Milanese neuropsychiatrist and author Mariolina Ceriotti gave the inaugural lecture this morning of the First International Workshop on Family Support, organised by UIC Barcelona from 13 to 15 May. The lecture by Ceriotti, author of bestselling books such as Erótica y materna, Masculino: Fuerza, eros, ternura and La familia imperfecta, concentrated on family ties. She ensured that it is possible “to have a family bond and to also feel free”, after attributing the fall in marriage and birth rates to the fact that people “prefer lighter, more temporary connections.”

During the International Workshop on Family Support, held for three days in UIC Barcelona, Ceriotti explained that for a couple’s relationship to work, it is very important to have an appropriate role in the family, respect each other's boundaries and maintain the right distance in relationships with others.

The expert stated that, often “many individual or partner crises are because one of these aspects has failed”. “It is common to encounter people with problems because of the ties they still maintain with their original family, or other family figures in their past,” she added.

Following her presentation Raphael Bonelli, professor of psychiatry at the Sigmund Freud University in Vienna, spoke about the limits of therapeutic intervention and support in family crises.

More than 500 attendees and 50 nationalities have arrived today and will stay until 15 May at UIC Barcelona. The objective is to talk about family and facilitate the training of those who are already dedicated to, or wish to dedicate themselves, to the task of family support. The rector, Dr Alfonso Méndiz, opened the congress by thanking the attendees and emphasising that the workshop, organised by the Institute of Advanced Family Studies (IESF) of UIC Barcelona, is not a workshop but “a great family meeting; a milestone that will mark a before and after in family studies”. The event is being attended by people from all over the world, amongst them Mexico, Kenya and the Philippines. For three days, and within the framework of International Family Day, family support initiatives will be unveiled and there will be a networking space and exchange of good practices.

The programme of the First International Workshop on Family Support consists of educational theory sessions with expert panels providing practical observations on the different areas of family support. In the initial presentation, Dr Montserrat Gas, director of the IESF, emphasised that “we wanted to give the congress a very practical character. Through these sessions we are hoping to understand the current difficulties facing the family and develop new approaches on how to help.” Gas also assured that the main objective is “to train the participants so that they can learn and acquire new ideas about how to support families and create a network between professionals working in this field”. Among the speakers of the conference are experts in medicine, education, and communication, and also from the ecclesiastical world.

Tomorrow the second day of the workshop will take place with presentations by Rafael Lafuente, expert in affective-sexual education, and Juan José Pérez Soba, from the John Paul II Institute on Marriage and Family (Rome).

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La neuropsiquiatra milanesa i divulgadora Mariolina Ceriotti ha impartit aquest matí la ponència inaugural del I Workshop Internacional sobre Acompanyament Familiar. La ponència de Ceriotti ha girat al voltant dels vincles familiars, i ha assegurat que és possible "tenir un vincle familiar i que no hi falti la llibertat", després d'atribuir la caiguda dels matrimonis i de la natalitat al fet que les persones "prefereixen vincles més lleugers que no siguin definitius".

More than 500 attendees and 50 nationalities have arrived today and will stay until 15 May at UIC Barcelona. The objective is to talk about family and facilitate the training of those who are already dedicated to, or wish to dedicate themselves, to the task of family support.

Raphael Bonelli, professor of Psychiatry at Sigmund Freud University in Vienna and a speaker at the congress, talks about the relevance of the 1st International Workshop on Family Support and the importance of it taking place at UIC Barcelona.

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