What do I commonly work on with clients?
Relationship problems
Examples of topics: Difficulty finding a suitable partner, closeness, communication, disagreements, parenting disputes, relationship with stepchildren, break-up, manipulation, dependence in a relationship, dominance and submission, etc.
Balance in relationships, and partner relationships in particular, has a lot of rules, but these are not taught in school and most of us discover them more or less successfully "on the fly". We adopt the basic model from our original family and we gradually develop it with experience and other role models. This creates a very diverse collection of opinions, experiences and ideas about how things work, and about what is "right". That is not at all easy to understand, let alone to understand what is happening in our partner. The good news is that this too can be trained, conflicts can be addressed and resolved if one is willing to search.
Stress resilience
Examples of topics: perfectionism, comparing with others, high demands on yourself, low self-esteem, anxiety, high workload, stage fright, work-life balance, etc.
Stress is discussed in many contexts and is often used to explain or even blame a lot of different problems. However, as has long been known, stress is not only harmful but also beneficial. Generally recognized stressors include divorce, moving, illness, but also the birth of children, family vacations, etc., and often even less serious reasons are sufficient to get one off balance. Each of us is stressed by something different and to a different extent. The important thing is how we can handle stress, how we can cope with it, or how we can use it to our advantage.
Difficulties at work
Examples of topics: relationships with colleagues, superiors, subordinates, financial evaluation, reasonable workload, excessive sense of responsibility, (in)ability to influence working conditions, burnout, change of job, etc.
Work is usually a significant part of life in adulthood, and therefore it is advisable to take care of your satisfaction in this area as well, whether you are an employee, a manager or an entrepreneur. We often tend to separate work from our personal lives, but in reality everything is connected and affecting each other either positively or negatively...
Counseling for teenagers
Examples of topics: stress related to school success, choice of school and career, relationships with peers, parents, teachers, relation to self, low self-confidence, etc.
The period of adolescence is in many ways challenging both for the young person who is going through it and for those around them, especially for parents who also need to adjust to a different way of functioning and communication. High demands are often placed on teenagers regarding school performance and the need to succeed in entrance exams, or young people place these demands on themselves. Our school system is still mostly built on the model of "correct" solutions and "correct" answers. So far, it only rarely leads young people to find and strengthen their uniqueness, to clarify their own opinions, and at the same time to respect the uniqueness of others and to cooperate effectively. In this sensitive period, this contributes to high stress, increased anxiety disorders, aggressive behavior, self-harm, etc., although of course the reasons are always complex. The very personality of the young person, their psychological resilience, family situation, relationships with peers, etc. play an essential role.
Psychosomatics
For many health problems it is possible to find connections on a psychological level. A change in attitude and subsequently a change in behavior can often significantly help to improve the physical condition, although this is in no way a replacement for professional medical care.
Personal example: I have always been interested in how health and illness relate to the psyche and overall balance in life, perhaps because I come from a medical background. I have always wondered why a particular person is sick and how it relates to their personal story. I myself have experience with a serious illness - in 2019, doctors diagnosed me with cancerous changes in my breast. Fortunately, it was an early stage and I had no further treatment apart from surgery, but the shock and stress were immense. So, naturally, I looked for connections and realized, among other things, many self-destructive thoughts that basically caused me to give up on things that mattered a lot to me. Today, I perceive it in the way that if we cut ourselves off from some source of life and meaning it can lead to a serious illness. I approach the search for these connections with humility and treat it like a big detective story with no guarantee of a solution. However, my experience so far confirms that this method of searching makes a lot of sense, even if it is about just an ordinary virosis.
My approach
In my work with clients, I draw on various life and professional experiences and look for what would be most suitable in a given situation with a specific client. Most often, I work in the form of a coached dialogue. If necessary, especially if the client lacks experience in the given area, I combine it with consulting, sharing experiences and providing feedback. Sometimes, after agreement with the client, I also include other methods, e.g. work with imagination, role-playing, relaxation techniques and others.
Mainly, I build on the practical philosophy Principy života ® (The Principles of Life), which I have been studying long-term.
One of the fundamental premises of this philosophy is that in order to shape one's life to greater satisfaction, first of all one needs to search what part one has in what is happening in it. In practice, however, it is not at all easy to see all connections and patterns, so it is quite common to attribute especially that which does not suit us to circumstances, to others, to fate, etc.
I work with clients on mapping the connections that probably lead to their problems (relational, mental, financial, work or health-related...). These are usually various dysfunctional attitudes and patterns of behavior, inappropriate communication, dysfunctional attitudes towards oneself (e.g. underestimating oneself, comparing oneself, the role of a victim, etc.). Addressing emotions also plays a significant role in this process.
In the various stages of mapping, there will usually be a need to apply the new knowledge, i.e. to bring a concrete change into practice. Sometimes it can be a small step, sometimes it can be a big leap.
