MODELS OF CONSULTATION OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN AND THEIR INTEGRATION INTO SOCIAL WORK: THE EXPERIENCE OF GERMANY, FRANCE AND THE USA

Abstract

Introduction. The family is the fundamental unit of society, playing a key role in shaping the child’s personality, socialization, and ensuring emotional stability. However, in the modern world, families face numerous challenges: from economic difficulties and the stress of everyday life to social changes, divorces, migration, and, especially relevant for Ukraine, the consequences of military conflicts. These factors can significantly affect intra-family relationships, parenting styles, and, as a result, the well-being of children. In such circumstances, effective counseling becomes not just an auxiliary tool, but a vital support for families seeking to create a favorable environment for the development of their children. The presented materials analyze and substantiate the key models of counseling families with children used in Germany, France, and the USA, taking into account their national characteristics and historical experience. The specifics of the integration and application of different models of counseling by social work professionals in each of these countries are revealed.Purpose. To conduct a comparative analysis of models of counseling families with children in Germany, France, and the USA, as well as to determine their integration and role in the activities of social work professionals.Scientific novelty. It consists in identifying and justifying the key contradictions that underlie the study of the problem.Firstly, this is the contradiction between the universality of therapeutic models and the need for their cultural and systemic adaptation to differences in national social support systems, cultural values, financing and legal regulation. Secondly, this is the contradiction between the need for highly specialized therapeutic care and the desire for its wide availability through the social work system, which is a challenge for the balance between the depth and coverage of services.Conclusions. The analysis of models of counseling families with children in Germany, France and the USA demonstrates key differences in national approaches, which are due to their historical, cultural and institutional characteristics. In Germany, systemic family therapy dominates, which is closely integrated into the state system of support for children and youth. France combines psychoanalytic traditions with elements of systemic and cognitive-behavioral approaches, emphasizing the coordination of services. In contrast, the USA is characterized by a decentralized system and the priority of evidence-based practices. Despite these differences, what is common to all three countries is the central role of social work professionals. They act as a key link that ensures the integration and adaptation of universal therapeutic models to the unique needs of each family and its social environment, thereby making help accessible and effective. This emphasizes their indispensable role in the system of supporting family well-being.