By the demoduck.co.uk news desk
Hanna Nabilska arrived in Britain three years ago after fleeing war-torn Ukraine with her young daughter. At first, the move felt temporary. Then the reality of building a life in a new country, language and professional system began to take shape.
The 40-year-old former child psychologist has since retrained, found work in education and opened her own private practice in Manchester as a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist. Her route through those changes included Ambition Manchester, a careers and employability programme linked to Manchester Adult Education Service.
Her story is not only about finding work. It shows how language learning, adult education and steady careers support can help someone move from survival mode into professional confidence.
From Ukraine to a new professional start
Nabilska arrived in the UK unable to speak English. She spent her first months studying the language intensively while adjusting to life far from home with her daughter, now 13.
She has said she still feels self-conscious about speaking English, but it has not stopped her from moving back toward the field she knew in Ukraine. While adapting to a new country, she completed a Level 2 Teaching Assistant course and secured a job as a teaching assistant in a pre-school.
After a year in that role, she began a Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy. The move allowed her to reconnect with psychology, the profession she had worked in before leaving Ukraine.
Careers support helped her navigate the UK job market
In July 2025, Nabilska referred herself to Ambition Manchester after a recommendation from a friend. The programme offers personalised careers guidance, coaching and employability support, including help with confidence, skills development and practical steps into work.
For Nabilska, the support included help writing a CV, searching and applying for jobs, and learning how to use tools such as LinkedIn after graduation. She has said the process felt overwhelming before the service became involved.
A central part of that support was her relationship with her career adviser, Sarah. Nabilska said having someone to discuss doubts, ideas and fears with helped her rebuild self-belief after a period spent in survival mode.
She described her first impression of Ambition Manchester as positive, saying the programme felt human and supportive. In her words, she felt welcome, respected and heard during her first face-to-face meeting.
A private practice shaped by lived experience
Nabilska now runs a private practice as a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist, supporting adults experiencing depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, phobias and panic attacks. She works in both Ukrainian and English.
That bilingual work matters in a city where people may be rebuilding their lives after displacement, grief or upheaval. Access to mental health support in a familiar language can reduce one of the barriers that often stops people from asking for help.
Alongside her clinical work, Nabilska contributes to community and charity initiatives. These include a bilingual children’s book with Opora exploring what it means to grow up between Ukrainian and British cultures, and a support group for Ukrainian teenagers focused on emotional wellbeing and soft-skills development.
She has said her current work reflects both her values and her life experience. Her daughter remains a major source of inspiration, and Nabilska has described their open, supportive relationship as an anchor through difficult periods.
Manchester Adult Education Service points to long-term impact
Councillor Shazia Butt, Executive Member for Culture, Libraries and Leisure, said Nabilska’s story shows the long-term effect Manchester Adult Education Service can have on trainees.
She said services such as the Ambition Project specialise not only in teaching, but in giving learners practical skills they can take into the workplace. She also pointed to the importance of helping learners navigate the job market and apply their skills to individual career journeys.
Butt said she was proud of Nabilska’s achievement and believed her example would inspire others to take part in the Ambition Project.
Support is still available for people planning their next step
Nabilska’s message to others is direct: do not struggle alone. She encourages people who are unsure about their skills, confidence or next career move to ask for support, because the result can be life-changing.
For people adjusting to a new country, returning to a profession or trying to enter a different workplace, her experience shows that practical help with language, training, CVs and job applications can open a route back to independence.
“For people like me, it is very important to have someone on your side who believes in you, is interested in your success, and cares about your future,” Nabilska said.
Source: Manchester City Council
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This article is based on Manchester City Council's published account of Hanna Nabilska's career journey and Ambition Manchester support.
- Confirmed the named programme as Ambition Manchester, part of Manchester Adult Education S...
- Kept career dates to the source material, including the July 2025 referral.
- Matched named roles and services to the council account.
- Separated verified facts from wider community context.
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- Manchester City Council
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- Manchester
- Updated
- 2026-06-01 13:33
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