Groups
Groups
At the "Familienzelt", you will find groups where parents can connect with their babies, discuss developmental questions together, and meet with other parents in the same stage of life. Please note, some of our groups are exclusively for women.
Our groups take place in German, but in some groups basic german knowledge might be sufficient, so it is no problem if you are not speaking German perfectly. If this is fine for you, we are happy to welcome you there! If you are unsure, please contact us in advance.
The following group offerings are regularly available:
- Parent-child groups (Basic German knowledge sufficient)
- Group for parents of multiples (Basic German knowledge sufficient)
- Group for parents with a premature baby (Basic German knowledge sufficient)
- Group for women after a traumatic birth (German)
- Group for mothers and fathers who have lost a child (German)
- Self-help group for women with mental health crises related to childbirth (German)
Parent-Child Groups
Do you sometimes feel cooped up at home? Would you like to meet other parents and share experiences and information with them? In our parent-child groups, there is space to discuss topics such as development, breastfeeding, nutrition, and life during the baby years. Participation is possible with babies from three months old throughout the entire first year of life.
These groups are an offer among parents, meaning they take place without professional moderation and leadership. However, a staff member is available as a contact person for additional questions or problems.
Our parent-child group takes place:
Tuesday: 2:00 - 3:30 PM
Contribution: €2 per session.
The group is open, meaning registration is not required. In our group room, six families (one parent and one child each) can be accommodated.
Group for Parents of Multiples
Do you wish to meet other parents of twins/triplets and exchange experiences and information with them? In our group, there is space for questions, suggestions, and solutions on how to manage daily family life with double or triple the babies. The group is suitable for parents of multiples in the first year of the babies' lives, up to a maximum of 1.5 years.
The group is an offer among parents, meaning it takes place without professional moderation and leadership. However, a staff member from the Familienzelt is available as a contact person and can assist with the babies at the beginning and end of the group.
The group for parents of multiples meets once a month. The next meeting is on 21.06.2024 (Friday) from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
We kindly ask you to register in advance by email or phone.
Contribution: €2 per session
Group for Parents with Premature Babies
About one in ten babies is considered a "preemie" at birth, many of them born with a weight under 1,500 grams. During this phase, parents are often very worried and fearful for their baby (or for their babies in the case of multiples). Some families spend weeks or even months in the hospital. All parents long for the day when their baby no longer needs intensive medical care and they can take them home.
However, even at home, parents often feel a great deal of tension, and they are uncertain and anxious about caring for their baby. It can be frustrating and painful for them to compare their baby with those born at term. Many mothers grieve the abrupt end of their pregnancy or the difficulties with breastfeeding.
Babies in their first year of life can be brought along. The focus is on the experiences and feelings of the parents, not on the developmental advancement of the babies.
The group meets once a month. The next meeting is on 18.06.2024 (Tuesday) from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM.
If you would like to participate in the group, please send us a message at info@familienzelt.berlin.
We kindly ask you to register in advance by email or phone.
Group leader: Lucia Gacinski, Dipl.-Päd./MPH
Group for Women After a Traumatic Birth
Dear Mothers, You have given birth to a child - but the memory of the birth may be still painful or associated with unpleasant feelings. The birth may have happened very differently from what you had imagined. Events escalated, and suddenly you had no control over the situation. You felt like you couldn't decide anymore what would happen to you and your body. The lack of your own agency in the situation was traumatizing.
Now you may feel how your strength and joy for life are not returning. Even the joy over the baby hasn’t quite arrived. There aren't many people who understand or are able to listen to you, and perhaps they even say, "What's wrong with you, everything went fine!"
In the group, we meet once a month to:
- Talk about the birth
- Search for our existing abilities to cope with stressful events
- Discover new abilities that will help us
- Place this birth experience in our lives and view it from a different perspective.
The group is open to mothers who feel the need to talk about the birth of their child.
The group for mothers after stressful births will be on hiatus for three months.
It will not take place in May, June, and July 2024. Registrations will be possible again starting July 2024.
Group leader starting August 2024:
Deborah Dressler
Psychological Psychotherapist
The email address will be set up later:
deborah.dressler@familienzelt.berlin
Contribution: €5 - €10 per session
Group for Mothers and Fathers Who Have Lost a Child
Nothing compares to the pain caused by the death of a child. Our world collapses, our values, our relationships with family and friends are shaken. Nothing is the same as before. Grief distances us from our surroundings, and often we encounter incomprehension. Without grounding - with the feeling that nothing will ever be okay again - begins the search for a way to live with the loss. Often, talking about the unfathomable helps.
In the group with other individuals experiencing this grief, you will find a safe space where you can share your feelings such as anger, powerlessness, and hurt. It doesn't matter how long ago the death occurred. Here, you are allowed to embrace your pain and grief. Here, you are allowed to remember your child, the loss, but also the happy moments with them.
The group is for mothers and fathers who have lost their child during pregnancy, during, or after birth. It takes place monthly on the 2nd Friday from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
We kindly ask for prior registration.
Group leader: Carlotta Keifenheim, Grief Counselor
Contribution: €5.00
Support Group for Women Experiencing Mental Health Crises Around Childbirth
Approximately 10-20% of all mothers experience a mental health crisis around the birth of their child. The support group aims to provide women with a space for confidential sharing of experiences, counseling, and mutual support. The support group is confidential and free of charge. It aims to help find individual ways out of the crisis and to no longer feel alone in the struggle.
The meetings alternate between online and at the Familienzelt:
- Friday, June 14, 2024, at the "Familienzelt" from 9:15 AM to 11:15 AM
- Friday, June 28, 2024, online from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
- Friday, July 12, 2024, at the "Famililienzelt" from 9:15 AM to 11:15 AM
Advance registration is required, please email: