Psychologie a její kontexty, Vol.5, No.1

Psychologická práce s klienty azylového domu
Counselling and Psychological Services for Clients at the Shelter Home

Fonferová, Ľudmila

Příspěvek se zabývá psychologickým přístupem v práci s klienty azylového domu pro rodiny s dětmi. Popisuje možnosti této práce v konkrétním socioterapeutickém prostředí Azylového domu v Horních Počernicích. Představuje fungující koncepci psychologické práce se všemi klienty a její typické výsledky. Celou prací se prolíná téma rozdílnosti několika přístupů pomáhajících profesí v azylovém domě se zaměřením na místo psychologického a terapeutického přístupu v rámci sociálních služeb. V závěrečné části jsou tyto rozdíly, možnosti a omezení jednotlivých přístupů uspořádány do koncepce trojrozměrného modelu s navzájem propojenými proměnnými, kdy socioterapeutické prostředí azylového domu představuje šířku, sociální práce výšku a psychologická práce hloubku.

Klíčová slova:
azylový dům, socioterapeutické prostředí, klienti azylového domu, psychologická práce, sociální služby

Problem: The paper is dealing with a psychological approach to the work with families and their children at a shelter home. It describes the circumstances and conditions for the work in the specific socio-therapeutic environment of the Horni Pocernice Shelter Home. The main research question - 'What are the options of psychological intervention and psychotherapeutic work with clients in the scope of services offered by the shelter home in Horni Pocernice'- works with the hypopaper that psychology and psychotherapy have their place within and next to social services. For clients who use services of this shelter home is this work essential and contributes to better understanding of their life situation and their social relations. Effectivity of psychological work in the environment of a shelter home is in a great deal connected to its acceptance, inner belief and understanding of its real possibilities by every single social worker. Lack of understanding, distorted expectations both on the side of social workers and psychologists complicate or even prevent psychotherapeutic work with clients for whom the requirements and demands of social workers are determining during their stay.
Methods: This paper is based on the design of ethnographic field research. Empirical design of this research is defined by the premises of the shelter home and the time period from 2007 to 2012. Therapeutic possibilities of clients are examined from the position of psychologist and psychotherapist of this centre who offers his/her services once a week for about 5 to 7 hours. The research sample was being created during the collection of data in the examined period and its analysis when it was early established with respect to the research question that all available cases typical for full collection will be included (there were 646 clients in the examined period).
Results: The answer to the main research question concerns two variables which are related to each other. The target group, which is described with the use of demographic and social characteristics, and the position of psychotherapy in social services. The differences, conditions and limitations of various approaches of assisting professions in the shelter home are organised into a three-dimensional model with interlinked variables where the socio-therapeutic environment of the shelter home represents the width, the social work represents the height and the psychological counselling represents the depth. This paper presents the results of the functioning concept of psychological work with all clients and its typical results. It describes and analyses some of the variables which generally work in psychotherapy and which are specific factors in this environment: relationship between a therapeutist and a client, variables on the side of a client, used techniques and non-therapeutical factors.
Discussion and assessment of results: The final part evaluates the work of psychologist and psychotherapist in the context of the socio-therapeutic environment which by its nature calls for changes. It points out various views of social workers and psychologists or psychotherapists in their evaluation of co-operation with individual clients and shows a different conception of relationship between an evaluator and a person being evaluated which makes those two approaches different yet complementary in the complex of services.
Conclusion: The conclusion brings an assessment of the importance of psychotherapy in social services as an activity determined by the concept of social work and psychotherapy and their historical continuity in individual countries.

Keywords:
shelter home, socio-therapeutic environment, shelter home clients, psychological counselling, social services