Georgia Kaltsidou is a certified psychologist with a Master’s Degree in Clinical & Social Psychology of Addictions & Psychosocial Problems from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. She is in her last year of Training in Person-Centered & Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy from the Hellenic Focusing Centre.

She has worked in a variety of professional environments – community centres, schools, holding cells, mental health institutes – promoting self-help and social integration.

For the last four years, Georgia Kaltsidou has been working as a project manager and psychosocial support worker in a community centre for refugees, in the suburbs of Thessaloniki. She facilitates several therapy groups including professional development, culture and self-care for the beneficiaries of the centre, comprising refugees from Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast and other countries.

“In a workplace where so many languages are spoken and sometimes you feel lost in the translation, focusing can be a very powerful common language that facilitates communication and expression”.