I am Dr. Dunja Pacirski and the center New Beginnings unfolded as a part of my new beginnings. After more than 20 years of living in the USA, I decided to expand my path and add a new chapter into my life story by relocating back to Croatia and my hometown Zagreb. I came into my new beginnings as a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and qualified supervisor, certified EMDR therapist, and internationally certified addiction professional. I am also holding a doctoral degree from Barry University in Miami, Florida with a research focus in mindfulness and reflective practice. My own continuous inner searching for the best version of me and my clinical work as a healing practitioner during the last two decades, lead me to develop insights, skills, and practices that, today, help me bring my personal vision and professional mission to life:

“Helping people find inner peace and expand in joy for self, life, and each other.”

During my 20-year tenure in the field of mental health counseling, I gained extensive and multidimensional clinical experience while providing both group and individual therapy services. My work included counseling children, adolescents, and adults with variety of diagnosed conditions and mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, PTSD and other trauma-related issues, some of which are different phobias, alcoholism and addictions, difficulties in stress-management, low self-esteem, problematic interpersonal relations, etc. Furthermore, supported by my passion for and long practice of mindfulness (meditation), I facilitated numerous community and professional presentations and workshops on holistic approaches to stress reduction and promoting wellness.

During the previous decade, my career also expanded into supervisory work with mental health clinicians and academia setting where I have taught graduate level courses and facilitated continuing education workshops. Focus of my work in supervision and education of other professionals included therapeutic models in treating trauma-related disorders, conducting clinical assessments and individualized treatment planning, as well as various psycho-social interventions for treating alcoholism and other addictions.

My strong belief in continuous professional development motivates me o constantly update my therapeutic skills, including keeping up with the most recent neuroscience research. This enables me to utilize myriad of evidence-based practice therapy models during my sessions, such as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, including Trauma-Focused model or TF-CBT), mindfulness (meditation) and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), reflective practice, 12-step program, etc.

Whether it is in a group or individual therapy session, counseling or workshop setting, my approach remains firmly rooted in providing my clients with unconditional empathy and building collaborative partnerships with them. My focus is on providing guidance and support in a manner that will enable you to resolve your past traumas or negative experiences keeping you blocked, enhance your emotional balance, and strengthen your positive core beliefs and sense of life-fulfillment in order to move forward in life and reach your maximum potential.