Erika Pap set out to answer this question at this year’s fifth parents’ club meeting.

First, she introduced the concept of personality to the audience. Carver and Scheier describe personality as a dynamic organization of psychophysical systems within the personality, which creates the behavioral, thought, and emotional patterns characteristic of the individual. In their studies, professionals in the field of psychological functioning learn this model of how personality operates; in their subsequent work, they supplement this view of human nature with their own experiences and integrate it into their practice. During therapy, they attempt to apply these by combining them. However, therapeutic work is always preceded by the creation of a therapeutic plan. For this, it is important to identify the cause of the blockage as well as the individual’s strengths, which will serve as the foundation for the subsequent healing process. Professionals can employ numerous methods to identify these. Erika highlighted three types of assessment tools: projective tests, paper-and-pencil tests, and non-test-based procedures (interviews, observation). The results of the various tests and observations together reveal the source of the blockage. Psychologists and psychiatrists use these methods equally (often complementing each other’s work) to plan the therapeutic process. Erika briefly explained the differences between the training and professional practice of psychologists and psychiatrists, highlighted the commonalities, and then moved on to the main topic of the parents’ club.

If a mental disorder is suspected, the problem must be examined along four dimensions, and then a decision must be made as to whether professional help is necessary. The first dimension is deviance. Is the problem considered deviant? Erika emphasized that society determines what is normal and what constitutes behavior deviating from the norm (if it is even possible to think in these categories). Thus, deviant behavior also depends on social norms. The second dimension is the pressure of suffering and its degree. Does the behavior in question cause suffering or distress to the individual and/or their environment? The next dimension examines whether the behavior serves a function. Does it aid personality development in any way, or does it hinder it? Finally, the fourth dimension examines the danger posed to the individual or their environment.

Following this, we discussed topics that arose during previous parent clubs and the related challenges (online addictions, ADHD, eating disorders, PTSD, trauma). In every case, it is important to pay attention to the symptoms characteristic of the disorder, and if several of them appear, it is advisable to seek professional help. Various coping strategies were also discussed within the framework of the multimodal model of resilience. Thanks to these strategies, we are able to maintain stability in our lives despite difficult situations and traumas. It is due to these strategies that, although 70% of the adult population has experienced a traumatic event at least once, 80% of them have successfully coped with it. To do so, they applied one of the six main strategies: cognitive-behavioral coping; emotional-affective coping; social coping; coping based on imagination and fantasies; coping based on a value system; and physical forms of coping. These help in maintaining a stable life in the face of trauma.

In closing, Erika briefly described how work is conducted at the Murmó Center, how a psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, neuropsychologist, art therapist, and family therapist collaborate, and what opportunities comprehensive care encompasses. This was followed by a Q&A session where she answered participants’ personal questions.