this shaped me too
I’ve spent more than two decades working in psychology, but some of my biggest lessons came from living those lessons myself.
Moving to Australia at 14 and returning to Croatia at 38 taught me how deeply change can shape who we are. I bring experience, curiosity and a belief that people are often wiser than they realise; and that nobody needs to have everything figured out before asking for help.
My story
I arrived to Croatia in Aug 2018 pretty damn sure that I was coming back home. For a while, it did feel like a dream I’d imagined. The trips were fun and the family nearby. There was always somewhere to go, someone dropping in and another birthday to celebrate.
Then I started realising that I wasn’t only a ‘wog’ when I arrived to Australia in ’94. I was actually a foreigner here too. I noticed that I argue differently here and rest differently, too. The things that feel natural to me don’t always feel natural to the people around me.
Sometimes, I caught myself wondering if the problem was Croatia and other times I was pretty sure that it was me. Some things that felt like kindness to me looked like insanity here. The things that felt normal here often left me wondering what memo I had missed.
Slowly, I realised I wasn’t only learning Croatia; I was re-learning a whole heap about myself. I haven’t loved all of it, to be very honest. I actually quite disliked some habits and patterns I got myself into.
Living between two worlds is both challenging and interesting. It keeps showing me how much we might need to stretch to find a life that actually makes sense to us.
Sometimes finding home has less to do with geography and more about trusting what fits you well.
My background
Croatian-born and Australian-raised psychology graduate with 23+ years of experience. I moved to Australia in 1994 and initially studied journalism, HR and business before focusing on psychology.
Living between two countries has shaped how I understand people, solve problems, navigate relationships, make decisions and the ways all of us, in different way try to make sense of our lives.
My approach
I bring years of sitting with people through change and enough experience from my own life to know that there aren’t any quick fixes. I bring curiosity and a belief that nobody has to have everything figured out before asking for help.
In my experience, most of us do not want advice. We need a place to pause and be real about what is true for us and to hear ourselves. That’s what these conversations are for.
My experience
I have worked in community health, medical practices, with the homeless, in drug and alcohol rehabilitation, employment services and private practice.
I completed my Bachelors of Psychology with First Class Honours on the Gold Coast Australia. I’ve continued learning about psychology ever since, sometimes in what you might call a little bit of an obsessive way.
I’ve also spent plenty of time on the other side of the therapy couch myself. I value having my own work reviewed and doing the work I might be suggesting you try, myself. Just like everyone else, I’m a work in progress.
my philosophy
I’ve spent a big chunk of my life discovering that there is rarely one right way to understand a person, a problem or someones’ experience. Context changes things and so does perspective. Sometimes, we need to stop trying so hard to make things happen and start paying attention to what is already unfolding.
Change asks a lot of us but it doesn't ask us to stop being ourselves.
we can start here...
You don’t need to know whether this is exactly what you’re looking for. Sometimes the first conversation is a way of finding out.