Guide
Why is it such a struggle to get your kid to sleep?
by Katja Fischer
Is your child pushing you to your limits?
19.11.2019
Translation: machine translated
Successful at work, well-behaved children, well-groomed appearance, clean household, great commitment: the list of what is expected of parents or what they expect of themselves is long. At some point, many reach their limits. The Parents' Emergency Call helps.
Parents try to do their best every day and fulfil everyone's needs. This is precisely why everyday life can be a challenge for some. Stress, different needs, too little sleep, time pressure, their own demands, external demands or even emotions push parents to their limits. From one day to the next, the house of cards collapses and there is supposedly no way out of the current situation.
A different perspective would help. But some parents have no one to talk to about their problems. Others feel ashamed when they have to admit that they are overwhelmed. They are afraid to talk to relatives or friends. They would rather maintain a perfect image than seek help. Perhaps because criticism and advice can hurt - especially from people close to them. Nevertheless, it is important to seek help and accept it. A different perspective can help to resolve a muddled situation. This is exactly where the parent helpline comes in.
Counselling on a basis of trust
The Elternnotruf is a contact point for parents and carers of children of all ages. It was founded in 1983 as a private association and offers parenting, parenting and family counselling 365 days a year, around the clock, or provides referrals for help. They are run by experts with psychological, therapeutic or educational backgrounds. Almost all of them are parents themselves.
Counselling from the Elternnotruf is a great way to get independent input. Regardless of whether it's about your own child, niece, grandchild or a colleague's child. All counsellors are bound to confidentiality. No information is passed on to third parties without consent, neither to the authorities nor to (spouses) partners or parents. The experts can only make an exception in cases of serious child abuse or persistent danger to the child.
Available 24 hours a day
The Elternnotruf has set up a 24/7 hotline (0848 35 45 55 / landline rate) for counselling. A specialist is available at any time of the day or night and will advise the caller free of charge and even anonymously if desired. The association also offers email counselling or face-to-face counselling sessions. Face-to-face counselling is subject to a fee, but is charged differently based on the net income of those seeking help, so that everyone can afford counselling. Parenting workshops on various topics such as communication in the family, relationships or escalation, as well as visits to schools or other events, round off the services offered by the parent helpline.
For each telephone consultation, the experts take enough time to delve into the situation and find a customised solution. Some people come to them several times with the same problem. This is why they discuss difficult cases as a team at the request of the person concerned. They do not need to explain the initial situation several times and can still benefit from high-quality advice.
Admitting that the current situation is overboard and that you are not perfect is not a weakness. You are not alone in your situation. You're not the only person who feels this way. Every parent is struggling with some phase their child is going through, even if it doesn't seem like it on the outside. So, get help ahead of time.
What topics can the parent helpline help me with?
The specialists will support you in particular when situations escalate, when there is conflict, a family crisis or psychological, physical or sexual violence in the family. Even if you only suspect it.
In addition, they also advise you on other topics, such as:
- Writing baby / problems falling asleep
- Questions about development
- Questions about parenting
- Dealing with defiance and resistance
- Relationship problems in the family
- Puberty / adolescence
- School / transition to working life / apprenticeship
- Drugs / violence
According to Marielle Donzé, FSP psychologist and counsellor at Elternnotruf, many parents are concerned with questions about dealing with media and violence. Since 2008, Elternnotruf has therefore also offered counselling for parents affected by violence.
Financing of the parent helpline
According to the Elternnotruf, the number of counselling sessions has risen steadily in recent years, with one small exception in 2018. They record around 5,000 contacts on average. This includes all counselling sessions held by phone, email or in person. There are signs of further growth this year.
The majority of counselling sessions take place in Zurich, followed by the cantons of Bern and Aargau. Just under half of the calls are made outside office hours. In order to cover these on-call times and utilise synergies, Pro Juventute Parent Counselling supports the emergency parent helpline during the night. Together, they help parents in any emergency and ultimately protect the child.
Despite this cooperation, Elternnotruf relies on donations from private individuals, foundations, churches and communities. This is because the organisation is privately funded and only around half of the costs are financed by the cantons of Zurich, Bern, Zug, Graubünden, Aargau, Thurgau and Solothurn. <p
I’m the cook, cleaner, police officer, nurse, entertainer, motivator, author, storyteller, coach, organiser, chauffeur, lawyer and judge. To put it simply, I’m a mum to a daughter and not just a (Content) Manager at the office but also at home.
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