Ioulia Stepanova
Clinical Psychologist & Drama Therapist
I specialise in:
About me
I am a clinical psychologist and drama therapist working with individuals who feel stuck, disconnected from themselves, or at a turning point in their lives. My work brings together psychological insight, embodied awareness, and creative expression to support meaningful and lasting change.
My journey into this field began early. As a teenager, I immigrated from Ukraine to Belgium and struggled with questions of belonging, identity, and adaptation. Feeling “in between worlds” shaped my sensitivity to inner conflict and transformation, and led me to study clinical psychology. While this training gave me a strong foundation, I felt something essential was missing — the body, imagination, and lived experience. I found this missing dimension in drama therapy.
Alongside my professional path, long periods of travel and personal exploration deeply influenced my way of working. Experiences such as walking the Camino de Santiago and living across different cultures taught me how transitions, loss, and renewal are not just psychological processes, but embodied ones.
Today, I work with people who are ready to look beneath familiar stories and patterns. Clients often come to me during moments of change — when old identities no longer fit, when they feel disconnected from their voice or creativity, or when talk therapy alone has not been enough.
I currently work with individuals online and in person in Ghent, in English and Dutch. My practice offers a space of safety, curiosity, and depth, where insight and experience come together and change can unfold at an organic pace.
I speak:
Location:
Approach
In our work together, I offer a space where you can slow down, listen inwardly, and explore what is asking for change in your life. My approach is grounded in clinical psychology and drama therapy, and goes beyond traditional talk therapy by including the body, imagination, and creative expression when words are not enough.
Depending on what you need, our sessions may involve reflective conversation, embodied awareness, movement, guided imagination, storytelling, or working with metaphor and inner roles. You do not need to be “creative” or expressive to benefit from this work; everything is guided, optional, and adapted to your comfort and boundaries.
If you feel stuck in familiar patterns, disconnected from your voice, or unsure of who you are becoming, we take time to explore these experiences together rather than rushing toward solutions. Many clients come to me during life transitions, identity shifts, or periods of emotional numbness, confusion, or creative block. My role is to help you access deeper layers of understanding and experience, at a pace that feels safe and sustainable.
I work collaboratively and attune closely to what is present for you. Some sessions are more verbal and reflective; others may be more experiential. We move between insight and experience, allowing clarity to emerge not only through thinking, but through feeling and embodied awareness.
The focus of our work is not on fixing or forcing change, but on creating the conditions in which realignment, healing, and authentic transformation can unfold. Together, we explore your inner landscape with curiosity and care, so that new perspectives, choices, and ways of being can gradually take shape.
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