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Family therapy

When something gets stuck in a family, it rarely concerns just one person. Family therapy looks at the whole: who protects whom, who carries too much and where the boundaries have blurred.

50 minutes · contribution €25 · in person in Ljubljana

What family therapy is

A family works as a system. If one part moves, everyone moves — including those who think it has nothing to do with them. That is why it is often not enough for only the person whose distress is most visible to come to therapy.

The teenager who shuts himself in his room, the child with a stomach ache before school, the father who keeps exploding — each of these responses is doing something in the family. I will not declare anyone guilty. We look for the pattern, not the culprit.

Not everyone has to come, and not every time. Sometimes I work with the parents, sometimes with one of them, sometimes with the whole family. We decide who comes as we go, based on what will help most.

You may recognise yourself
  • your teenager has withdrawn and conversation is no longer possible
  • there is constant tension at home and arguments flare up out of nothing
  • illness, addiction or loss has shaken the whole family
  • a child shows distress that school or health cannot explain
  • the parents disagree about parenting and the child is caught in between
  • after a separation, a move or a new relationship the family has lost its order

You do not have to match any of these lines. They are simply what people most often come with.

How this looks

What we look at in a family system

Four things that usually go unspoken in a family.

  1. 01

    Roles

    Who is the hero, the peacemaker, the scapegoat — and who assigned those roles.

  2. 02

    Boundaries

    Where the child ends and the parent begins. Where boundaries are too rigid and where there are none.

  3. 03

    Alliances

    Who sides with whom and who is left out. Triangles nobody chose.

  4. 04

    Inheritance

    What was carried into the family from earlier generations without anyone speaking of it.

In practice

How we work

  • 01

    Everyone gets a voice

    The youngest included. Above all, I make sure nobody leaves feeling that they are the one who is wrong.

  • 02

    The set-up adapts

    Sessions can be with everyone, with the parents only or with one member. We agree as we go.

  • 03

    Concrete agreements

    Families also need practical things: who says what, when we talk, what we do when it flares up.

  • 04

    The work continues at home

    The most important part does not happen in my room, but between sessions, at your own table.

First step

How to begin

  • 01

    Write me a few lines

    Through the form or by email. You do not have to explain everything — what brings you and roughly when a session would suit you is enough.

  • 02

    I reply personally

    Within two working days at the latest. Together we find a time for a session at my practice in Ljubljana.

  • 03

    Introductory session

    It is for getting to know each other and commits you to nothing. If we decide to continue, we go through and sign an informed consent form together.

Write to me
Contribution

Family therapy

50 minutes, usually every two weeks

25 € / session

No hidden costs and no commitment. Payment after each session. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the appointment.

Why the contribution is lower

I am a trainee enrolled in the specialisation programme in marriage and family therapy. That is exactly why the contribution is lower than usual — and exactly why I review every case regularly with a licensed supervisor.

Straight with you

I provide this service as a trainee under supervision

I am a marriage and family therapist in training and I am enrolled in the specialisation programme. I do not do this work alone: I review every case regularly with a supervisor who is licensed and has many years of practice.

In supervision we discuss the content of sessions without any details by which you could be identified — the supervisor never learns who you are. For you this means that behind me stands not only my own knowledge, but also the experience of someone who follows the work from the outside.

More about my path and training

Booking

Booking a session

Scheduling is handled by the FDI Institute, where I am completing my training. To arrange an introductory session, write or call here.

Za vse drugo — vprašanje o načinu dela, sodelovanje, mediji — mi piši neposredno na veronika@veronikazeleznik.com.

Further reading

Articles on this topic

Longer articles from the blog related to family therapy.

Contact

Take the first step

Write me a few lines about what weighs on you. I am happy to answer questions before you decide.

This is what insomnia taught me. What has it taught you? Traumatic experiences can leave you weakened — on recovery and strength. On the worries that drain our energy. On why differentiation matters in relationships. Self-confidence starts with self-awareness. On how hard it is to start — and harder still to keep going.