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About me

"Through my body, I learn about myself and explore my psychological contents. I am a passionate researcher of everything that moves my inner landscapes and enriches me holistically. The greatest teacher for me is nature, which represents the anchor of my embodied activity and my inspiration for sharing somatic practices and psychological knowledge . 

 

I'm part of the team POTOP Studios. For me, to dive deep, represents a symbolic form of travel, through mental and physical dimensions, through which I touch my essence. Journeys on which I discover who I really am and how I want to act in the world, so that I can be fully fulfilled and at the same time contribute precisely those pieces of the puzzle that are part of my gifts to the world." 

PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY 

By education I am University graduate psychologist with a license to work in the field of healthcare, issued by the Ministry of Health in Slovenia. For the past years, I have been gathering my experience in clinical practice within the Center for Mental Health - Health Center, where I met with individuals, couples and families and their various difficulties. I have experience working with anxiety (anxiety, panic attacks, etc.) and depressive disorders, bereavement, burnout, psychosomatic disorders, etc. As part of a multidisciplinary team, I independently managed a psychological outpatient clinic, offering counseling, psychological support and psychoeducation for individuals in psychological distress.
 

In this kind of work, the biggest guide for me is that I meet the client on a person-to-person basis and through compassionate action, which builds a bridge between us. The relationship between the client and the therapist is a key guide for me, as I am aware that a safe environment helps an individual in distress to feel, ground and find a way to greater strength within himself.

On this journey, however, he does not remain alone and is not judged in his vulnerabilities!

FACILITATION (trainer) 

In addition to psychology and therapeutic work, my passion is also facilitation and for more than 10 years I have been leading groups and group processes where individuals have the opportunity to learn about themselves and others in a variety of ways, through interactive methods and experiential learning. Every time I am amazed by the experience that individuals experience in groups, which I often see as a wonderful opportunity to mirror our own parts through others and learn about ourselves. 

DANCER AND MOVER 

Growing up, sport (handball) was a key way for me to grow. Through sports, I learned about myself, my body, the strength of my mind, group dynamics, mental preparedness, etc. A big turning point for me was the encounter with the dance form Contact improvisation, where I encountered completely new somatic approaches and the word "embodiment". With the feeling that I can finally combine my passions for psychology and movement, because every time I dance, I feel how strongly they intertwine. My organisation Moave - psychology in movement was founded with a key purpose to support individuals and groups to more embodied ways of acting and living. 


The Moave - psychology in movement is a non-governmental organization founded in 2016 with the aim of raising awareness among all age groups about the influence, importance and effects of physical movement and dance on the personal development of an individual. As an organization, we operate both locally and internationally. The main vision of the association is to unite, empower and raise awareness of individuals who share an interest in movement and personal research.

Work experience

 
2013 - ... : Trainer, facilitator of informal education 
Member of the pool of trainers of the National Agency MOVIT, for Erasmus+ programs
At home and abroad, I co-create projects to support youth workers for educational purposes (more at https://www.moave.si/erasmus)
2016: Founder of the association Moave - Psychology in movement
2019-2020: Internship for a psychologist in healthcare (Health Clinic Ljubljana) 
Internal medicine clinic, surgery clinic, pediatric clinic, neurology clinic
2020 - 2022 : Psychologist at the Mental Health Center - Trbovlje Health Center (https://www.zadusevnozdravje.si/) 
2022 - 2023 :  Psychologist at the Center for Health Promotion - Zdravstveni dom Kamnik (https://www.krepitev-zdravja.si/) 

Education 

​Some key trainings that had a significant impact on my professional and personal development. 

  • Conferences on mourning and grief in Ljubljana (2018) 

  • The impact of early traumatic experiences - a somatic approach to recovery support. The seminar was led by Elisabeth Schneider-Kaiser (2018)

  • Study Gestalt experiential psychotherapy (2019 - 2023)

  • PSYCHOTHERAPY OF TRAUMA INTEGRATION AND REPROCESSING - ALECEIA METHOD - Phase 1 with Mario C. Salvador (2023 - 2024)


International education:

Natural Minds (Romania) - (Depth psychology: Holistic nature-based model)

Wise bodies (Spain) - Gestalt theater, therapy and Body related work

Mask of conflict (Ireland) - Gestalt theater and therapy

Empowerment through coaching (Netherlands) 

Embodiment leadership (Latvia)

Education and experience in the field of somatics:

Member of the youth national team in handball (2003-2007)

Study practice with sports psychologist Aleš Vičič (2010)

Acro Yoga (2015) (Eva Brovinsky, Montreal acro yoga school)

Contact improvisation (2016 - ...) participation in international events and learning from international teachers: Nita Little, Martin Keogh, Ray Chung, Tom Weksler, Charley Morrissey, Yaniv Mintzer, Angelica Dony, Asaf Bachrach, Romain Bigé,...   ;

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Foto: Teresa Dyrdymal - Poruszone

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Foto: Cristina Crippa 

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My approach 

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I have studied Gestalt experiential psychotherapy approach, where the key is: 

  • The therapeutic meeting is based on the experience of the here and now, from which the client learns about himself and his ways of behaving and the possibilities he has to change them. 

  • The relationship between the client and the therapist is process-oriented and contributes significantly to the therapy.
    (
    This way of conducting therapy is called personal leadership, and we create it with engaged direct communication. Source: Kempler.si 

  • Therapeutic interventions can be creative media through which the client explores his inner world and makes sense of it through experiences. 

  • The therapist helps the client to identify his sources of strength to achieve the desired changes and to take responsibility for achieving them. It is not the therapist who makes the difference, but the client, and only this empowers the client. 
    *Read more about the methodTHERE
     

Other sources: 

Walter Kempler 

Jesper Juul, https://familylab.si/jesper-juul/

https://www.kempler-instituut.nl/

What about the body? 

In therapy, the body is not only a companion, but above all a source through which we can draw more information about ourselves, our experience of the world and the feelings that accompany us.

By including the body in therapy,  we introduce the client to a new way of understanding himself and connecting with his current experiences. With this knowledge, clients help themselves to establish a greater internal balance, develop the ability to self-regulate and act in an embodied way.

For this type of psychotherapy, we do not need to be trained movers or dancers. No prior somatic or movement experience is required. The aim is for the body to become part of our journey, home to ourselves and, as a result, a more holistic functioning and experience of ourselves. 

When working with the body and body-oriented therapies, we cannot ignore some key theories, knowledge and authors who carry the theoretical starting points of including the body in the psychotherapeutic process. Here I list only a few authors whom I have been following for years, and who with their knowledge have contributed to a deeper understanding of trauma and the involvement of the body in the process of healing painful experiences, which have become part of psychophysical functioning:

More inspirations at: https://www.moave.si/inspirations

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