Services
About My Clients
Given my background in conflict resolution and mediation, as well as my training in relational trauma and infidelity, I have the ability to work with couples on diverse issues: communication, interpersonal conflict, relational traumas, infidelity, lack of trust and intimacy, and difficulties in connecting with one another. I have worked with individuals dealing with depression, anxiety, self-actualization, trauma, conflict, relational and family issues, life transitions, parenting and grief.
My Background and Approach
For couples, therapy often entails exploring both partners’ early relationships with primary caregivers. Often times, exploring these relationships can give insight into the unhelpful relational patterns partners have developed. Doing so creates to examine the impact unhelpful patterns have on their current relationships, and in turn strengthens their bond by developing a secure connection with one another. This process can reduce blaming behaviors within the couple, help increase intimacy, and heal old wounds. Moreover, as an immigrant from Croatia, I understand firsthand the multicultural related challenges that often affect immigrants. This awareness is vital for the therapeutic relationship since it allows me to fully empathize with my clients’ unique identities, and understand the unique nuances of their experience that impact the way they see the world.
My Personal Beliefs and Interests
I believe that problems happen when our expectations do not match our realties. Time and again people blame themselves or others into believing something is wrong with them and that THEY are indeed the problem. This inability to separate person-from-problem facing creates an assortment of negative stories that impact our emotions, relationships, and self-esteem. My style as a psychotherapist can be described as direct, distinctly oscillating between the roles of an explorer and a coach. As an explorer, my focus is to understand and decipher the “whys” to individuals’ presenting issues. Our attention centers on examining how and why these issues developed, and identifying the factors that are keeping people stuck in these unhelpful cycles. Subsequently, my focus as a coach is to not only help clients understand their unique feelings and needs, but also guide them to identify helpful ways of managing their emotions and expressing themselves to others.