From practice to Parent Counselling

I studied social work because I wanted to work closely with people and make a meaningful difference in the everyday lives of children and families.

My first professional experiences

My first experience in the field was my placement at the Social Service of the Municipality of Palaio Faliro, where I took part in social assessments, the preparation of social reports, multidisciplinary meetings and social support initiatives. At the Korydallos Prison Psychiatric Hospital, I participated in addiction recovery, theatre and creative activity groups. I later volunteered at a Psychosocial Rehabilitation Unit.

Child protection in everyday practice

I then worked at HOUSE2, a residential centre for unaccompanied minors run by the Association for the Care of Minors and Young People, as a social worker and Child Protection Officer. It was there that I realised how deeply I care about work centred on children’s protection and wellbeing, understanding their emotional world and supporting their families.

I supported children aged 4–12 and mothers under 18, contributed to individual intervention plans, implemented child protection protocols and prepared social reports for prosecutorial and judicial authorities. My role also involved direct caregiving and a consistent presence in the children’s everyday lives. Many had experienced separation, instability and significant change. This gave me a practical understanding of how needs can be expressed through challenging behaviour and how calm, consistent boundaries can create safety and predictability.

Foster care and adoption

A significant part of my work involved foster care and adoption. I handled relevant cases and supported children and prospective foster or adoptive parents before and during placement. As the child’s social worker, I continued to support the child and parents during their adjustment to their new family life. This experience is the basis of the support I offer around foster care and adoption.

This experience showed me how important thoughtful support for parents can be. Understanding behaviour, navigating tension and setting boundaries with consistency and connection can make a meaningful contribution to family life. This is what led me towards parent counselling.

Continuing education

I am currently undertaking training in parent counselling at the Centre for Applied Psychotherapy and Counselling. I have also completed a training programme in trauma-informed parenting for adoptive parents through the Adoption Learning Hub of the National Council for Adoption.

As part of my continuing professional development, I have undertaken training in Special Education and interdisciplinary inclusion practices, Criminological Psychology, recognising and appropriately responding to abusive and manipulative behaviour, and the prevention of and response to human trafficking.

I am also a co-author of “Adoption social workers’ perspectives on same-sex couples’ right to adopt in Greece”, published in the Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services (2022). This strengthened my interest in families in their different forms and in an approach grounded in respect, inclusion and the needs of every child and family.

My approach is grounded in social work, professional experience in child protection and the belief that a parent does not need to be perfect. They need to be able to understand, connect and remain consistently present.