{"id":6503,"date":"2026-04-29T15:52:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T13:52:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/?p=6503"},"modified":"2026-04-29T15:52:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T13:52:23","slug":"effective-combining-psychology-with-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/effective-combining-psychology-with-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Effective Combining Psychology with Law"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A\u00a0interview with Monika Wszo\u0142ek \u2013 a\u00a0lawyer, owner of a\u00a0law firm, member of the National Center of the Defense of Fathers\u2019 Rights, and legal guardian of people with disabilities and social exclusion \u2013 about her professional fulfillment, as well as\u00a0her role as a\u00a0mother and partner, and about her extraordinary discoveries and dreams. W\u0142a\u015bnie mec. Monika Wszo\u0142ek became nominated to the title of\u00a0Leader\u00a0by\u00a0Vocation.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When did you realize you were a\u00a0leader?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Even at home, I showed initiative, stemming from being a \u201edaddy\u2019s girl.\u201d However, I must admit that for a long time, I was shy outside the home. We had no family in Silesia, so my parents took me everywhere, so I\u2019m that child who sat under the table during adult conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re writing a\u00a0book now\u2026<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Two books, in fact. The first one I want to mention concerns my family, the war years and beyond. It was during this time that I learned that I have Jewish roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did it happen?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a very strange story. Back in high school, I dreamed of my grandmother. She\u2019d come to me and told me that only I could find out the truth. That\u2019s when I started asking my parents if I was adopted Jewish. It turned out that this stemmed from my father\u2019s story, a victim of the Holocaust, and that my grandparents likely perished during the Warsaw Uprising. I think it\u2019s significant that my uncle was Roman Pola\u0144ski\u2019s friend, and my aunt was Bronis\u0142awa Horowitz\u2019s friend \u2013 the last surviving woman from Schindler\u2019s List. The person who serves Schindler a bread cake in the film is just my aunt. I read a lot, and contemporary history suggests how I should begin writing a book. Recently, when I became interested in my family\u2019s genes, the Ambassador for Infrastructure in South Australia contacted me, telling me that we shared genes and that he had knowledge of my family from Krakow. It\u2019s worth noting that my father came from the largest Jewish family in Krakow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have three children: the oldest is twenty-four-year-old Kuba, fourteen-year-old Ania, and the youngest, twelve-year-old Leon. And here\u2019s an interesting fact about your family\u2026<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Yes. It turns out that my great-grandparents had nine children, and three of them are Ania, Kuba, and Leon. I didn\u2019t know this, and it was quite by accident that I named my children that.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Are you proud of your children?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Of course. I\u2019m glad they\u2019re here. Not because I\u00a0have a\u00a0good relationship with them or they\u2019re doing well in school, but because they are. It makes me feel fulfilled.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is this empathy that made defend the rights of children and their fathers today?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I defend the rights of children, and fathers because they get hit hard. I am even going to start a foundation soon, but for now I\u2019m working at the National Center for the Defense of Fathers\u2019 Rights and I provide legal advice for charity for two hours a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you have any siblings?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Yes, an older brother. Things weren\u2019t always ideal between us. We argued and even had childhood fights, but when our father died a few years ago, my brother took on his role and became very protective. He probably saw how I was suffering because of the loss. My father plays a special role in my life; for 20 years we worked side by side. He was very demanding and strict with me. He used to tell me, \u201eYou\u2019re my daughter, we work together, so you have to be at work 15 minutes before everyone else and leave 15 minutes after.\u201d Today, my brother plays a special role in my life; I can always count on him, and I love him very much.<\/p>\n\n\n

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You have three children, a\u00a0partner, and a\u00a0good job \u2013 so you\u2019re fulfilling yourself.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Yes, today I am. I really enjoy my work. I\u2019m also proud that I\u2019ve regained my self-esteem, which was seriously shaken for many years. Two years ago, I became seriously ill, and a year ago, I finally separated from my husband \u2013 it was a very difficult time for me. Today, I\u2019m happy. I\u2019ve met someone special, with whom I share common passions and can count on his support. I used to love participating in world car rallies \u2013 now we do it together. We travel a lot, explore, shop together, and enjoy life. I have a sense of security I haven\u2019t experienced in many years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How long have you been an attorney?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been working as a lawyer for almost thirty years, but as a solicitor for ten now. I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer and do what I do best. I really enjoy my work.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Do you only deal with cases involving children and fathers?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Not only that. We also receive cases assigned by the court. Because I\u00a0practice family law, I\u2019m also a\u00a0guardian for children. I\u00a0also have my own incapacitated wards.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does your care for them look like?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This should be just a formality-related role, but the law doesn\u2019t specify this, so I often act as a guardian. I currently care for fifteen children and about 40 incapacitated wards. I go to doctor\u2019s appointments with them, talk on the phone, or visit them.<\/p>\n\n\n

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How do\u00a0you relax when you finally have some time?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

My partner and I most enjoy going to his house in the Bieszczady Mountains. There, I go for mountain walks, cook, plant, preserve, and grow plants. It gives me balance in life. There, I\u2019m Monika, not a lawyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And why did you also take up psychology and pursue this field of study?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to these studies, I\u2019m learning how to communicate with my wards. It\u2019s important to remember that these are people who have been battered by life. Besides, I deal with the very demanding legal profession and have three children of my own.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Are you happy with your career path?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Yes. I\u2019m happy and nourished by the fact that for some of my clients, I\u2019m the one, that 28-year-old Pawe\u0142ek calls me \u201eMom,\u201d that two 50-year-olds are waiting for me as if I\u00a0were the person they love most. When I\u00a0prepare packages for them, I\u00a0know exactly what\u2019s inside\u2014from handbags to perfume. I\u00a0know what\u2019s for whom. My children, even the adult ones, always need something, and they know they can count on me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wojciech Skowro\u0144ski
Beata Seku\u0142a<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A\u00a0interview with Monika Wszo\u0142ek \u2013 a\u00a0lawyer, owner of a\u00a0law firm, member of the National Center of the Defense of Fathers\u2019 Rights, and legal guardian of people with disabilities and social exclusion \u2013 about her professional fulfillment, as well as\u00a0her role as a\u00a0mother and partner, and about her extraordinary discoveries and dreams. W\u0142a\u015bnie mec. Monika Wszo\u0142ek […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6506,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1140],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6503"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6503"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6511,"href":"http:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6503\/revisions\/6511"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/whystory.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}