Reflections from those I've had the privilege to walk alongside — clients, parents, practitioners, and fellow travellers.

I am very grateful to have found Aleksandra. She is humble, down to earth, kind, caring and a very positive part of my life. Her approach empowers me, sees me, holds me and lifts me above and beyond what I thought was possible. She has a remarkable gift of deep presence, listening and playfulness allowing for the joy and reverence of deep connection to bring about the transformation I seek. I highly recommend working with her.

A professional of rare sensitivity and dedication. She did accept my pain, listen to me without judging me. With great empathy she knew how to support me through a very difficult period. I will always be grateful to her for the extraordinary psychological and human help she gave me.

Aleksandra is a fantastic therapist. I appreciate her holistic approach, grounded support, clear listening and practical advice. For me her experience is essential. She is committed to her ongoing journey of growth and it is wonderful to feel that someone is alongside you. Sharing what they feel and has worked for them without judgement. I do highly recommend Aleksandra.

Aleksandra has an incredibly holistic skillset. She heard me with deft emotional attunement and her recommendations supported profound healing. Thank you Alexandra, every hospital, every patient needs this holism that you provide!

When I first met Alexandra I was reeling from previous negative experiences of psychiatry. Her friendly, warm, compassionately curious, deeply human approach, and delight in her work, has supported me in moving forward to embrace a richer and more meaningful life.

Dr Aleks held the time I spent with her beautifully. I was a river breaching my banks. Guiding me back into the room to focus on myself. So valuable to be asked if I wanted to know what Dr Aleks thought. I did. Advice on what to do in real-time and aftercare, all unsurpassed.

I contacted Dr Matakovic Manca after years of accumulated stress, different kinds of anxiety, and inner discomfort I could no longer manage alone. She was extremely empathetic, caring, and always listened. She helped me look inside myself and find tools to get through this period. After each session, the “heavy burden” I carried became lighter. She also helped me handle unbearable work-related stress. She was fundamental in this phase, and I feel truly lucky to have been followed by a doctor like her.

This approach has rippled out into my other relationships. I am much more present with conversations and have a greater awareness of other people's experience. Also I am more in my body and senses in each moment which is transformative as I am able to listen to my body signals more and respond more closely to their messages.

Working with Aleksandra has been a beautiful opportunity to reveal parts of myself that needed to be seen and welcomed. She constantly guided me back to my body and I felt met in tender places with compassion, care and respect, and I gained insights from it. I recommend working with Aleksandra.

Working with Aleksandra is an amazing experience. She has this great combination of a loving nature and intellectual sharpness. She is present with all of you just where you are with so much love, respect and compassion that your process unfolds in a smooth and delicate way, but at the same time powerful and effective. Every time I work with her, I feel a deep connection with my heart and my soul thanks to her presence and support.

Aleksandra is masterful in the way she listens to and feels what her clients are saying, beyond what their words. In my first session with her I brought up something I'd felt insecure about for many years. By the time I left I felt completely at peace with and in acceptance of that part of myself. I often think that personal development is like stretching. Some methods are like stretching a muscle - quick and to the point. These methods appeal to the part of us that wants to believe that we can make long term change at lightning speed. But I've never seen that to be the case. Then there are others that are more like stretching connective tissue. You have to ease into it, breathe into it, and let it release in its own time. Aleksandra is this type of practitioner. There is a deep wisdom in her earned by her years of experience and a deep respect for the natural evolutionary process of those she works with. You won't find a safer and more nurturing guide to help you explore your inner world.

I’d was experiencing a lot of sleep deprivation when I went to Aleksandra for support. She was both really thorough with her intake and very empathic as we went through things - I felt so supported and understood. Her suggestions were spot on and I found that by following them even that night my sleep began to improve. I was impressed by her inclusion of many modalities and modes of thought around healing, she clearly has expertise in many areas that she brings together in her practice. I feel really fortunate to work with her!

I am going to struggle to find the words to say how I felt afterwards.. but, the closest I could describe it is that I felt more present, more in my body, than I have in a long time. The people I met after you seemed to really sense that, we had intense eye contact without any words shared, like they could really see me because I was for the first time fully there. I would have thought I would feel vulnerable and uncomfortable but I didn't. And that was in thanks to you, and those hours you gifted the space with your being... it had a huge effect on me.

I have found these sessions to be deeply supportive as I navigate my life. They provide a bolster of resilience and hope as there is always something new that can be uncovered. I am very excited to see where they will lead me as I journey onwards towards a deeper knowing and acceptance of myself.  Aleksandra is warm, kind, loving and a very skilled and capable therapist. She holds a space of deep nurture and care. Within this she is able to help elicit what's at the core with a feeling of safety and gentleness. I feel deeply heard and appreciate her gentle nudges towards a broader, freer way of thinking and self acceptance.  If you are considering working with Aleksandra, I highly recommend her and this work.

Dear Aleksandra, I have often thought of you in these years. Many times I would have liked to find refuge in the room where you, in my mind, continue to be found. Our dialogue, slow, calm, full of hope, of trust during those years spent together. your ability to support the bright parts. your reflections that still accompany me, in the words with which they were formulated, and their meaning that in the distance has opened up. And those flowers (flower essences), so effective, part of her magic... I think every time that we will meet again.

I am writing to you because there was something on my heart I wanted to share. Throughout these years (nearly 30 now), I have always felt very alone in facing the challenges that arose whenever S and L were going through difficult times. I always tried to find the right words, yet at times I felt helpless and unable to say the right thing; this made me feel powerless and almost "useless" regarding my daughters, who were dealing with situations that caused them distress. I wanted to thank you profusely because, knowing that you can help them through these difficult situations, I am finally able to "breathe" and know that the girls have someone to rely on in areas where I cannot be of much help. What you have done for S is priceless to me; Aleksandra, you are a special person!

Dr Manca is an absolute life saver. She’s been the best support myself and my daughter (children) could ever ask for. I don’t know how to put into words to describe how absolutely amazing she is both professionally and as a person.

Dr Manca shows genuine interest in my son and wellbeing of my whole family, treats us with upmost respect, kindness and humanity. She explores different ways of treatment and is very responsive to unscheduled emails.

I currently have multiple spaces that serve to hold and contain me but the space that I have with Aleksandra stands out because it is the only one of my spaces that is not a group space. While I have a great fascination and admiration for groups my work currently takes place in the realm of the individual and the space Aleksandra provides for me reflects that in many ways. I’ve found myself drawing on my experiences with her when I’m trying to figure out how to relate to my clients in the moment. There is something about the way that she works and thinks and gives me a space to reflect on myself that has helped me realise what comes naturally to me and how to use that in my sessions. Something else I wish to mention here are moments with her where I’ve found myself being held accountable for my actions and feelings in ways that allowed me to reflect on what was happening to me in that moment without being brought down by a sense of shame. I am truly grateful for what working with her has brought to my work and myself.

I have been blessed to know Aleks for several years, during which we have shared interests, passions and collaborations around mental health and consciousness (among other things). As a former service user whose personal experiences of psychiatry have mostly been overwhelmingly negative, it gladdens my heart to know that people like Aleks exist within the statutory sector. Aleks is a wonderful and exciting person to know. She balances warmth, compassion, humour, and genuine love for the people in her life, including her patients, with deep, intuitive wisdom, keen intelligence, curiosity, playfulness and a tangible delight in the adventure of being alive. She is not afraid to be vulnerable, is unfailingly honest, and has the gift of being easily able to create a safe, healing environment in which to guide and support people of all kinds towards transformation. She is deeply empathetic and perceptive, able to cut to the heart of any issue and intuitively know how to address it using a combination of the myriad tools in her holistic belt. While her boundaries are strong and clear, Aleks' work is not separate from her life, but is her passion, vocation, joy and commitment. She is unflinching in the journey of her own personal development and the courage, fascination and awareness she brings to that flow naturally and abundantly into her relationships with those she supports, be they colleagues or seekers.

I've known Aleksandra for many years, and every time I meet and talk to her, I feel a sense of depth and connection with the universe and her energy and her spiritual side and I see more possibilities than I ever before. I feel warmth, closeness, affection and trust.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have Aleksandra’s support as both a coach and a supervisor, both being spaces that look after my needs in different ways. In both of them I’ve experienced her kindness, curiosity and gentility in helping me explore aspects of myself and my experience. The ways she engages and responds to me have helped me learn how to try and engage myself with the same kindness and gentility which has been truly valuable. I still struggle of course with maintaining that and on those days, when it’s hard to be kind to myself it helps to have some version of her voice in my mind to remind me how.

Aleks is an amazing psychiatrist. She really puts the child at the centre of her thinking and planning and has brilliant communication skills when speaking with young people. She shows lots of insight into the young people’s mental health difficulties and is able to treat them holistically. I feel she is very approachable and knowledgeable and is able to offer guidance and advice on any of the cases I am working on.

I have worked with Dr Manca on a case in psychotherapy. She has been simply exceptional throughout. Dr Manca has very strong formulation skills, which I appreciated when I was introduced to the case. She has also great understanding of psychotherapy and her knowledge is used adaptively with each patient in order to make sure that the needs of the young people that she works with are met. Dr Manca is a trusted and generous colleague with her knowledge and time. Never have I doubted her clinical judgement and the seriousness that she puts into her work. She would be a trusted Consultant Psychiatrist to work with and I definitely hope we can remain in touch for future collaborations.

I found the process very profound. Not easy certainly, and not pain free, angst free or question free. But I have felt more grounded in myself today and able to be present here in a body and be seen. Not saying it's a miraculous transformation, or that it's not a journey I'm already on, but I do feel it has made a positive impact and I would be interested in exploring this way of working more. I think it's very profound.

It was a wonderful meeting, a new and memorable experience. Thank you Aleksandra for leading us into new paths. I gained much from the experience.