great deal of sense. I don't approach these patterns as something inherently wrong with you. I want to understand how they developed, what purpose they may have served, and how they're affecting your life today. My approach is relational, attachment-informed, and trauma-focused. We begin by getting to know each other, understanding your experiences, and developing ways to manage the distress that may arise during our work. Depending on your needs and goals, we may explore how past experiences influence your present relationships, beliefs about yourself, and emotional responses. I also offer EMDR when it's appropriate, but trauma therapy doesn't have to involve EMDR or require you to recount every detail of what happened. Progress may look like responding to a difficult interaction without immediately shutting down, recognizing when a present situation brings up an earlier fear, or experiencing less distress when reminded of the past. I also pay attention to changes in how you understand and relate to yourself, particularly when experiences have left you carrying shame or responsibility that deserves to be examined more closely.

Many women navigate expectations about who they should be, what they should accomplish, and how much of themselves they should give to others. These pressures can show up in relationships, careers, family dynamics, decisions about parenthood, or even the ability to rest without feeling guilty. Of course, women's experiences aren't universal, and I'm interested in understanding how your particular identity, relationships, and circumstances have shaped what you've come to expect of yourself. In therapy, we may explore how you've learned to define your worth, where certain expectations originated, and what happens emotionally when you try to do something differently. I often work with people who are very capable of advocating for others but find it much harder to recognize or communicate their own needs. We might examine feelings of guilt when setting boundaries, the pressure to maintain harmony in relationships, or the fear that disappointing someone means you've done something wrong. Progress might look like making a decision based on what you genuinely want, recognizing when you're taking responsibility for something that isn't yours to manage, or allowing yourself to have needs without feeling obligated to justify them. My goal isn't to tell you what an empowered woman should look like, but to help you determine what feels meaningful and authentic to you.

Anxiety has a way of making even ordinary situations feel complicated. You might spend hours replaying a conversation, struggle to make decisions without considering every possible outcome, or feel responsible for making sure nothing goes wrong. I want to understand not only what makes you anxious, but also what you're worried might happen and how you've learned to respond to those worries. In our work, we'll explore the thoughts, emotions, and physical responses that accompany your anxiety. I'll help you examine the assumptions you're making, recognize when familiar patterns show up, and develop ways to respond that don't require you to anticipate or control every outcome. Sometimes this involves practicing new ways of approaching uncertainty or situations you've been avoiding. Other times, it means understanding why certain situations feel so threatening in the first place. Progress doesn't mean eliminating anxiety. It might mean making a decision without spending the rest of the day questioning it, tolerating someone's disappointment without immediately trying to fix it, or recognizing that feeling anxious doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong.

Depression can make everyday life feel exhausting, even when you're doing everything you're supposed to be doing. For some people, it's a persistent sadness or sense of hopelessness. For others, it shows up as irritability, emotional numbness, withdrawal, or feeling disconnected from things they once enjoyed. I want to understand what depression looks like in your life and how it's affecting your relationship with yourself and the people around you. In therapy, we'll explore the experiences, beliefs, and circumstances that may be contributing to how you're feeling. I pay particular attention to how people interpret their experiences and treat themselves when they're struggling. We may examine patterns of self-criticism, make room for emotions that have been difficult to express, or work on gradually reconnecting with activities and relationships that matter to you. I also recognize that when depression makes even small tasks feel overwhelming, the pace of our work needs to reflect that. Progress is often gradual and doesn't always look like suddenly feeling happy. Sometimes it's noticing a moment of genuine enjoyment, having enough energy to reconnect with someone, or being able to experience a difficult day without interpreting it as evidence that you're failing.

I'm warm, curious, and direct in my approach. I want to understand not only what's troubling you, but also the experiences and circumstances that have shaped how you respond to it. I don't assume that one explanation or treatment approach fits everyone, and if I am unable to provide what works best for you, I will do my best to find someone who will be a better fit. I am an active participant in sessions. I'll ask questions, offer observations, invite you to consider something from a different perspective, and occasionally crack a joke or two because laughter and connection belong in all spaces, but particularly when things are difficult or dark. My work is grounded in respect for your autonomy. I won't push you toward a particular decision or assume I know what's best for you. My role is to help you better understand yourself and consider possibilities that may not have felt available before. I also believe it's important to make connections between what we explore in therapy and what happens in your everyday life.

Sometimes we recognize a pattern in ourselves but can't quite understand why it keeps happening. You might know that someone's disappointment doesn't necessarily mean you've done something wrong, yet still feel an overwhelming urge to fix the situation. Psychodynamic therapy gives us an opportunity to explore what's happening beneath that reaction and why it may carry so much emotional weight. In sessions, I'm interested in the meanings you've assigned to your experiences, the beliefs you've developed about yourself, and how earlier relationships or experiences may influence your responses today. I'll ask questions, share observations, and invite you to consider connections you may not have noticed before. We may explore feelings that seem contradictory or responses that don't quite make sense to you yet. Developing insight is an important part of this work, but I also want us to consider what happens when you try to respond differently in everyday life. Understanding why a pattern exists can create opportunities to approach familiar situations with greater awareness and choice.

Trauma can influence how we experience ourselves and the world long after a difficult experience has ended. Someone might find themselves constantly anticipating conflict, feeling overwhelmed by situations that remind them of the past, or struggling to trust others even in relationships where they want to feel close. These responses can be confusing, particularly when you recognize that your current circumstances are different from what you've experienced before. In trauma-focused therapy, I want to understand what happened in the context of your life and how those experiences continue to affect you. I'm especially interested in how you've adapted to difficult circumstances and whether those adaptations are still serving the same purpose today. We begin by developing our therapeutic relationship, understanding your current needs, and identifying ways to navigate distress. Depending on your goals and readiness, treatment may involve exploring the beliefs and emotional responses connected to past experiences or using EMDR to process traumatic memories. I don't believe trauma work should follow a rigid timeline or require you to revisit experiences before you're ready. We'll regularly check in about how the work is affecting you and what feels important to address. My goal is to help you develop a different relationship with what you've experienced, so that the past has less influence over how you experience yourself and navigate your life today.

Relationships can bring out parts of ourselves that we don't always recognize in other areas of life. You might feel confident expressing your opinions with friends but find yourself going quiet during disagreements with a partner. Or you may notice that you're often the person others turn to for support, yet feel uncomfortable asking for the same care in return. In relational therapy, I'm interested in understanding what happens between you and the people who matter to you. We'll explore how you experience closeness, conflict, disappointment, and emotional needs within your relationships. I'll also pay attention to what happens between us in therapy. If you find yourself worrying about my reaction, hesitating to disagree, or feeling uncertain about expressing something, we can explore that together. Our relationship offers an opportunity to notice and understand patterns as they're happening, rather than only talking about them afterward. I believe meaningful relationships allow room for individuality, disagreement, and change. Our work can help you develop a clearer understanding of what you need from your relationships and how you want to participate in them, while recognizing that you can't control how other people respond.