Welcome. I’m glad you’re here.
My name is Suzana Sagadin.
Over the years, I’ve come to see that on general, most people have limited understanding of trauma, neurodiversity or burnout and its impact on individuals and their relationships with family, friends, communities, workplaces, and society at large.
When there is a limited understanding of how we function under extreme stress, too often, compassion is replaced with judgment and exclusion. Observing that, I made the decision to contribute to changing this awareness.
The Fabric of Healing was also founded in response to what I saw missing in many traditional systems of education, healthcare, corporate environments, and faith-based institutions: compassionate understanding, cultural humility, and practical tools that honour both the nervous system and the soul.
MY APPROACH TO RELATIONAL RESTORATION PHILOSOPHY
Like threads in a tapestry, our lives are composed of countless experiences, relationships, and moments that together create our unique story. When difficult experiences disrupt this fabric, we can feel disconnected from ourselves, others, and the world around us.
Trauma is not just what happened — it’s the impact it leaves on our nervous system, sense of safety, and ability to relate. It often shows up in how we protect ourselves, how we trust, and how we make sense of our experiences. But these responses — shaped by survival — can be misunderstood or judged by others.
It’s not always easy to understand someone else’s reactions — especially when those reactions seem out of proportion, distant, or hard to explain.
As partners, parents, friends, employers, or service providers, we often try our best to offer support. But the systems we’re part of, like healthcare, education, and workplaces are usually built around structure, productivity, and individual responsibility.
These systems don’t always leave room for what healing actually looks like: slowing down, building trust, and making space for emotion.
Without meaning to, we can end up pushing for quick fixes or taking someone’s behaviour personally, when in fact, they may be doing the best they can to stay regulated and connected.
Learning to walk alongside someone with care often means learning to pause, to listen differently, and to hold space, even when we don’t fully understand.
At The Fabric of Healing, I work from the understanding that relational healing and connection don’t happen in isolation; they happen in relationships and within systems. When someone is struggling, it’s not always a sign of personal failure, but often a reflection of the weight they’re carrying in environments that haven’t known how to respond well.
Support doesn’t always mean fixing or diagnosing. Often, it’s about slowing down, making sense of what’s happening, and learning how to relate to ourselves and each other with more clarity and care.
Without shared language or guidance, it’s easy to feel lost and unsure of how to help or set boundaries without withdrawing. That’s why I offer psychoeducation and practical tools for individuals, families, and communities navigating the ripple effects of trauma. Not to pathologise, but to understand — and support with compassion and knowledge.
CLINICAL EXPERIENCES AND QUALIFICATIONS
Originally from Slovenia, I spent over 16 years living and working in New Zealand before moving to Switzerland. My experience includes clinical leadership and therapist roles, facilitating community workshops, and supporting individuals through trauma, relationships, separation, and healing. I’ve worked with diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, including Māori, the indigenous people of Aotearoa, New Zealand. My holistic approach is inspired by therapeutic models like Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT).
As a clinical leader and lead counsellor at Skylight Trust in Wellington, New Zealand, I guided children, adults, and families in understanding neurodivergence, trauma, and co-occurring conditions. I developed and delivered educational workshops on child development, neurodivergence (ADHD, autism), and mental health challenges (anxiety, depression, behavioural difficulties). I also facilitated an interactive workshop for the Department of Justice on parenting through separation.
In private practice, I supported adults with PTSD, cPTSD, and neurodivergent challenges. Additionally, I provided long-term psychoeducation and therapeutic support for survivors of sexual abuse through ACC’s sensitive claims service (Accident Compensation Corporation), working with clients diagnosed with PTSD, cPTSD, ADHD, autism, and other mental health conditions.
During my time in New Zealand, my work was profoundly shaped by Māori concepts of collective wellbeing, Indigenous knowledge systems, and a strong critique of overly medicalised approaches to emotional suffering.
I believe that healing isn’t just about treatment — it includes belonging, voice, choice, and so much more.
However, I do not offer any kind of therapy under Swiss regulations.
What I offer is not a diagnosis, treatment or therapy, but a space for clarity and reflection, psycho-education and meaningful support. My approach is grounded in research and education, lived experience, professional integrity, and a strong belief in the power of connection to restore safety, dignity, and autonomy.
I am a member of the New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC). I am nearing the completion of a Master’s in Counselling with a focus on Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). I have attended numerous workshops over the years and am actively expanding my understanding of trauma, SFBT, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Somatic Experiencing.
Suppose you are the loved one of someone experiencing mental health challenges seeking trauma-informed insight, or someone looking to better understand the fabric of your own emotional landscape. In that case, I invite you to begin here.
MY VISION OF A TRAUMA-INFORMED WORLD
I envision a world where people don’t have to explain, justify, or hide their pain or their differences to be treated with respect and dignity. A world where mental health and neurodivergence aren’t misunderstood or brushed aside, but recognised as an integral part of the human experience.
In this world, compassion is paired with knowledge. People understand that behaviours are often shaped by nervous system responses, past experiences, and survival strategies, rather than by personal weakness or failure.
Businesses would no longer treat well-being as an afterthought, but as an essential part of team culture. They’d invest in psychological safety, peer support, and trauma-informed training — not just for the sake of productivity, but because relationships at work matter.
In schools, teachers would be supported to recognise when a child’s behaviour is a stress response, not defiance. They would be offered tools to respond with both structure and care, rather than blame or shame.
Healthcare settings would recognise the patients whose neurodivergence is shaped by trauma, ADHD or autism. One-size-fits-all care would be abandoned and replaced with nuance, reflection, and humility of a trauma-aware practice.
And in families, communities, and institutions, people would begin to ask different questions. Instead of “What’s wrong with you?” they’d ask, “What’s happening here, and how can we understand it together?”
You may say I am a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us.
And the world will be as one.
Imagine, John Lennon