1. Presentation and education
Dr. Katarina Kompan, married Erzar, is the mother of two children. Born June 10,
1971. A High School graduate, she continued to university and attained her undergraduate
degree in 1994 at the Department of Psychology, the Faculty of Philosophy, University of
Ljubljana. Beginning in the academic year 1990/1991 and through to the end of her
undergraduate studies she received scholarship funding for being an excellent student and for
maintaining excellent grades. Her undergraduate thesis, titled »Hypotheses Fingo; the Theory
and Practice of Neuropsychology in the Study of Speech«, was awarded the Grand Prešeren
Award. She developed a new test for dichotic listening in the Slovene region, to determine
hemispheric lateralization. In her theoretical approach she contended with the epistemological
issues of research in psychology and supported the thesis that psychology, if it indeed wishes
to become a science of the human mind, must set hypotheses that exceed the observable and
which are contiguous with the indiscernible. She also applied this to the neuropsychological
field of the study of speech.
Under the mentorship of prof. Janek Musek, her Master’s degree concerned the issue
of the epistemology and status of the meaning within Vygotsky’s vision of psychology as a
unified field of science. She attained her Master’s degree in October 1997 upon a successful
defense of her thesis »The Structure of the Subject according to Vygotsky«. On the basis of
Lev Vygotsky’s theory, she presented in her Master’s thesis her own theoretic model for
understanding the human subject as a mesh of three levels of meaning: the literal, transferable
and the surfeit. She proffered a metaphor - a likeness, as an abstract framework within which
true space can be generated for the science of developmental psychology.
She successfully defended her doctoral thesis »The Individual as a Relational Being«
on April 14, 2000 at the Department of Psychology, the Faculty of Philosophy, University of
Ljubljana. Prof. Dr. Janek Musek was her mentor, while her co-mentors were prof. dr. Janez
Juhant and doc. dr. Christian Gostečnik. In her doctoral thesis, she contended with the
problematics of transference and countertransference in the therapeutic relationship, and she
introduced into the comprehension of therapy the concept of affective mutuality and affect
regulation as being fundamental dynamics that are intrinsic to every therapeutic relationship.
She also published her findings in a scientific monograph »The Discovery of a Relationship«.
2. Research work
In addition to her studies, she continually collaborated in scientific-research fields, all of
which incorporated many social, work and vital qualities. During her studies, in the academic
year of 1990/91, she assisted on a kids help phone, founded by the Friends of Youth
Association of Slovenia. During the years 1992-1994 she was a long-term researcher in the
neuropsychological laboratory where she collaborated in the diagnosis and rehabilitation of
children with neuropsychological disorders and she researched children’s speech
development.
Between the years 1995-1997, she worked as a Young Researcher at the Pedagogical
Institute at the University in Ljubljana, at the Center for Culturological Studies and at the
Center for Women’s Studies; during this same time she also collaborated at lectures for
teachers, organized by the Pedagogical Institute. She collaborated also on a several years long
international IEA research study of pres-school education. Her work in this study concerned a
study of concealed curricula and subtle forms of abuse in Slovenian kindergartens, the
establishment of secure relationships between pedagogues and children, as well as between
children in various age groups. Another field of her research concerned a study of children in
kindergarden environments and establishing the most beneficial factors promoting healthy
development.
October 15, 1997, she became a Young Researcher for the Institute of Philosophy and
Social Ethics at the Faculty of Theology, University of Ljubljana, which is governed by prof.
dr. Janez Juhant. Working within the framework of the Institute, she researched the influence
of intergenerational transference of trauma on the development of the family system.
In 1996, dr. Katarina Kompan Erzar is employed at the Franciscan Family Institute,
where she begins working as a couple and family therapist. In 1998, she developed the
»Program for Supervision in Couple and Family Therapy«; the aim was to create space for
other therapists to obtain relevant supervision according to the Relational Family Therapy
model of clinical supervision in social services in Slovenia. Subsequently she also developed
a new therapy program in Ljubljana: »The Development and Implementation of the Relational
Family Therapy Model for the Prevention and Treatment of Family Violence in Social
Services in Slovenia«.
In 2001, she co-founded and became coordinator of the program in »Specialization in
MFT (marital and family therapy)« at the University of Ljubljana; here she was also assistant
professor (conducting lectures on developmental science and leading the practicum of
Relational Family Therapy since then). In 2004 she then became a part-time collaborator in
two Target Research Programmes: Science for Peace, and Security 2004-2010, where she
works as a consultant and supervisor. In 2004 she co-founded the »Masters and Doctoral
Porgram in MFT« at the University of Ljubljana (conducting lectures for the masters and
doctoral degree programs in the MFT program: »Relational concepts in psychoanalysis and
marital and family therapy«, »Family life cycles«, »Systemic theory of interpersonal
relationships«).
During her work with students she starts the development of process-based research
methodology in marital and family therapy so as to establish the proper basis for further
research. From 2005 onwards, the core therapeutic program (which she began in 1998)
extends facilities to Kranj and Maribor.
As of 2007, she becomes an associate professor at the University of Ljubljana. Her
latest research work is in the field of parenting and development of secure relationships from
the onset of family life, including work with premarital couples and young parents. In 2008,
she began with the first pilot group for young mothers and babies.
1.
Predstavitev in študijsko delo
Dr. Katarina Kompan, poročena Erzar je mamica dveh otrok. Rojena je 10. junija 1971.
Po zaključku srednje šole je diplomirala leta 1994 na oddelku za psihologijo na Filozofski
fakulteti Univerze v Ljubljani. Od akademskega leta 1990/91 do konca dodiplomskega študija
je na podlagi evidentiranih nadpovprečnih študijskih rezultatov prejemala štipendijo za
nadarjene. Za diplomsko nalogo z naslovom »Hypotheses fingo; teorija in praksa
nevropsihologije pri proučevanju govora« je prejela tudi univerzitetno Prešernovo nagrado. V
svojem diplomskem delu je razvila, za slovenski prostor nov test dihotičnega poslušanja za
ugotavljanje hemisferne lateralizacije. V teoretičnem delu pa je razgrnila epistemološke
probleme psihološkega raziskovanja in zagovarjala tezo, da mora psihologija, če hoče zares
postati znanost o človeku, postavljati hipoteze, ki presegajo opazljivo in se dotikajo
neopazljivega, kar je aplicirala tudi na nevropsihološkem področju razvoja govora.
V okviru magistrskega študija se je pod mentorstvom prof. dr. Janeka Muska ukvarjala z
vprašanjem epistemologije in statusa pomena znotraj Vygotskijeve vizije psihologije kot
enotnega znanstvenega polja. Magistrski študije je zaključila oktobra 1997 z uspešnim
zagovorom naloge »Struktura subjekta pri Vygotskem«. V magistrskem delu je na podlagi
teorije Leva Vygotskega izdelala teoretski model razumevanja človeškega subjekta kot
preplet treh ravni pomena: dobesednega, prenesenega in presežnega. Pri tem je izpostavila
metaforo – podobo, kot pojmovni okvir znotraj katerega lahko nastane pravi prostor za
razvojno psihološko znanost.
Doktorsko disertacijo z naslovom »Človek kot bitje odnosov« je uspešno zagovarjala 14.
aprila 2000 na oddelku za psihologijo na Filozofski fakulteti Univerze v Ljubljani. Mentor je
bil prof. dr. Janek Musek, somentorja pa prof. dr. Janez Juhant in doc. dr. Christian Gostečnik.
V svoji nalogi se je lotila problematike transferja in kontratransferja v terapevtskem odnosu in
v pojmovanje terapije vpeljala nov pojem afektivne vzajemnosti in regulacije afekta kot
temeljne dinamike vsakega terapevtskega odnosa. Svoje izsledke je objavila tudi v znanstveni
monografiji »Odkritje odnosa«.
1. Raziskovalno delo
Poleg študijskih obveznosti je vseskozi sodelovala na znanstveno-raziskovalnih področjih,
ki vključujejo veliko socialnih delovnih in življenjskih kvalitet. Med drugim je v študijskem
letu 1990/91 sodelovala pri otroškem telefonu, ki ga je ustanovilo Društvo prijateljev mladine.
V letih 1992-1994 je bila stalna sodelavka nevropsihološkega laboratorija, kjer je sodelovala
pri diagnostiki in rehabilitaciji otrok z nevropsihološkimi motnjami ter raziskovala razvoj
govora pri otrocih.
Od 1995 do 1997 pa je kot mlada raziskovalka na Pedagoškem inštitutu pri Univerzi v
Ljubljani delala na Centru za kulturološke študije in na Centru za ženske študije, hkrati pa je
sodelovala tudi pri predavanjih za učitelje, ki jih je organiziral Pedagoški inštitut. Vključena
je bila tudi v večletno mednarodno IEA raziskavo predšolske vzgoje. Njeno delo v raziskavi
je zajemalo proučevanje prikritega kurikula in subtilnih oblik nasilja v slovenskih vrtcih ter
vzpostavljanje varnega odnosa med vzgojitelji in otroki, ter med otroki v različno starih
skupinah. Drugo področje pa je bilo raziskovanje razvoja otrok v vrtčevskem okolju in
ugotavljanje dejavnikov, ki najmočneje promovirajo zdrav razvoj.
15. oktobra 1997 je postala mlada raziskovalka na Inštitutu za filozofijo in družbeno etiko na
Teološki fakulteti Univerze v Ljubljani, ki deluje pod vodstvom prof. dr. Janeza Juhanta. V
okviru dela na inštitutu je raziskovala vpliv medgeneracijskega prenosa travme na razvoj
družinskega sistema.
Leta 1996 se dr. Katarina Kompan Erzar zaposli na Frančiškanskem družinskem inštitutu, kjer
je začela s terapevtskim delom kot zakonska in družinska terapevtka. V letu 1998 je razvila
“program supervizije za relacijsko družinsko terapijo” s čemer je odprla možnost redne
supervizije za zakonske in družinske terapevte. Pridobila je tudi licenco za izvajanje
supervizije v socialnem varstvu za področje nasilja. V okviru ministrstva za delo, družino in
socialne zadeve je razvila program pomoči družinam, posameznikom in parom, ki se srečujejo
s čustvenim, fizičnim in spolnim nasiljem, ki ga je ministrstvo tudi verificiralo in vključilo v
javno mrežo socialnega varstva.
Leta 2001 je postala soustanoviteljica in koordinatorka programa specializacije “Zakonska in
družinska terapija” na univerzi v Ljubljani, kjer dela kot docentka zakonske in družinske
terapije.
V letu 2004 je bila vključena v raziskovalni program “znanost za mir”, kjer je bila vključena
kot raziskovalka in supervizorka.
V istem letu je sodelovala pri ustanavljanju magistrskega in doktorskega programa “Zakonska
in družinska terapija”, ki je bil v študijskem letu 2005/2006 tudi sprejet. V okviru doktorskega
študija predava naslednje predmete: “Relacijski koncepti v psihoanalizi in zakonski in
družinski terapiji” in “ Ciklusi razvoja družine”, “Sistemska teorija medosebnih odnosov”.
Tekom njenega dela s študenti je začela razvijati novo metodo procesnega raziskovanja
zakonske in družinske terapije, da bi postavila temelje za znanstveno preverljivo vodenje
terapevtskih treningov in terapij.
Leta 2005 je terapevtski program pomoči družinam, ki se srečujejo z nasiljem, razširila v
podružnici v Kranju in Mariboru.
Od leta 2007 je docentka na Univerzi v Ljubljani. Njeno trenutno raziskovalno delo je
usmerjeno na področje starševstva in varne navezanosti, ki vključuje delo z mladimi pari, ter
skupine za mlade mamice z dojenčki, s katerimi je začela v letu 2008.
V letu 2011 je skupaj s sodelavci ustanovila študijsko raziskovalni center za družine, kjer
razvija na teoriji navezanosti osnovan pristop k posameznikom, parom in družinam v stiski,
ter različne oblike izobraževalnih seminarjev ter supervizije za strokovne delavce s področja
šolstva, socialnega varstva in zdravstva.