Who I am and why I'm writing this

Psychologist · Neuropsychologist · Psychotherapist

I'm a psychologist, neuropsychologist, and psychodynamic psychotherapist. I am co-founder and president of two centres in Bydgoszcz – Propsyche Medical Centre and Promente Clinical Research Centre. I diagnose neurodevelopmental conditions in adolescents and adults. I do psychotherapy. I support the development of other specialists — psychologists and psychotherapists. For the past few years I've been training therapists in psychedelic-assisted therapy, working across international clinical trials with psilocybin and other compounds.

Most of my days are spent talking with people who came in with a question and expecting a clear answer. "Do I have ADHD?" "Is this autism?" "What's wrong with me?" I understand the need. A name for what you're experiencing feels like solid ground. But I've learned, sometimes the hard way, that rushing toward a label can mean missing what's actually going on. A behavior is not a symptom. A symptom is not a diagnosis. And a diagnosis is not an explanation.

This is the tension I live in professionally. Between the pressure to be quick and the responsibility to be accurate. Between what a study shows and why it shows it. That second part, the why, is where most of the interesting questions hide. And most of the mistakes.

Łukasz Warchoł with a brain model

What I do

Diagnosis and therapy in the consulting room are only part of my work.

First and foremost, I'm a psychologist. I could also call myself a psychotherapist, a neuropsychologist, or a psychosexologist – every one of those labels would be accurate. But psychologist is the first word. The rest fits inside it.

I am co-founder and president of two centres in Bydgoszcz – Propsyche Medical Centre and Promente Clinical Research Centre. Together, they form a single environment where clinical practice and science go hand in hand. That's where I take part in international trials of new treatments – for treatment-resistant depression, bipolar disorder, and neurodegenerative diseases – including psychedelic-assisted therapy.

I train and support therapists entering the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy, working with Compass Pathways and with Fluence. I'm also a mentor to early-career psychologists and a EuroPsy supervisor. In my spare time I code as a hobby.

Why I write

I started writing publicly a few years ago, in Polish, on my blog and on Facebook. Mostly about ADHD, diagnostic methodology, psychedelic therapy, and the things that bother me about how psychology is communicated online. I noticed something. The posts that resonated most were not the ones where I had answers. They were the ones where I was honest about what we don't know yet. Where I said "this is more complicated than it looks" and then showed why.

This blog is a continuation of that thinking. A place where I can write more slowly and more deeply than social media allows.

What you'll find here

I'll write about clinical diagnosis and the difference between pattern recognition and actual understanding. About psychedelic-assisted therapy, what the trials are showing and what the hype is hiding. About neuropsychology and why the brain is not a simple input-output machine. About research methodology, because how a study is built matters as much as what it finds. And sometimes about what it's like to sit in a room with someone and not know the answer yet.

If that sounds like your kind of reading, welcome.

Let's start.

Contact

Want to get in touch? Send me a message through the contact form or email me directly at kontakt@lukaszwarchol.com.

Experience & qualifications

For those who prefer specifics — the full list of my education, training, certifications, and qualifications.

Education & long-term training

  • Psychology, clinical specialization — master's program (5 years), Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz
  • School of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy — Kraków Centre for Psychodynamics (4 years, accredited by PPA and PSPP)
  • Training in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy for therapists — Compass Pathways, London
  • Transference-Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (TFP) — International School of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Poznań/Wrocław (in progress)
  • Specialization training in Clinical Psychology — University of Gdańsk (4 years, in progress)
  • Postgraduate studies "Clinical Sexology – Assessment, Education, Therapy" — Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (2 years)
  • Continuing education course in Clinical Sexology — Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
  • Psychodynamic Study of Psychotherapy and Sociotherapy for Youth — Kraków Centre for Psychodynamics (2 years)
  • Course in Sociotherapeutic Support for Children from Families with Alcohol Problems — ETOH Foundation, Warsaw
  • Polish–English School for Youth Trainers — Institute of Social Education, Wrocław

Selected short courses & training

  • Integration of psychedelic experiences – theory and practice — LIMINAL, Warsaw
  • Sexology training — accredited by the Polish Sexological Society and co-led by Prof. Zbigniew Lew-Starowicz (Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw):
    • psychological and behavioural disorders related to sexual development and orientation
    • treatment of sexual disorders
    • sexual disorders in men
    • sexual disorders in women
  • Motivational interviewing – core methods — Academy of Thought and Emotion, Inowrocław
  • Psychological support for LGBTQ people — Campaign Against Homophobia, Szczecin
  • Social, legal and psychological aspects of transsexuality — Campaign Against Homophobia, Warsaw
  • Risks of behavioural addictions (prevention, early intervention, recognising symptoms) — "24 Hours" Foundation, Warsaw
  • Prevention education on HIV/AIDS and drug addiction — ResHumanae Foundation / National AIDS Centre, Konstancin
  • Helping a Person with Addiction — SET training company, Bydgoszcz

Certifications

  • European Certificate in Psychology (EuroPsy) no. PL-062578-201911
  • Psychosexologist Certificate — European Federation of Sexology (EFS) and European Society of Sexual Medicine (ESSM)

Roles

  • Co-founder and president — Propsyche Medical Centre
  • Co-founder and president — Promente Clinical Research Centre
  • Consultant and mentor — Compass Pathways

Memberships

  • Polish Society for Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
  • Polish Sexological Society
  • Polish Psychological Association
  • American Psychological Association (APA)
  • Polish Accreditation Committee of the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations (EFPA), which awards the EuroPsy certificate