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                                                     Clinical Experience & Training​

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I was born in the small Mediterranean country of Montenegro (former Yugoslavia) and immigrated to the United States to pursue my education in psychology. My lived experience of migration, cultural transition, and identity formation deeply informs my clinical work and provides a nuanced understanding of adjustment, belonging, and the emotional complexity of rebuilding life in a new country. I am fluent in Serbian, Bosnian, and Croatian and have extensive experience working with immigrants, refugees, and culturally diverse communities.

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I hold a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision and a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Missouri–St. Louis, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Tampa. In addition, I have completed post-graduate training in Advanced Psychodynamic Psychotherapy at the Saint Louis Psychoanalytic Institute and am certified in Brainspotting and HeartMath.

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My work integrates doctoral-level research and theory in relational neuroscience, attachment, resilience, and intergenerational healing, translating scientific rigor into clinically meaningful, relationally grounded practice. I have presented at numerous local, national, and international conferences and have published scholarly work on post-traumatic stress and trauma treatment, integrating evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy.

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I am an approved trainer and supervisor in both the United States and internationally through the Serbian Society for Integrative Art Psychotherapy. I have trained mental health providers in the United States and internationally, including clinicians from Uganda and various European countries. In addition to international training, I have developed and delivered continuing education workshops at institutions including Washington University, the University of Missouri, and numerous mental health agencies and professional organizations.

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My leadership experience includes serving as Clinical Supervisor at the Center for Survivors of Torture and War Trauma and as Clinical Director at Bilingual International Services. In these roles, I provided individual and group therapy, supervised clinicians, delivered professional trainings, and collaborated with universities and mental health agencies.

 

My clinical expertise includes complex trauma, post-traumatic stress, grief and loss, identity transitions, attachment wounds, and relational disconnection. I also served for nine years on community advisory boards at the Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences and the Institute for Public Health at Washington University. In this role, I collaborated with researchers to bridge community practice and academia and to support ethical, culturally responsive research and public health initiatives.

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My Clinical Philosophy & Professional Journey

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As an immigrant who came to the United States at the age of 19 as an international student, and as someone who has spent over 17 years working in trauma recovery settings, I have a deep understanding of adjustment, loneliness, cultural transition, and the emotional complexity of rebuilding life in a new environment. I have also navigated my own significant life transitions and have had the privilege of working with thousands of clients from diverse backgrounds, each carrying their own stories, struggles, and strengths.

These experiences—both personal and professional—have profoundly shaped how I understand suffering, resilience, and healing.

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Through both my personal journey and my clinical work, it has become profoundly clear to me that much of human suffering is rooted in unhealed relational wounds.

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Research, including the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study, shows that unhealed trauma can be carried across generations, affecting not only emotional and mental health, but also physical health, relationships, and overall well-being. When trauma is not healed, its impact often continues in our children and future generations. Healing, therefore, is not only a personal act—it is a powerful intergenerational gift.

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Each of us carries influences from ancestral and intergenerational trauma, in utero and early developmental experiences, early attachment relationships, family rules around emotional expression, cultural expectations and systemic forces, and our current environment, including relationships, career, lifestyle, and community. All of these shape our mental, emotional, physical, relational, and even spiritual well-being.

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One of the longest studies in the world, the Harvard Study of Adult Development, has consistently shown that the strongest predictor of long-term health, happiness, and life satisfaction is the quality of our relationships—not only romantic partnerships, but also friendships, community connections, and the relationship we have with ourselves.

I also pay close attention to the environments that surround and shape those relationships. Our nervous systems are not formed only through connection, but through the rhythms, demands, and emotional tone of our daily lives. Lifestyle matters—nutrition, movement, sleep, time in nature, what you read, what you listen to, and where you place your attention all directly influence your nervous system, energy, and emotional resilience.

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Suffering is an inevitable part of being human, and both positive and painful experiences shape who we become. However, when stress, loss, or adversity fall outside our window of tolerance, they can become depleting—emotionally, physically, relationally, and even spiritually. Over time, this can pull us into survival mode rather than allowing us to live from a grounded, regulated, and aligned place.

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In my work, the goal is not to eliminate struggle, but to help clients expand their capacity, integrate their experiences, and move forward with greater awareness. Together, we work toward making choices from clarity, alignment, and self-trust—rather than from reactivity, fear, or old protective patterns that no longer serve.

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Curriculum Vitae