I am a psychologist with a degree from the University of Amsterdam, specializing in children’s problems and their relationships with their parents.
Starting in 1973, I worked as au pair in several families with small children in Paris and London for a few years. During that time, I discovered that many parents don’t really understand their own children which leads to tragic but preventable mistakes. I also realized that improving any situation lies solely on the parent's behavior and is vitally dependent on them. Later on in my career, I had an opportunity to gain intimate knowledge of all kinds of problems that can occur in a family of an autistic child when I used to pay home visits professionally.
What opened my eyes to the therapeutic playing K.A.L.E.S.M.A. as an effective tool is simply the results I was getting. After three months of playing with a child that completely lacked speech, he started using words to convey his desires and thoughts. It became obvious that this was my calling. In time, I refined the approach and improved upon it which proved incredibly powerful especially for autistic children, since it offered great motives for the development of that deeply desired sociability, speech or no speech. Everyone has a right to develop and evolve, parents and children alike.
Work Experience
1998–today Kentro Ypostiriksis Goneon. (Parent support center)
1995–1998 Ypostiriksi Goneon, Portage program. (Parent support)
1986–1988 Institute for autistic children ‘Elpida’, Thessaloniki.
1984–1985 Research on the neglected child syndrome.
1983–1984 Unit for children with borderline syndrome and autism.
1979–1980 English and French language teaching.
1973–1976 Αu pair in London and Paris.
