Dr Aleksandra Matakovic Manca

About Dr Aleksandra Matakovic Manca

Dr Aleksandra Matakovic Manca is a holistic child and family psychiatrist, psychotherapist and coach based in South Devon. She specialises in working with families and adults impacted by different life challenges. Her areas of expertise include child development, complex PTSD and medical trauma, emotional regulation, grief, anxiety, depression, neurodiversity, chronic medical illnesses, difficulties with feeding, eating and sleep. She has been working in both the public and private sector, in Italy since 2001 and in England since 2018. In the NHS, she works as a consultant psychiatrist in CAMHS focusing on developmental trauma. In the private sector, she works across the lifespans as a coach with individuals and families who are seeking guidance, support or a holistic perspective beyond diagnosis and medication for themselves or their children. The diversity of her interests and expertises allows her to offer a personalised approach when working with families and individuals with complex needs. Her resource-based approach is a journey oriented towards healing and recovery. It is informed by neuro-developmental insights and it is deeply relational and collaborative. Embracing a systemic and integrative perspective, she works across disciplines in a trans-diagnostic, psycho-spiritual, and intuitive manner, fostering creativity and holistic well-being. While Dr Aleks can work collaboratively alongside other professionals within or outside the NHS, she does not see in private practice those who are seeking diagnostic assessments, prescribing of medication or support when there is a significant level of physical or psychological risk which is usually best managed in the context of a multidisciplinary team. BACKGROUND TRAINING, INTERESTS AND EXPERIENCE Her passion for studying child development, the brain, trauma and health over the last 30 yrs was sparked and enriched by her own health journey and life experiences. After six years of medical school she was lucky to embark on a five year-long neuropsychiatric training that is based on neurodevelopment, psychodynamic principles and therapeutic approaches while also being uniquely interdisciplinary. The specialist training completed at the University of Milan in 2006 , as well as the services she worked in for 15 years before moving to the UK, integrate knowledge and practice of eight interconnected disciplines: pediatric neurology and neurodevelopment, speech and language, physiotherapy, psychomotor and occupational therapy, clinical psychology, psychotherapy, educational psychology, psychiatry. One year of her training as a Specialist Registrar was spent at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital where she acquired additional skills and a better appreciation of the health challenges in the UK. While her first jobs in a psychiatric therapeutic community and child rehabilitation shaped the way she works with people and her orientation towards healing, her main work settings have been in community services, paediatric liaison and private practice. Alongside her medical studies, over the last 25 years, she studied and gained experience in various complementary approaches and therapeutic modalities including CBT, DBT, systemic family therapy, art therapy, transformational coaching, anthroposophic medicine, somatic experiencing, EMDR, BMDR, flower essences, reiki, homeopathy, nature-based interventions, yoga for mental health and additional needs, interpersonal mindfulness. Her current interest is on the intersection between science and the transformative power of consciousness and spirituality in the human experience. While informed by contemplative practices from both Christian and Buddhist traditions, her approach remains secular and inclusive, focusing on universal principles of compassion, mindfulness and personal growth. Over the last 20 years she has also been involved in teaching, mentoring and supervision. Besides her professional vocations, Aleksandra has a passion for cooking, nature, walking and all forms of creative expression.