Kristina Kaplan Rukavina

Initially I graduated as a ballet dancer from the Central School of Ballet, London and worked for numerous years at the Croatian National Theatre Ivan pl. Zajca in my native town of Rijeka. Whilst continually working at the Theatre, I was also involved in pedagogical work with children and acted as the Head of the ballet programme for the Labin Healthy City project (from 2005 to 2012). Through exploring more creative and motivating ways of teaching and of being educational with children, as well as through exploring the inner states of different characters I was portraying in our theatre productions, I discovered my interest and thereupon my love for psychology.

 

Alongside the artistic work, I obtained the Bachelor of Science in Psychology qualification from the Open University, London (in 2003) which I subsequently upgraded with the Master of Science (Hons) qualification in Psychology (in 2013). Driven by my passion for psychology, I further evolved my knowledge by enrolling at the School of Cybernetics and Systemic Therapy which is (as a school of dialogical, collaborative and solution-orientated psychotherapy) a member of the European Association for Psychotherapy and of the European Family Therapy Association; see: https://ukpo.hr/o-skoli/).

Through processes of maturation, I had embraced challenges of new activities within the CNT Zajc theatre. Hence, I worked as the Assistant to the Ballet Director (2015-2016), as the Acting Ballet Director (2016-2017), and terminated my theatre working life with much gratitude and positive excitement as an Executive Producer (2017–2024).

Since 2021, I have been acting as a consultant for professional support and assistance in the implementation of parental care for parents under the Social Welfare Care. Since 2022 I have also been active as a psychologist-therapist at the House of Sanctuary run by Depaul Croatia.