Time away for you
Retreats
Step out of everyday responsibilities for guided inquiry, shared meals, movement, and time with other women. Explore North Carolina and Bosnia in 2027.
Explore the retreatsSelma Baćevac, MA · Psychotherapist & Gatherer
You are more than the woman everyone relies on.
I’m Selma, a licensed psychotherapist and gatherer. I bring women together to explore the family and cultural patterns that shape how we care, connect, and put ourselves last. Through retreats, private gatherings, workshops, and healing groups, we make room for what you need and what you want to do differently.
Trauma & attachment expertise. An understanding of Balkan women’s lives.
Individual choice, cultural context, and connection guide the work.
Clinical experience. Cultural understanding.
In the field since 2010 · Private practice since 2013
01 / Work with me
What kind of space are you looking for?
Time away, a gathering for your own circle, a conversation for your audience, or a group you can join. Start with the experience that fits what you are looking for.
For the women you bring together
Private gatherings
Bring Selma into a gathering for your own circle or community. Discuss the questions you want to explore and the kind of facilitated conversation your group needs.
Enquire about a gatheringFor your audience or organization
Workshops & speaking
Invite a clinician and educator to speak about trauma, attachment, motherhood, or intergenerational patterns. Explore how the topic connects to your audience’s lives.
Invite Selma to speakA group you can join
Healing groups
Explore shared questions through guided conversation and collective work with other women. Ask about upcoming virtual and in-person groups, their focus, and participation details.
Ask about upcoming groupsA clear next step
A clear way to begin.
You do not have to know exactly what you need before reaching out. Start with an experience, share your questions, and decide with the details in front of you.
- 01
Choose your experience.
Explore a retreat, private gathering, workshop, or healing group. Choose the path that interests you.
- 02
Start a conversation.
Use the enquiry form to share your interest. Retreat applicants meet privately with Selma before an invitation.
- 03
Decide with the details.
Review the format, availability, investment, and arrangements before deciding. Retreat places are offered by invitation after a fit conversation.
Start a conversation
No payment is due when you express interest.
Retreat enquiries do not reserve a place or guarantee an invitation.
02 / Does this sound familiar?
Everyone knows
they can count on you.
You want that, too.
You want someone to notice, include you, and make an effort without you organizing it all. Yet when support is offered, you may say you’re fine or wonder what you’ll owe in return. Being capable does not make your need for care any less real.
You want company without another job.
You would like to sit down at a shared table without arranging every detail or looking after everyone else.
You want to be known beyond what you give.
There is more to you than being a dependable daughter, partner, mother, friend, or colleague.
You want room to choose differently.
You recognize the guilt or the automatic yes. You want time and support to explore another response.
Your responsibilities are real, and support is not always available when you need it. We can begin by making space for your experience and considering what change is possible in the circumstances of your life.
Explore the ways we can work together03 / Featured retreats
Two places to gather.
One invitation to include yourself.
Choose a mountain weekend focused on connection, or five days in Bosnia exploring roots and relationships. Both retreats are guided by Selma, with time to reflect, enjoy the company, and decide what you want to take home.
April 9–11, 2027 · 3 daysWhittier, North Carolina
Show Up
Breaking patterns together.
A mountain weekend for the woman who wants connection but finds it hard to let someone in. Explore trust, asking for support, and the family expectations that made you the one who needs nothing.
- The Breaking Patterns workshop and guided circles
- Shared meals, gentle hiking, and time by the fire pit
- A villa stay with individual and shared room options
Up to 10 womenTwo nightsBy invitation
Explore North Carolina
Request a North Carolina invitation ↗
See the full program, room prices, and payment plan. Travel to and from the villa is arranged and paid for by you.
June 9–13, 2027 · 5 daysHotel Monti · Igman, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Back to Our Roots
Understand what shaped you. Choose what comes next.
Five days for the woman who wants to explore her roots and the expectations she carries today. Consider what you want to keep, what you want to question, and how you want to live now.
- Guided inquiry into ancestry, identity, and relationships
- Healing circles, workshops, and body movement
- Time for exploration, rest, and enjoying the company
Up to 20 womenFive daysBy invitation
Explore Bosnia
Request a Bosnia invitation ↗
The investment, accommodation, full package, and travel inclusions are shared in your private invitation before booking.
Help me compare the two retreats
| Your questions | North Carolina | Bosnia |
|---|---|---|
| When? | April 9–11, 2027 | June 9–13, 2027 |
| Where will I stay? | A villa in Whittier | Hotel Monti, Igman |
| What is the focus? | Trust, connection, and receiving support | Ancestry, identity, and present-day relationships |
| How many women? | Up to 10 | Up to 20 |
| Where are the prices? | View rooms and prices ↗ | Shared privately with your invitation |
| How do I join? | Express interest, speak privately with Selma, then review your invitation if the retreat is a good fit. | |
04 / A glimpse of gathering
Meaningful conversations.
Time to enjoy being together.
You can arrive with questions, mixed feelings, and parts of your life you want to keep private. There is time for guided work and time to simply enjoy a meal or a conversation. You choose what you share and how you participate.
Guided inquiry & circles
Talk about what you usually carry on your own.
Explore the expectations you learned about being helpful, keeping the peace, or asking for what you need. Selma connects these questions to the relationships and choices in your life today. You can speak, listen, or pass.
A place to begin: “What do I need, and what makes it hard to ask?”
Meet the person guiding you
Movement & time to pause
You do not have to push through to participate.
Movement and body-based practices offer another way to notice your experience, alongside conversation. There is room to consider your pace, preferences, and limits. Discuss the activities and any accessibility needs with Selma before booking.
North Carolina includes gentle hiking and stretching. Bosnia includes somatic practices and body movement.
Read the participation questions
Shared meals & everyday connection
Be part of the conversation without managing the room.
Sit down to a meal, get to know the woman beside you, and talk about more than what is difficult. There is room for laughter and ordinary conversation alongside the guided work. You do not need to be entertaining, helpful, or ready with the right thing to say.
Connection can begin with something as simple as staying at the table a little longer.
Choose where to join us05 / Meet Selma
You deserve to be understood
in the context of your life.
I’m Selma, the psychotherapist and gatherer behind Balkan Mama Therapy. I bring clinical experience and lived cultural understanding to the questions women carry about family, responsibility, belonging, and need. Here, your experience matters beyond how well you care for everyone else.
As a Bosnian woman, former war refugee, and mother of two living in Florida, I know that culture can be a source of connection as well as expectation. My work considers the demands placed on women and the support actually available to them. We make room to question patterns while respecting what you value and choose. I am never above you or below you; I work alongside you.
Since 2010Working in the field
1,500+Balkan women worked with
3 countriesRetreats & gatherings hosted
Licensed psychotherapist · Master’s in Clinical Mental Health · Florida Qualified Supervisor
My work is grounded in attachment theory, extensive trauma training, and cultural context. I have also served as an expert witness in court and work as a behavioral health educator and clinical supervisor.
Education, licensure & training
I hold a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Women’s Studies, a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health, and a postgraduate certification in Infant and Toddler Mental Health. I am a licensed psychotherapist registered with the Florida Board and have been in private practice since 2013.
My training includes EMDR, Compassionate Inquiry, EFT, ACT, IFS, and Circle of Security Parenting. I bring an attachment orientation and an Eastern lens to collective work, with attention to women’s relationships, cultural context, and the conditions shaping their lives.
Women’s experiences
Hear from women
who have gathered with me.
Experiences from past gatherings. Every woman’s experience is her own.
06 / Connect the work to your life
What would you like
to do differently at home?
The point is to connect what you explore here with the life you return to. You might begin to name a need, reconsider a responsibility, or notice what makes you pull away from company. We make time to consider a manageable next step and the support it will require.
In a familiar conversation“Let me think about what I can actually take on.”
When you need support“Could you listen without trying to solve it?”
When someone includes you“I’d like to come. I don’t have to organize it.”
Examples of choices to explore, not promised outcomes.07 / Before you decide
Your questions
belong here.
You can be interested and still have concerns. Bring them into your private conversation with Selma. You deserve clear information before deciding.
Take the next stepHow can I work with Selma?
Explore retreats, private gatherings, workshops and speaking events, or virtual and in-person healing groups. The service overview explains each path. For a gathering, event, or group, use the enquiry form to discuss availability and details.
Can I invite Selma to my group or organization?
Yes. Enquire about a private gathering, workshop, or speaking event. Share your audience, the topics you are interested in, and any proposed dates or location. Selma can discuss fit, format, availability, and fees with you.
Can I come on my own?
Yes. You can express interest without knowing anyone else in the group. The invitation process gives you time to talk with Selma about the experience before deciding whether to join.
Do I need to be a mother or a therapist?
No. These retreats are for Balkan women interested in exploring relationships, learned expectations, and connection. You do not need children, a particular job title, or one specific relationship with your heritage.
Will I have to share personal things?
You choose what you share and may pass on a question or optional exercise. Listening and reflecting are also ways of participating. Discuss group agreements, privacy, and any concerns with Selma before booking.
Which retreat should I choose?
North Carolina offers an intimate Friday–Sunday experience focused on trust, receiving support, and connection. Bosnia offers five days exploring ancestry, identity, and present-day relationships. Start with the focus, dates, and setting that interest you, then compare the details.
How much does it cost, and what is included?
The North Carolina page lists individual and shared room prices, payment plans, and the program and meals included. Travel to and from the villa is separate. Bosnia’s investment, accommodation, itemized package, and travel inclusions are shared privately before booking.
What if I have dietary, mobility, or activity needs?
Discuss your needs with Selma before you commit so you can review the actual venue and program arrangements. North Carolina’s villa has bedrooms across three floors, with stairs to some rooms. Ask about room access, food, movement practices, and the available participation options for your chosen retreat.
Is this individual therapy?
These are facilitated retreat experiences informed by Selma’s professional background. They do not replace individualized mental health treatment. Your private conversation is a chance to discuss the retreat’s scope and whether it is appropriate for what you need.
What does “by invitation” mean?
Begin with the interest form and a private conversation with Selma. If the retreat is a good fit, you will receive an invitation with the details you need to decide. Expressing interest does not require payment, reserve a place, or guarantee an invitation.
Let’s begin with what you need
A conversation is a place to start.
Explore the retreat invitations here, or use the enquiry form below for a private gathering, workshop, speaking event, or healing group. Tell me what you are interested in and what questions you have. We can discuss the details before you decide.
April 9–11, 2027North Carolina Request an invitation to Show UpJune 9–13, 2027Bosnia & Herzegovina Request an invitation to Back to Our Roots
Your next step is an expression of interest, not a booking or payment.
Enquire about gatherings, speaking, or groups
Share what you are looking for. Availability, format, and fees are discussed before any commitment.