From the Perspective of Our Psychotherapists; Ensad Miljković

The “From the Perspective of Our Psychotherapists” column is designed to help you get to know our psychotherapists better through questions from the areas of psychotherapy and mental health.

ENSAD MILJKOVIĆ, psychotherapist

1. In your work, you emphasize that therapy can be both short-term and very focused. In what situations can one or several sessions bring a significant shift, and how can clients prepare for such work?

It is important to emphasize that everything depends on the nature of the problem and the person’s broader life context. In situations where the difficulty is clearly defined, where there is no marked emotional destabilization, and where the person has the capacity for reflection and for applying concrete tools, one or several sessions can bring a significant shift. These are often specific dilemmas, repetitive patterns of thinking, fears linked to certain situations, or the need to make an important decision. In such cases, it is possible to gain insight relatively quickly, clarify key beliefs, and focus on concrete steps toward change.

On the other hand, there are situations in which more time is needed, especially when a person is emotionally overwhelmed, is going through trauma, loss, or prolonged stress. In these cases, the priority is stabilization, strengthening the sense of safety, and emotion regulation, so that deeper work on the problem itself can only follow afterward. Without this phase, any attempt to speed up the process can be counterproductive.

The role of the therapist is to offer clear insights, but also to provide the client with concrete tools and a structure for the work. The goal is not for the client to become dependent on therapy, but for them to gradually develop the ability to independently recognize their patterns, manage their emotions, and cope with challenges in a functional way. Short-term therapy can be very effective when there is focus, willingness to work actively, and a clearly defined goal.

2. You have worked with very different groups of clients, from migrants and oncology patients to corporate professionals. What common patterns or challenges do you most often notice in people, regardless of their life background?

Regardless of context and background, people often struggle with a sense of inadequacy, fear of rejection, a need for control, and difficulties in regulating emotions, at least during some period of their lives. Many carry an inner critical voice that exhausts them more than the life situation itself. Also, regardless of background, everyone has a need to be seen, understood, and accepted. In essence, human vulnerability and the need for connection are universal.

3. Cognitive behavioral therapy and REBT are known for their structured and practical approach. How do you help clients turn the insights they gain into concrete changes in everyday life?

Cognitive behavioral therapy and rational emotive cognitive behavioral therapy do not stop at the level of insight alone. In my work with clients, I help them identify their automatic beliefs, especially rigid and irrational ones, and then examine and test them through concrete tasks and experiments in everyday life. Insight becomes real change only when new, more functional thinking begins to be applied in real situations. This involves homework assignments, monitoring thoughts and emotions, exposure exercises, assertiveness training, and developing more flexible attitudes. Structure provides a sense of safety, but the process is always adapted to the person.

In addition to these approaches, I also use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Compassion-Focused Therapy in my work. Depending on the context and type of problem, I assess which approach would be most effective at a given moment. Sometimes the focus is on changing dysfunctional beliefs, sometimes on developing psychological flexibility and accepting unpleasant inner experiences, and sometimes on building an inner sense of safety and self-compassion.

Depending on the session itself, I follow what the client most needs at that moment. The therapeutic process is not rigid or predetermined; it is integrative and adapted to the person, their capacities, and the stage they are going through. The goal is always the same: to help the person develop sustainable skills and an inner stability that they can carry beyond the therapy room.

4. You work especially with anxiety, trauma, burnout, and emotion regulation. What does building resilience look like for people who feel overwhelmed or “stuck”?

When we work on anxiety, trauma, burnout, or a sense of being stuck, the focus is on gradually building psychological resilience. This means learning to tolerate unpleasant emotions, distinguishing real threats from catastrophic inner interpretations, developing self-compassion, and restoring a sense of control through small, achievable steps.

Within Compassion-Focused Therapy, it is important to normalize the client’s experience. People often come with an additional burden of shame, because they believe they should not think or feel what they feel. One of the key elements of the work is understanding that we are not to blame for how our brain has been shaped by evolution. Our mind is biologically tuned to detect threats, to anticipate danger, and to protect us, even when a real threat does not exist. Thoughts and emotions often arise automatically, without our conscious decision.

Still, although we are not responsible for the fact that certain thoughts and emotions appear, we do have responsibility for how we relate to them and how we choose to act. This is exactly where resilience is built. I help the person develop an inner, more compassionate relationship with themselves, reduce self-criticism, and activate the system of calm and safety, instead of constantly functioning from the threat system.

Resilience does not mean the absence of pain, but the ability to move through pain consciously, with more understanding toward oneself, and without losing one’s own values and direction.

5. As a therapist, supervisor, and researcher with international experience, what do you consider the key element of successful therapy, and what would you tell people who are considering coming to psychotherapy for the first time?

I consider a high-quality therapeutic relationship, combined with a clear structure and jointly defined goals, to be the key element of successful therapy. Safety and trust create space for honesty, and structure gives direction and efficiency. To people who are thinking about coming to psychotherapy for the first time, I would say that asking for help is a sign of responsibility toward yourself, not a sign of weakness. The first meeting does not obligate you to anything beyond a conversation. Sometimes it is enough simply to take that first step for a process of change to begin.