Dr Gjurgjica Badzakova Trajkov

Clinical experience

I am an open, honest and curious person who likes to form deep and trusting therapeutic relationships with my clients. I have a lot of compassion and empathy, and relate well to people.

I have a background working with a range of difficulties people might be experiencing. Some of these include:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Phobias
• Post-traumatic stress
• History of trauma
• Stress
• Emotional dysregulation
• Adjustment issues

I take a flexible approach in the way I work and begin by finding what works best for the person I am working with. I have completed specialised training in a number of therapeutic approaches including:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
• Eye Movement and Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR).

Personal background and philosophy

My main philosophy is to help clients live better even though they may struggle with difficult feelings in response to what life brings. Being a therapist and/or support person for someone is a privilege. We are all human and we all share in the joys and suffering of being on life’s journey.

My curiosity and wanting to make a difference led me on the journey of becoming a health professional. I have always been drawn and interested in human stories and learning about human emotions and behaviours, and the human brain.

Over the years, I have come to realise that sharing personal stories in therapy is a vulnerable experience and as such trust and understanding is the most important thing I can offer.  This often deepens the therapeutic relationship and allows meaningful work to take place.

Like most people I take on different roles. I am most grateful for being a mother, wife, daughter and sister. I also take on a role of being a sports person who enjoys competing in and watching different sports.

Professional background

I am a registered Clinical Psychologist working in Auckland. I have experience working in Adult Mental Health and neuropsychology/brain rehabilitation. I have been in clinical practice since 2016 with the last few years primarily in a community-based adult mental health setting. Prior to my clinical practice, I was a research fellow at the University of Auckland. My academic interests lie in the area of neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience.