Social Counseling at the PVZ Traun: “Our Mission Is People”

To mark International Social Work Day, we invited the two social workers from the PVZ Traun, Elisabeth Girkinger and Jasmin Janka, for an interview. In the conversation, the two experts explain how a neutral outside perspective can help and often provide great relief amid the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

In your opinion, what sets the social counseling services at the PVZ Traun apart? Where do you see the greatest added value for patients?

Jasmin Janka:Before joining the PVZ Traun, I worked at a labor market policy organization, where I had only one mission: to support clients as they worked toward earning a degree or retraining. At the PVZ, our mission is focused on people. That means that wherever people need our support, we provide a safe, confidential space for conversation.

Elisabeth Girkinger:In other words, our work gives us the flexibility and the time to address the wide variety of problems and needs our patients face. We provide help quickly, free of charge, and for as long as it takes. If necessary, we can even make house calls and rely on the support of our colleagues at the PVZ Traun and beyond.

Can you give us some examples of the challenges patients face and explain how you specifically address them?

Elisabeth Girkinger:We oftenencounter the issue of feeling overwhelmed—though the reasons for this can vary widely: pressure at work, a bereavement, an accident, or a decision that needs to be made and is causing stress. We then help people take a bird’s-eye view, look at the situation from the outside, and organize and sort through their thoughts.

Jasmin Janka:We basically break down the challenges together with the patients. This makes the problem more manageable and allows us to tackle it step by step.

What is the one thing the public should definitely know about your work? Where might there still be prejudices? Where is there a need for more education and awareness-raising?

Jasmin Janka:Many patients often don’t even know that we exist and that they don’t need a doctor’s referral to take advantage of our free services. There’s also often still a significant barrier to talking about stressful issues.

Elisabeth Girkinger:Many people also think that our expertise can only be called upon during existential crises. But holistic health means recognizing your limits early on. That’s why I have a clear request for everyone: Just reach out to us directly—we’ll listen, and then we’ll figure out together what’s needed.

What do you like about your work? What makes you proud?

Elisabeth Girkinger:I find my work extremely meaningful, and we receive an immense amount of appreciation from our patients.

Jasmin Janka:I can wholeheartedly agree with that—I also find the appreciation I receive from my colleagues to be very positive.

To provide a concise overview, the two social workers have created aninformational brochureabout social counseling at the PVZ Traun, which can be downloaded directly here download . They are also happy to assist by phone at any time: 07229 / 722 22.