Individual Psychotherapy
You don’t have to carry all that weight by yourself
We’ll make sense of it together, helping you build up your emotional resilience.
I specialize in working with individuals who suffer from:
I also work with people that struggle with major life transitions such as job loss, career transitions, divorce, becoming a parent, relocation, etc.
In addition, I provide psychotherapy in English, Serbian, Croatian, Montenegrin, and Bosnian.
Let’s work through your struggles using Schema Therapy
Schema therapy addresses unmet basic emotional needs. These needs are universal, and when they are not met in childhood, coupled with one’s temperament, maladaptive schemas are developed. Schemas represent core themes or patterns that shape how we perceive ourselves, our relationships, and the world. They include bodily sensations, emotions, memories, and thoughts.
Since it is very difficult when our emotional needs are not met, as children, we begin to develop different behaviors to try to meet them. These behaviors are adaptive in childhood and adolescence, but later, when we grow up, they become maladaptive. Today, these behaviors are known as maladaptive coping mechanisms.
Our goal now is to understand what really happened in your childhood - to give a true meaning to your past experiences, to understand how schemas were formed, to recognize which needs were unmet then, and which needs are still unmet today. Together, we will be working on finding better ways to meet those needs in a healthy manner, instead of relying on the old behaviors that no longer produce good outcomes.
While Schema Therapy is at the heart of my practice, I integrate techniques from Rational-Emotive and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (RECBT), Mindfulness, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Body psychotherapy to provide suitable support, especially when addressing trauma and complex trauma. My approach is enriched by the insights of renowned experts like Babette Rothschild, Janina Fisher, Pat Ogden, Bessel van der Kolk, Gabor Maté, and Stephen Porges.
In our sessions, we'll use a combination of cognitive, experiential, and behavioral techniques to challenge unhelpful beliefs and patterns. This might include imagery exercises, chair work, role-playing, or developing new, healthy coping strategies. Our therapeutic relationship offers a safe and supportive environment where you can experience validation and understanding. By addressing these core issues, Schema Therapy empowers you to deal with obstacles and foster personal growth.
No matter where you’re starting from, I’m here to support you on your journey.
Let's explore how your early emotional needs may not have been met, leading to the struggles you’re facing now. We’ll work on recognizing those patterns and finding new, healthier ways to meet your basic emotional needs today.