My name is Ana Bijelić. I was born in 1979 in Šibenik where I currently live and work. Few years ago, coping with emotionally overwhelming circumstances, I decided to look for a helping hand and relief, unaware that this self-searching quest would open a completely new chapter in my life. With a master’s degree in economics, I had an office job that had always made me quite unsatisfied because it wasn't the job I desired nor the environment I wanted to be in. However, I didn't know what it was that I wanted, what was the job I was meant to be doing. Although I didn't know how things would turn out, I was sure that the answer would arise if I was patient and persistent enough. Getting out of the world of economics and office jobs took no less than 10 years.

Enrolling into the Centre for Integrative Development in Zagreb turned out to be a breaking point in my life. I was interested in deeper research of my own inner world because at that point I had already understood that I was the common denominator of external circumstances that made me unsatisfied and that, if that was correct, I was the only person who can change it. Reaching into my own psychological world and forming a cause-and-effect relationship between this world and the outer, I found the answers to the questions that troubled me. At the same time I discovered a totally new perspective on how human beings function, on principles that govern not only ourselves but our world as well, even if we're unaware of them. Furthermore, I realized that this is what I wanted to do - instead of working with papers, I want to work with people and transmit this newly found knowledge. I decided to wrap up my office career and lay the foundations for a new beginning. At that point the idea of Restart was formed.

My expertise in economics made me determined and focused in reaching my goal – having a job I’ll enjoy. I kept working toward that goal regardless of whatever came my way in the meantime, and a lot of it did – from other people's reactions to my own fears. Alongside education in body oriented psychotherapy, I was interested in expressive arts therapy so I started Clinical Expressive Arts Therapy program lead by PhD Avi Goren-Bar. These two types of therapies complement each other perfectly, suiting not only my personality but my understanding of therapy as an artistic process as well. As a result, I proudly opened the Restart Centre. Not a single part of it came by accident, rather as a product of hard work and a lot of effort.

I chose the name Restart because it consists of the words the meaning of which is important to me, not only in my work but in the understanding of life as well. My own new start in life as the essence of the word restart, followed by the word start which means ‘to begin’, ‘to take off’, doing what it takes in order to embark on a journey, whether inner or outer. The word estar in Spanish, a language I love, means ‘to be’, ‘to exist’, the very foundation of life. The word rest because sometimes you need to stop and relax, see where you are. The last, but no less important, is the word art because I simply love art. Restart’s logo is a dandelion and I chose it because it connects me with my childhood, because it's a plant that grows in nature and by the road, thus proving how its seeds spread and create new life regardless of the soil. Symbolically this represents human life as well, and what I want to achieve in working with people – plant a new seed in their lives, in order for them to continue taking care of it. The colours of Restart are yellow and turquoise because I love the combination of the sun, the sea and the forest, which helped me overcome many difficult situations in life. I'm extremely happy to be working in my beloved hometown, an important companion on this journey called my life.

You can find more info on my education in the field of body oriented psychotherapy on www.cir.hr or visit www.dravigb.info for more info on expressive arts therapy.