I'm Dora, it's so great to meet you!
if there is anything you need to know before you give me a call - I can’t do my work any different than I am in real life - I will call it as I see it with lots of humor and compassion.
Office, located in Hermosa Beach, is serving clients from Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, El Segundo, Torrance, Palos Verdes, greater Los Angeles area and virtually thorough out California.
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Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (License No. 146513) located in Hermosa Beach, California serving clients from the South Bay and LA area and virtually across California
launched private practice focusing on work with couples
I come from a very relational and attachment framework in my work. I can't help but be intrigued by the ways in which relationships impact peoples' lives! Before you ask, I do still work with plenty of individuals.
solidified interest in couples' work
Worked with couples, kids and their parents, and other individuals with all kinds of presenting issues.
worked in a non-profit mental health agency
Master’s of Science in Marital and Family Therapy
Mediating people who are about to get divorced wasn't my cup of tea; I realized that helping people make it work is more my jam. That's when I decided to become a therapist!
special training in Conflict Resolution and Mediation
extensive experience working with children with special needs and their parents
Bachelor's in communication with a minor in business
Spent a lot of time dancing and acting, developing my love for storytelling.
Fascination with stories and storytelling influenced my approach in therapy by paying special attention to stories people tell themselves, stories people hear about themselves, and stories people wish to write about themselves.
born & Raised in Croatia
A little more about me
education and experience
I take my coffee strong and black. That probably says everything you need to know. I prefer to skip small talk and head right into a deep midnight conversation. When I'm not helping others heal through relationships, set boundaries, or feel comfortable with who they are, you're most likely to find me buried in mythology or Russian literature (or rewatching Gilmore Girls for the hundredth time). Now, it's only fair for me to tell you what I'm less great at... in case you're curious, it's putting up with the mundane, traffic, time management, and not knowing the answers.
You wanna know more about me as a human...
let me guess
I'm a therapist who believes that healing happens in relationship whether that's the one you have with your partner, your past, the world, or with yourself. My style is collaborative, nonjudgmental, and direct. I won’t sugarcoat things, but I also won’t pathologize your pain.
When working with couples, I don’t take sides. Instead, I help each partner feel seen and heard, even and especially when things are messy or painful.
I show up with curiosity and compassion, and I’m not afraid to go deep because that is what’s usually needed to get an insight.
We’ll look at how your environment, upbringing, and past experiences have shaped you, and how you can begin to make more intentional, self-aligned choices moving forward. I believe therapy should be a space where you feel grounded and challenged in equal measure: where growth can happen, not because you’re being “fixed,” but because you’re finally being supported in a way that honors who you are.
Clients often tell me they feel seen and safe in our work, even when we’re exploring the hard stuff. I believe in the power of therapy to help people reconnect with who they are and what they need to thrive.
As a therapist, I see my role as a collaborative partner in your process not the expert who has it all figured out, but someone who’s here to walk alongside you as you make sense of your life. You’re the expert of your own experience. My job is to help you reconnect with your values, your voice, and your sense of agency. In our work together, I wear a few different hats. Sometimes I’m a co-author: helping you challenge the old narratives that keep you stuck and rewrite the ones that better reflect who you truly are. Sometimes I’m a guide: supporting you on a journey of self-discovery and self-actualization, helping you clarify what kind of life and relationships you want to build. And sometimes I’m a teacher: offering tools for emotional awareness, boundary setting, and communication, especially when your needs have historically gone unmet or unspoken.
...and as a therapist
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Training
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Certification Training
- Anxiety Certification course
- Complex Trauma Certification Training with Interventions from EMDR, Parts Work, CPT, and Polyvagal Theory
- Treating Complex Trauma with Internal Family Systems (IFS) Course
- Transforming Trauma with Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) Course
- Accelerated experiential dynamic psychotherapy for Trauma and Attachment Wounds course
- Peter Levine's Trauma Master Class: Somatic Experiencing
Individuals
- Imago Couples Therapy with Harville Hendrix certificate
- The Relational Life Therapy Approach to Couples Therapy with Terry Real master class
- Encounter-Centered Couples Therapy: “Teaching Couples the Art of Connection” training
- The Gottman Method to Treating Affairs and Trauma: An Advanced Training Course
- Healing from Affairs Training with Tammy Nelson: Moving Past the Trauma of Betrayal and Infidelity
- Integrative Sex and Couples Certification Training: Certified Sex Therapy Informed Professional (CSTIP) Course
Couples
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Training
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Certification Training
- Anxiety Certification course
- Complex Trauma Certification Training with Interventions from EMDR, Parts Work, CPT, and Polyvagal Theory
- Treating Complex Trauma with Internal Family Systems (IFS) Course
- Transforming Trauma with Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) Course
- Accelerated experiential dynamic psychotherapy for Trauma and Attachment Wounds course
- Peter Levine's Trauma Master Class: Somatic Experiencing
Individuals
- Imago Couples Therapy with Harville Hendrix certificate
- The Relational Life Therapy Approach to Couples Therapy with Terry Real master class
- Encounter-Centered Couples Therapy: “Teaching Couples the Art of Connection” training
- The Gottman Method to Treating Affairs and Trauma: An Advanced Training Course
- Healing from Affairs Training with Tammy Nelson: Moving Past the Trauma of Betrayal and Infidelity
- Integrative Sex and Couples Certification Training: Certified Sex Therapy Informed Professional (CSTIP) Course
- Integrative relationship therapy certification with Tammy Nelson
- Transformative approach to couples therapy with Esther Perel, master class
Couples
certifications and trainings
We rewrite your dominant narrative to rightfully include those positive stories to create a more realistic story of yourself and your life. This results in the realization that people are people and problems are problems; your problems are not who you are; they are just obstacles that happen to everyone. We all are just people who live our lives and occasionally encounter unusual and difficult life experiences.
The goal of rewriting our story is to have an agency over our lives. It is important to understand how we have contributed to our own reality; what is in our control; and how we wish to change it (and then doing the work!). When we understand what part we play in a problem-saturated narrative and take responsibility for it , we can move our focus toward solutions.
third, we rewrite:
We stop actively engaging in those negative stories that do not accurately represent your lived experience and begin to focus on the positive stories which highlight your strengths and achievements.
second, we stop:
We realize that those negative stories are not the only stories about your lived experience.
first, we realize:
I believe that problems happen when our expectations do not match our realities. Time and again people blame themselves or others into believing something is wrong with them, and that THEY are indeed the problem. When you can't separate person-from-problem, an assortment of negative stories that impact our emotions, relationships, and self-esteem get created.
How does this all apply to your story? In our work together, we'll focus on three steps to a solution:
