Dominique Smajstr

PSYCHOTHERAPY

Psychotherapy can help you to understand your relationship issues, emotional conflicts and psychological difficulties. Both a process and a relationship, psychotherapy is a safe place and someone to go to when life feels difficult. It is a means of exploring your internal and external world while becoming self-aware, and being curious about yourself, your problems, difficulties and your lived experience. I am an observer and a companion on your journey and will help you find your way by collaboratively addressing issues and questions that really matter to you. My approach is grounded in a Psychodynamic framework which includes a focus on:

-the therapeutic relationship

-expression of emotion

-exploration of attempts to avoid difficult or distressing thoughts, emotions and topics

-exploration of past experiences

-interpersonal experiences

-wishes, dreams and fantasies

By developing a deeper relationship with yourself, others and life through the cultivation of self-awareness you change unhelpful behavioural and relational patterns outside of consciousness enabling you to develop a stronger sense of self, greater flexibility when faced with stressors and challenges and increase your capacity to love, live, work and play.

I know from many years in my own personal therapy both what it is like to be a client and experience the valuable and transformative power of a therapeutic relationship.

I am deeply committed to the practice of psychotherapy and the profession and am in regular clinical supervision, ongoing professional development and have a particular interest in developmental trauma, attachment theory, differentiation theory and neuroscience.

COUPLE THERAPY

I am a calm, warm and relational therapist passionate about supporting couples to do the work within themselves and between one another to break unhealthy patterns that work against their relationship. I work in a collaborative, focused and insight-oriented manner and provide a safe and reflective environment for couples to switch from reactivity to curiosity, reveal their concerns and vulnerabilities to deepen intimacy and trust and ultimately build a stronger, more satisfying relationship. I am trained in The Developmental Model of Couples Therapy and Systems Theory and am further informed by Imago Relationship Therapy, The Gottman Method and Mindfulness.

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