VERA HRVATIN
Psychotherapy
About Me
I am a pluralistic counsellor and psychotherapist based in Sligo. Alongside my private practice, I currently work in family support. Outside of work, I’m a wife and a mum to three young people, who keep me firmly connected to the joys, challenges and messiness of everyday life.
Since my late teenage years, I've been fascinated by the complexity of human experience: why we develop the ways we do, why we sometimes keep repeating patterns that no longer serve us, and what allows real change and healing to happen. I’ve been particularly curious about human relationships and their capacity to hurt us, shape us and also become places of healing. I started by exploring my own relationships and patterns, and over time this curiosity naturally extended into my work with others.
That curiosity has taken me through many different areas of learning and experience, from coaching and mindfulness to psychotherapy, trauma work, attachment, body-based approaches and Internal Family Systems.
Therapeutic Approach
I believe that people have an innate capacity for growth and healing, even when that capacity can become difficult to access.
I don't see people as broken or in need of fixing. I'm interested in understanding what has happened, what has been learned along the way, and how those experiences may still shape the way we relate to ourselves, others and the world around us. This is why I value approaches that are compassionate, non-pathologising and curious about what lies beneath the behaviours that bring us to therapy.
I also believe that the relationship between therapist and client matters enormously. Many of the difficulties we face have their roots in early relational wounds, and healing can happen in a relationship where we feel genuinely seen and met. Much of my own journey as a therapist has been about growing in my knowledge, courage and capacity to be fully present in that relationship and not hiding behind the role of “therapist”, but showing up as a real person while holding the boundaries and responsibility of the therapeutic role.
My professional journey
My psychotherapy training has been broad and integrative. I studied MSc in Pluralistic Counselling and Psychotherapy at IICP College, having previously completed the college’s bridging programme in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy. I also hold a Professional Certificate in Adolescent Psychotherapy.
Alongside my formal psychotherapy training, I have undertaken extensive training in Internal Family Systems (IFS). Since 2024, I have facilitated over 150 hours of IFS practice sessions on the IFSCA Stepping Stones training course. I have also pursued CPDs in many other areas of interest, including attachment theory, Interpersonal Neurobiology, complex trauma, OCD, chronic shame, neugidivergence, experiential therapy, and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). I continue to develop my practice through ongoing training, clinical supervision, personal work and, most of all, learning from the incredible people I work with.
My experience has grown through a combination of psychotherapy training, clinical work, volunteering and supporting people in different settings. I have worked with clients through Sligo Community Counselling and Turn2Me, as well as offering IFS-informed therapy and coaching. I have also volunteered with Samaritans as a listener and facilitated groups with Aware, supporting people experiencing anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder.
Across these different roles, what has remained consistent is my interest in the person behind whatever brings them to support: their experiences, relationships, strengths, struggles and the ways they have learned to navigate the world.