«The need among families has become more acute and greater»

The Institut Kinderseele Schweiz (iks) supports families in which the mother or father is affected by mental health problems. Last year, the demand for counselling services doubled.

Ms Weber, who is the iks counselling service aimed at?

Our service is free of charge and is aimed at families in which one parent is mentally ill. However, we can also be contacted by people close to these families or by professionals such as the child's teachers. Our work always focuses on the well-being of the children concerned: what do they need in this situation?

Alessandra Weber is the director of the Institut Kinderseele Schweiz.

In 2017, iks launched an online counselling service. A counselling centre was added in Winterthur in 2020 and one in Stäfa ZH last September. Have mental health problems increased among the population?

Last year, the number of enquiries we received doubled, which is due to the expansion of our services, but also to the pandemic. Families who were already struggling before coronavirus are now overburdened. The need has become more acute and greater. This has led to an increase in mental disorders or illnesses. Many of our clients also describe very complex situations in which suicidal behaviour or domestic violence are an issue.

How does iks help these families?

We offer psychosocial counselling with a systemic approach, in which we first analyse what each family member needs most. Perhaps the child needs a place to talk about their worries and fears, perhaps the mother needs therapy or support at home to help them cope with everyday life. We not only provide information about the relevant services, but also help with contacting experts, making appointments and so on. Some families only come to us two or three times and may contact us again later. Others we accompany for months.

All counselling services and information about mental illness in the family can be found at: www.kinderseele.ch