Hey! My name is Penelope, and I’d like to thank you for taking a quick minute to get to know me.
I was born in Montréal, Québec, Canada, but I spent much of my childhood in Vancouver, BC.
I come from a Persian-Polish background, so a blend of culture, languages, and art (and miscommunications, obviously) are more than familiar to me. My parents, who both left the difficult circumstances in their respective countries, also decided to globetrot a bit in their own personal searches for purpose.
Because of that, I moved quite frequently throughout my life. I lived in Canada, the USA, Poland, the UAE, and Spain. By the time I was 15, I had already moved homes, schools, and social groups eight times. At the moment, I’m based in Warsaw, Poland, although I’m still hesitant to use the word “settled”.
During this tedious journey, I made many life-long decisions. In 2011, I studied business in Dubai for two years. After questioning the fulfillment of the path I was on, I spent nearly a year preparing for a shift. My thoughts about whether I was making the right choice looped on repeat until I was sick of them.
A book by the late Dr. Oliver Sacks made an astounding impact on my life (ask me about it, please). It was then that I finally decided to take the leap.
In 2013, I left my life in Dubai to pursue a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Warsaw, specializing in Clinical Neuropsychology. Additionally, I completed two years of Master’s specialization at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, with a primary focus on psychopharmacology and addiction treatment.
This is where I discovered the powerful, yet colorful, potential of psychedelics in mental health and life.
Now, I find myself at a place that links my neuropsychological background with psychotherapeutic methods in a client-facing setting.
I consider myself one of the lucky ones that took the leap and never once regretted it. To this day, I continuously find this work to be immensely rewarding and meaningful.
I understand the potential challenges of navigating multiple cultures, being uprooted, and questioning a sense of identity and belonging.
But sometimes, it doesn’t have to be “solved” or “fixed”, it needs to be accepted.
Between social expectations, communities, and building your own identity among sometimes conflicting factors, I believe we all have the ability to find self-acceptance and peace within ourselves, as well as finding the opportunity for growth.
Educational & Experience
- 2024 – Financial Therapy Modalities and Interventions – FTCI
- 2024 – Couples and Money Therapy Course – FTCI
- 2024 – Anger Management Training
- 2024 – Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Training
- 2024 – Psychedelic Integration Certification
- 2023 – CBT Essentials APT Accreditation Level 2
- 2023 – Anxiety Certification Course (PESI)
- 2023 – Transforming Trauma with EFIT (Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy)
- 2022 – Dialectical Behavioural Therapy Certification Training
- 2015-2016, 2018-2019 – Universidad de Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Psicología (focus in psychopharmacology, neurobiology of substance abuse, and addiction treatments)
- 2013 – 2020 University of Warsaw, Faculty of Psychology (MA in Clinical Psychology, specialization in Clinical Neuropsychology)
- 2022-Present – Supervised counselling sessions as a clinical psychologist and counselor (over 250 supervised hours)
- 2019-2020 – Supervised neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation sessions (Aphasia)
- 2018-Present – Coaching for soft-spoken communication skills