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A professional space for understanding the child, parental difficulties, family relationships and the changes a family goes through.
Parenting involves periods of closeness and satisfaction, but also moments of uncertainty, exhaustion, conflict and the sense that the ways of coping that used to work no longer do.
Psychological work with parents and families is not aimed at determining who is a “good” or “bad” parent and does not offer universal recipes for upbringing. The aim is to understand the specific child, the specific family and the relationships between its members.
Sometimes the difficulty is expressed through the child's behaviour, but the causes and the possibilities for change lie in a broader context – age and development, relationships, boundaries, family changes, the burden on the parents and the way family members communicate with one another.
Depending on the situation, the work may include meetings with the parents alone, meetings with the child, family consultations, or a combination of different forms.
Parental consultation
What is it?
The parental consultation is a space in which the mother, the father or another significant adult can discuss a specific issue related to the child's development, behaviour or emotional state and the relationships within the family.
It is not necessary for the child to have a psychological problem or a diagnosis. Sometimes the parent simply feels that they do not understand a particular behaviour, that the relationship has become tense, or that the approaches that used to work no longer produce results.
The consultation is not based on a list of universal rules for upbringing. The same behaviour may have a different meaning in different children. That is why age, development, temperament, family situation, significant changes and the relationships between the child and the adults are considered.
The parental consultation may be a stand-alone form of work or part of psychological or psychotherapeutic work with the child.
Led by: Prof. Monika Bogdanova
Who is it suitable for?
For parents and other adults caring for a child who have questions or difficulties related to development, behaviour, relationships or their parental role.
When can it be helpful?
- when the parent does not understand a change in the child's behaviour;
- in the case of frequent conflicts;
- in the case of difficulty setting boundaries;
- in the case of anxiety or fears in the child;
- in the case of school-related difficulties;
- in the case of changes within the family;
- in the case of significant parental tension;
- when the two parents have different positions on upbringing;
- when the parent wonders whether a consultation with the child is also needed.
What does the psychological work include?
A detailed discussion of the specific situation, the history of the difficulty, the relationships within the family and the ways in which the parents react.
If necessary, a meeting with the child, a psychological assessment, family work or consultation with another specialist may be recommended.
How does the first meeting proceed?
The parent presents the reason for the consultation and the history of the situation. The psychologist may ask questions about the child's development, relationships, family environment and significant events.
Format and frequency
Format
With one or both parents. If necessary, subsequent work may also involve the child.
Duration and frequency
From a single consultation to a series of parental sessions, depending on the specific situation.
Who conducts the consultations?
Psychologists and psychotherapists from the team with competence in child development, parenting and family work.
Important
The parental consultation is not an assessment of which parent is “right”. The focus is on the needs of the child and the relationships within the family.
Consultation for difficulties with the child's behaviour
What is it?
Behaviour is one of the main ways in which a child shows how it feels and how it copes with the world around it. When the behaviour becomes difficult for the adults – frequent outbursts, refusal, aggression, defiance or non-compliance with rules – the natural wish is for it to be changed quickly.
But the visible behaviour is not always the problem itself. It may be related to anxiety, jealousy, insecurity, tiredness, difficulty regulating emotions, a need for greater autonomy, or an experience that the child cannot yet put into words.
The psychological work seeks to understand what precedes the behaviour, in what situations it appears, how the adults react and how the interaction develops afterwards.
This does not mean that boundaries are dropped. On the contrary – children need clear and predictable boundaries, but these are most effective when they are attuned to the child's development and when the adult understands what is happening within the relationship.
Led by: Prof. Monika Bogdanova
Who is it suitable for?
For parents of children with persistent behavioural difficulties or frequent conflicts within the family.
When can it be helpful?
- in the case of frequent outbursts;
- in the case of physical or verbal aggression;
- in the case of strong defiance;
- in the case of ongoing conflicts;
- in the case of difficulty accepting limits;
- in the case of destructive behaviour;
- when the parents feel that every situation turns into a struggle;
- when punishments and rewards no longer change the behaviour.
What does the psychological work include?
An analysis of the specific situations, the age-related and emotional factors, the family dynamics and the adults' reactions. If necessary, individual work with the child is also included.
How does the first meeting proceed?
The parents describe specific situations – what happens before the behaviour, how the child reacts and what the adults do afterwards.
Format and frequency
Format
Initially often with the parents, and with the child if necessary.
Duration and frequency
Depending on the nature and duration of the difficulties.
Who conducts the consultations?
A psychologist or psychotherapist with experience in working with children and parents.
Important
Serious aggression, risk of self-harm or danger to other people require an additional and, if necessary, urgent specialised assessment.
Boundaries and rules within the family
What is it?
Boundaries are a necessary part of development. They give the child predictability and security and gradually help it develop self-control, responsibility and an understanding of relationships with others.
Problems often do not arise from a lack of rules, but from the way they are created and applied. When the rules keep changing, when one parent allows what the other forbids, or when every boundary turns into a threat and a punishment, conflicts may intensify.
In other families, parents find it difficult to set limits for fear of hurting the child or losing closeness with it. In this way, the child may gradually be given more responsibility for decisions than its age allows.
The psychological work helps to find a balance between closeness and parental responsibility, between freedom and the necessary structure.
Who is it suitable for?
For parents who experience difficulties in setting and maintaining clear and consistent rules.
When can it be helpful?
- when the child accepts almost no limits;
- when every “no” leads to a severe conflict;
- when the parents have very different rules;
- when one parent constantly overturns the other's decisions;
- when the adults frequently resort to punishments or threats;
- when the parent feels guilty when setting boundaries;
- when the child has excessive power over family decisions.
What does the psychological work include?
The current rules are examined, along with the way they are set, the child's reactions and the relationships between the adults. Work is done to build a more consistent framework that is attuned to the child's age.
How does the first meeting proceed?
The parents present specific situations and the approaches they have tried so far.
Format and frequency
Format
Mainly parental counselling. If necessary, the child may also be involved.
Duration and frequency
Often short-term work with a few follow-up sessions.
Who conducts the consultations?
A psychologist or psychotherapist with competence in child development and family relationships.
Important
The purpose of boundaries is not for the child to obey unconditionally, but to gradually develop self-regulation and the ability to live in relationships with others.
Difficulties with sleep, feeding and separation
What is it?
Sleep, feeding and the ability to separate from the parent are important areas of child development in which biological, emotional and family factors are often intertwined.
When the child refuses to sleep alone, feeding becomes a daily conflict, or every separation leads to intense anxiety, the tension may gradually come to encompass the whole family.
Parents often find themselves in a paradoxical situation – the more they try to solve the problem, the more daily life begins to be organised around it.
The psychological work examines not only the specific symptom, but also the age, development, relationships, family changes and the way in which the child and the adult take part in the recurring pattern.
Led by: Prof. Monika Bogdanova
Who is it suitable for?
For parents of children with persistent difficulties with sleep, feeding or separation.
When can it be helpful?
- in the case of prolonged difficulty falling asleep;
- in the case of intense fear of being left alone;
- in the case of frequent night-time waking;
- in the case of ongoing conflicts around feeding;
- in the case of severe selective eating;
- in the case of separation anxiety;
- in the case of the child being unable to stay with other significant adults;
- when these difficulties significantly exhaust the family.
What does the psychological work include?
A detailed examination of the history of the problem, the child's development, the daily routine, the relationships and the parents' reactions.
How does the first meeting proceed?
It usually begins with a parental consultation. Depending on the age and the nature of the problem, the child may also be involved.
Format and frequency
Format
With parents and, if necessary, with the child.
Duration and frequency
Depending on the nature of the difficulty.
Who conducts the consultations?
Specialists with competence in child development and parental counselling.
Important
Before a psychological interpretation of problems with sleep or feeding, possible medical causes should also be considered.
Adjustment to nursery, kindergarten and school
What is it?
Starting nursery, kindergarten or school is an important transition for both the child and the parents. The child has to adapt to a new environment, relationships, rules and expectations, while the parent must gradually allow another adult or institution to gain a significant place in the child's life.
The adjustment is not always smooth. There may be crying, fear, refusal to attend, changes in sleep, irritability, regressive behaviours or physical complaints.
At school age, academic expectations, the peer group, rules and assessment are added to the separation. A child who has no difficulties at home may begin to show significant tension precisely in the school environment.
The aim is not simply for the child to be forced to get used to it, but for what makes the transition difficult to be understood, and for adults to be able to support the child accordingly.
Led by: Prof. Monika Bogdanova
Who is it suitable for?
For parents and children experiencing significant difficulties in starting or changing an educational environment.
When can it be helpful?
- in cases of strong and prolonged protest;
- in cases of refusal to attend;
- in cases of bodily complaints before leaving;
- in cases of significant deterioration in sleep;
- in cases of a sudden change in behaviour;
- in cases of intense separation anxiety;
- in cases of difficulties in relationships with other children or teachers;
- when adaptation remains difficult for a prolonged period of time.
What does the psychological work involve?
Work with the parents and, where necessary, with the child, to understand the difficulty and support the adaptation process.
How does the first meeting proceed?
The child's development, previous adaptations, the specific environment and the reactions before, during and after attendance are discussed.
Format and frequency
Format
Parental sessions and, where necessary, individual work with the child.
Duration and frequency
Usually short-term work with the possibility of follow-up.
Who conducts the consultations?
Psychologists with competence in child development.
Important
There is no universal timeframe within which every child must adapt. What matters is the dynamics over time and the extent to which the difficulty disrupts functioning.
How to talk to a child about difficult topics?
What is it?
Parents often face conversations for which they find it difficult to find the words – illness, death, separation, divorce, adoption, family conflicts, financial difficulties, a change in life, or another event that affects the child.
The natural wish is for the child to be protected. Sometimes, however, an attempt to conceal information entirely can increase anxiety. Children sense changes in adults' behaviour and often fill in the missing information with their own explanations.
Honesty does not mean that the child should be burdened with every detail. Information must be tailored to the child's age, development, and what they genuinely need to know.
A difficult conversation is usually not a single meeting but a process. The child may return to the topic and ask different questions as they grow older or as the situation changes.
Who is it suitable for?
For parents and caregiving adults who need to talk to a child about a significant, painful or complex life situation.
When can it be helpful?
- in cases of serious illness in the family;
- in cases of the death of a loved one;
- in cases of separation or divorce;
- in cases of adoption;
- in cases of significant family changes;
- in cases of an upcoming operation or hospitalisation;
- when the child asks questions the parent finds difficult to answer;
- when the adults disagree about what should be said.
What does the psychological work involve?
Clarifying the situation and jointly considering how the information can be presented honestly, comprehensibly and in a manner suited to the specific child's development.
How does the first meeting proceed?
The consultation usually begins with the parent. The facts, what the child already knows, and the questions or reactions the adults anticipate are discussed.
Format and frequency
Format
Parental consultation, and where necessary a subsequent family meeting or work with the child.
Duration and frequency
From a single preparatory session for a specific conversation to ongoing support.
Who conducts the consultations?
A psychologist or psychotherapist with competence in working with children and families.
Important
There is no single universal formula. The manner of the conversation depends on age, development, relationships and the actual situation.
Consultation following a child's diagnosis
What is it?
The establishment of a medical, psychiatric or developmental diagnosis in a child can be a highly emotional event for the family.
Parents may simultaneously experience fear, sadness, anger, confusion, guilt, or even relief that the difficulties finally have a name. Often, immediately after the diagnosis, an intense search for information, specialists and therapies begins.
In this process, there is a risk that the child may gradually come to be seen primarily through the diagnosis. Psychological work helps the family understand what the new information means, without it displacing the child's individuality, relationships and strengths.
It may also be necessary to discuss how and when to talk to the child, siblings, the school or other significant people.
Who is it suitable for?
For parents following the establishment of a significant diagnosis in the child, or during a diagnostic process.
When can it be helpful?
- immediately after the diagnosis;
- in cases of intense parental fear;
- in cases of feelings of guilt;
- in cases of confusion regarding the next steps;
- when the two parents react differently;
- when the diagnosis affects family relationships;
- when it is necessary to talk to the child about their condition;
- when the parent finds it difficult to see the child beyond the diagnosis.
What does the psychological work involve?
Supporting parents through the process of adaptation, working with emotional reactions and family relationships, and, where necessary, providing support for the child themselves.
How does the first meeting proceed?
Parents have the opportunity to describe how the diagnosis was made, what they have understood about it, and how it has changed their view of the present and the future.
Format and frequency
Format
Parental, individual or family sessions, depending on the situation.
Duration and frequency
From short-term support to longer-term work.
Who conducts the consultations?
A specialist with competence in child psychology and working with families.
Important
The psychologist does not replace the medical or other specialist who established the diagnosis, and does not alter the prescribed treatment. Medical questions should be discussed with the competent medical team.
Support for parental burnout
What is it?
Caring for a child requires considerable emotional, physical and organisational resources. When this burden continues for a long time and opportunities for recovery are limited, a parent may gradually reach a state of exhaustion.
This does not mean that they do not love their child or that they are a "bad parent". Exhaustion may manifest through constant tiredness, irritability, feelings of guilt, emotional withdrawal, or a sense that one no longer has anything left to give.
The risk is particularly high in cases of single parenthood, serious illness or disability in the child, prolonged sleep problems, lack of support, professional workload, or persistent family conflicts.
Psychological work creates a space in which both the emotional experiences and the parent's actual limitations and resources can be examined.
Who is it suitable for?
For parents experiencing prolonged tiredness, being overwhelmed, or a sense that the parental role has depleted much of their resources.
When can it be helpful?
- in cases of constant tiredness;
- in cases of frequent irritability towards the child;
- when one feels they have "nothing left to give";
- in cases of guilt over one's own reactions;
- in cases of lack of time and space for recovery;
- in cases of emotional distancing;
- when there is a sense of loss of one's own identity beyond parenthood;
- in cases of prolonged care for a child with high needs.
What does the psychological work involve?
Assessment of psychological load, relationships, available support, boundaries and the actual possibilities for change. Where necessary, individual psychotherapy may be offered.
How does the first meeting proceed?
Daily workload, emotional state, sleep, family support and the situations in which exhaustion is most intense are discussed.
Format and frequency
Format
Individual, or with both parents when appropriate.
Duration and frequency
Determined individually.
Who conducts the consultations?
A psychologist or psychotherapist from the team.
Important
Severe exhaustion may be combined with a depressive or anxious state. Where necessary, additional clinical or psychiatric assessment is recommended.
Family consultation
What is it?
Family consultation considers the difficulty not only as one person's problem, but also within the context of relationships between family members.
Sometimes the symptom appears in the child, but the tension affects everyone. In other cases, conflicts between the adults, differing parental positions, or a significant change within the family gradually affect the family's overall functioning.
The aim is not to identify the "guilty" family member. Every person participates in the relationships from their own position, and often recurring conflicts are sustained by patterns in which everyone becomes gradually involved.
Family work creates a space in which these patterns can be seen, different points of view can be heard, and the family can build more functional ways of communicating.
Led by: Prof. Monika Bogdanova
Who is it suitable for?
For families with recurring conflicts, communication difficulties, significant changes, or tension affecting more than one member.
When can it be helpful?
- in cases of persistent family conflicts;
- when a child becomes drawn into the adults' conflicts;
- in cases of a serious change in family structure;
- in cases of difficulties between parents and children;
- in cases of differing parental positions;
- in cases of tension following a serious illness;
- in cases of difficulties following a loss;
- when individual work is not sufficient to understand the situation.
What does the psychological work involve?
Joint sessions with family members, in which relationships, communication, roles and recurring patterns of interaction are explored.
How does the first meeting proceed?
Each participant has the opportunity to present their point of view. The specialist clarifies what the shared problem is and what the expectations for the work are.
Format and frequency
Format
With the whole family or with particular members, depending on the specific situation.
Duration and frequency
Determined individually according to the goals and nature of the work.
Who conducts the consultations?
A psychologist or psychotherapist with appropriate qualifications for working with families.
Important
Family work is not a suitable space for proving who is right, and does not replace legal proceedings, mediation or expert assessment where these are required.
Couple consultation in cases of serious illness
What is it?
A partner's serious or chronic illness can significantly change the relationship within a couple.
Roles may change – one partner may gradually become the primary caregiver, while the other may lose part of their previous autonomy. Alongside medical uncertainty, financial matters, changes in sexuality, fear of the future, and differences in how the two partners experience the illness may also arise.
Sometimes partners begin to protect each other from difficult topics. The ill person does not share their fears in order not to worry the other, while the partner conceals their own exhaustion or fear in order to "stay strong".
This silence, although an attempt at protection, may gradually create distance precisely at a moment when the relationship is particularly important.
Who is it suitable for?
For couples in which one partner is living with an oncological, chronic or other serious illness.
When can it be helpful?
- in cases of difficult communication;
- when one partner feels reduced solely to the role of carer;
- with changes in intimacy and sexuality;
- with differing ways of coping with the illness;
- with fear of the future;
- with tension around medical decisions;
- with accumulated fatigue and irritation;
- when the illness has displaced almost all other topics in the relationship.
What does the psychological work involve?
Work with communication, changed roles, closeness, fear, the burden on the carer, and the different ways in which the partners experience the illness.
How does the first meeting proceed?
Both partners have the opportunity to present their own perspective and to formulate what they would like to be different in their relationship.
Format and frequency
Format
Partner sessions.
Duration and frequency
Determined individually.
Who conducts the consultations?
A specialist with competence in couple work and the psychological aspects of serious illness.
Important
Psychological work with the couple does not replace medical care and does not imply that the problems in the relationship are the cause of the illness.
Groups for parents
What is it?
Groups for parents create a space in which people with related questions or life situations can reflect on their parenting together with other parents and with a facilitating specialist.
The group is not a lecture on “correct upbringing”. It allows participants to view their own situation also through the experience of others, to recognise recurring difficulties and to discover that many experiences that seem isolated are in fact shared by other parents as well.
The topics may be general or focused on a specific period or situation – early childhood, adolescence, serious illness, specific developmental difficulties, foster care, adoption or other parenting challenges.
The group format allows not only for professional support to be received, but also for building a community and reducing the sense of isolation.
Who is it suitable for?
For parents who wish to explore their difficulties and experiences in a protected group space.
When can it be helpful?
- with a sense of isolation in parenting;
- with prolonged parental burden;
- with specific difficulties in the child;
- with a need for greater understanding of development;
- with a wish to exchange experience with other parents;
- with a difficult life situation also shared by other families.
What does the psychological work involve?
Regular group meetings with a professional facilitator, structured according to the topic and goals of the particular group.
How does the first meeting proceed?
Before joining certain groups, a brief individual conversation may be held in order to assess whether the format is suitable for the particular participant.
Format and frequency
Format
In-person or online group, depending on the particular programme.
Duration and frequency
Depends on the particular group. It may be a limited series of meetings or a longer-term group format.
Who runs the groups?
Specialists from the team with qualifications and experience in group work and the relevant subject area.
Important
Participants undertake to respect the confidentiality of what is shared by the other members of the group. The specific conditions, group size and duration are determined separately for each programme.