OPTA The Counseling Center

We are a government-funded, publicly accessible, and free Counseling Center located in Warsaw, Poland. We provide assistance to preschool and school-aged children (until the completion of high school), as well as their parents/guardians in crises related to family and social functioning. Our services are directed towards individuals experiencing the effects of abuse, such as alcohol, psychoactive substances, media, as well as those dealing with other issues related to family communication, adolescence, school difficulties, loss experiences, illnesses, disabilities, situations surrounding divorces, gender identity, difficulties in choosing an educational path, determining vocational interests, and decision-making challenges. We offer individual and group support for children and adolescents, parents/guardians, as well as professionals working for the well-being of children and adolescents, and entire families. Forms of our assistance services include: For Children: -Sociotherapeutic groups -Educational and developmental workshops -Individual therapy -Psychological support -Vocational counseling -Art therapy -Animal-assisted therapy For Adolescents: -Sociotherapeutic and psychotherapeutic groups -Educational and developmental workshops -Individual psychotherapy -Psychological support -Workshops for adolescents from families with alcohol-related issues -Vocational counseling -Art therapy -Animal-assisted therapy -Psychoeducation -Support groups For Parents/Guardians: -Consultations on parenting issues -Parental mediations -Support group for parents -Workshops for parents of children at all developmental stages -Parenting skills workshops -Psychoeducation For Families: -Family therapy -Family mediations -Family interventions -Psychoeducation -Lectures For Professionals (e.g., teachers, educators, psychologists, caregivers): -Supervision and consultations -Supervision-focused workshops Recently, we expanded our services to include groups for: -Experimenting youth (alcohol, psychoactive substances) aged 15-19 -Youth after addiction treatment centers - maintaining abstinence aged 15-19 -Youth dealing with low self-esteem (Feeling of Beauty) using art therapy methods and photography, ages 13-17 -Children and adolescents participating in animal-assisted therapy sessions -Families participating in family interventions and mediations -Youth with gender identity issues On Saturdays, we organize open sessions for individuals interested in experiencing therapeutic activities. These are one-time sessions in various forms catering to different groups (workshops, psychoeducation, lectures, elements of work using Weronika Sherborne's methods).