On 4 and 5 June 2015, the Auditorium of the University of Deusto hosted the 9th Congress of the Spanish Association for Research and Development in Family Therapy, entitled: Parenting in situations of conflict and divorce: emotional impact on children.

From a systemic and relational perspective, interparental conflict is considered a risk factor in children’s adjustment. Consistently, research has shown that greater exposure to parental conflict is associated with higher levels of depressive, anxiety-related and aggressive symptoms, as well as increased substance use and more psychosomatic problems, among others.

The explanations for this association are multifactorial, although parenting is considered a key variable. Parenting style, parental emotional availability, perceived child support, communication and related factors are central elements of parenting that foster children’s emotional regulation, adaptation and self-control. These processes are, however, compromised when interparental conflict is destructive.

The manifestations of conflict have consequences across multiple contexts, including educational, legal, clinical and community settings. Therefore, this congress was aimed at all professionals, researchers and individuals interested in family and childhood, as well as social agents and policymakers.

During these sessions, researchers and professionals from different fields reflected on the impact of conflict, as well as on prevention strategies and possible lines of intervention.

Many professionals in the fields of healthcare and social services work daily with families experiencing psychosocial risk. Increasingly, there is a growing recognition that it is possible to move beyond the concept of positive parenting and provide support within community settings that is more guidance- and therapy-oriented, rather than solely assistance-based.

With the aim of gaining a better understanding of the approaches adopted by professionals from different fields, including clinical, community and educational settings, who work with families experiencing psychosocial risk across Spain, the 2nd Conference on Family Counselling and Therapy in Clinical and Community Settings was held on 22 and 23 November 2012 at the Auditorium of the University of Deusto (Bilbao). The conference was organised by the Spanish Association for Research and Development in Family Therapy (AEI+DTF) in collaboration with DeustoPsych (Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Deusto). During the event, participants addressed current challenges in family intervention, intervention strategies in community services, family counselling in educational settings, domestic violence, and couple conflict. These topics were explored through a dynamic methodology centred on the presentation and discussion of practical case studies.

The conference brought together some of the most renowned professionals at national level, including Gerardo Pastor (Pontifical University of Salamanca), Miguel Garrido (University of Seville), Virginia Cagigal (Comillas Pontifical University), Valentín Escudero (University of A Coruña), José Ramón Landarroitajauregi (Biko-Arloak), Jon Elordui (Lagungo), among many other professionals and academics.