My name is Maria Fragkaki, and I am a Mental Health Counselor and System—Family Psychotherapist. My interest in people was the initial spark that led me to pursue a career in the field of humanities. From a young age, I was interested in teaching and working with children in general.

For this reason, I chose to study Philosophy, Education and Psychology at the University of Ioannina. As a philologist, I have worked and continue to work with children of various age groups and learning abilities. Additionally, I have worked as a special education teacher providing one-on-one support. My experience as an educator has made me realize that in my profession, I am called to address two children: "The one in front of me and the one I carry within!"

This realization is what led me to pursue postgraduate studies in Psychology. I successfully completed a Master’s Program in Counseling Psychology and Counseling in Health, Education, and Work. Through my master’s degree, I earned the title of Mental Health Counselor and learned the value of counseling, which is a therapeutic process where the counselor does not offer advice or ready-made solutions to the client. Instead, the counselor engages in discussion and dialogue with the client, helping them to arrive at their own decision.

My first encounter with System Psychotherapy was during my postgraduate studies, both at a theoretical and practical level. Recognizing the effectiveness of this approach in various contexts, and in light of my profession as an educator and special education teacher, I often noticed that I became part of a system—the system I co-created with the families I worked with. At the same time, I always emphasized the relationships and dynamics that developed within a system. For these reasons, I decided to delve deeper into System Therapy and to successfully complete the Four-Year System Therapy Program at ESYTHEPAS.

Practicing as a psychotherapist, I realized that the techniques that resonate with me the most are those of Narrative Therapy and Thinking, which I apply in my work. Each client has their own personal story, and I am always eager to listen to it with enthusiasm. I am there not only to listen but also to "illuminate" other parts of the narrative that may have been forgotten over time. My goal is to help the person in front of me to distance themselves from their problems, to recognize new perspectives, and to co-create new, more empowering narratives capable of responding more effectively to the challenges in their life.

If there is one thing that sets me apart, it is my positive thinking and the fact that I always focus on the positive side of a situation. I take on cases involving families, couples, as well as individual clients.