The development of a child is largely determined by their relationship with their parents. Parents, through the handling they choose for their upbringing, ensure, with varying degrees of success, the conditions for the smooth development and socialization of their child. In their effort, they need counseling support to be able to express their parental role more fully. Family counseling is provided either by private agencies and counseling centers, or is integrated into the formal educational system. In any case, the content of family counseling can be scaled at three levels, corresponding to the phases of life that each person goes through. The first level concerns the relationship of the couple before marriage and is addressed to teenagers and their parents as premarital counseling. The second level concerns the establishment and development of the marital relationship, and the third level concerns the upbringing of the child. At all levels, there are "core" issues, such as health, work, interpersonal relationships, the content of which is proportional to the life phases that each person goes through and their specific needs.

In addition to the "core" issues, the subject matter of counseling includes specific topics, such as substance use, divorce, minorities and disabilities, which are of interest to all parents, regardless of whether they face related problems or not. With this book, the subject matter and methodological approach of family counseling are proposed, which embraces both timeless and current issues of parenting and child rearing.