14/09/2025
🌟 Today I had the joy of listening to Vesna Hercigonja Novković and her powerful talk:
“What They Are Not Saying: Creating Therapeutic Relationship with Adolescents in Resistance.”
She spoke about resistance in adolescents — how to recognize it, respect it, and understand it not as defiance but as a protective mechanism.
Vesna reminded us of the traps therapists can fall into: pushing too fast, misusing power, or interpreting resistance as something “wrong.” Instead, she invited us to create a space of safety, curiosity, and trust — a space where adolescents can slowly begin to own their voices and their lives.
✨ Some of her key insights:
🌱 “Let’s be learners, not judges.”
🌱 “OWN IT — adolescents need to take ownership of their lives.”
🌱 “Resistance is not the enemy — it is a shield. Respect it, and it becomes the path.”
She also reminded us that:
💫 Connection comes before correction — safety and relationship are the foundation for change.
💫 Resistance is not about us; it is a shield adolescents use to protect themselves, born from their life experiences.
💫 Our role is to slow down, build trust, and meet them where they are — through presence, authenticity, and non-judgment.
✨ Resistance, she showed us, is not an obstacle to therapy. It is a doorway. 🌸
