Overcoming conflict and separation – everyday help, advice, and conflict resolution (STARK)

Project description

STARK is an online platform that provides parents, children, and adolescents with expert, interdisciplinary, comprehensive, and interactive support in dealing with separation issues. The aim of the website is to provide couples in crisis and separated families with a wide range of information and counseling services.

STARK brings together information on the following topics on one website free of charge, in a clear and practical format:

• Conflict situations and tips for dealing with relationship problems in partnerships
• Legal and financial issues surrounding separation and divorce
• Psychological challenges and shaping family life during a separation with children
• Questions and support needs of children of separated parents
• Information on further points of contact and assistance

STARK aims to provide parents and their children with information and support on all issues and challenges relating to relationship crises, separation, and divorce. In addition to clearly presented information, the project offers psychoeducational elements that help participants develop coping, relationship, and interaction skills, as well as useful tools (e.g., income calculators, assessment aids, checklists, etc.). The project combines psychological, economic, legal, and IT expertise in a total of seven modules.

Information for counselors

STARK also aims to pave the way for people to actively seek out marriage, relationship, family, parenting, and child and youth counseling centers and to facilitate the work of counselors. The online help platform can be integrated into the work of counseling centers and supports them as a low-threshold service for parents and their children seeking advice, addressing many questions in advance or accompanying the counseling process. Some important advantages of integrating STARK into counseling practice:

• Bridging waiting times before the start of a consultation
• Time savings and supplementary advice by clarifying questions regarding legal and economic issues in the event of separation/divorce
• Complex information presented in an understandable way, e.g. through animations and explanatory videos, interactive assessment tools such as an income calculator
• Psychoeducational content and exercises to strengthen resources and resilience
• Playful help for children and young people, ranging from information about their rights when their parents divorce, videos and information from young people for young people, to entertaining exercises for regulating emotions.

Additional material available for download:

• STARK_Poster_Counseling_Services (PDF, 960 KB)
• Flyer for users and counseling centers (PDF, 890 KB)

Overview