Healing Conversations – Interview with Anna Maria Prusińska on the Art of Building Relationships

Author/Editor: Maria Anna Furman

In a world that measures effectiveness in numbers and reduces closeness to algorithms, it becomes harder and harder to say the simplest sentence: “I heard you.” And yet it is precisely this phrase, in its most humble form, that opens the door to transformation. The conversation with Anna Maria Prusińska, a relational psychotherapist and mentor, unfolds as a story about reclaiming connection: with another person, with one’s own heart, and with life itself, which slips out of control when that connection is missing.

This year’s Stars Night Awards 2025 gala gained a special dimension: among the items in the charity raffle was a voucher worth one thousand pounds for a couples therapy program at the Academy of Love. It is an invitation to a process capable of reversing the course of events from breakup toward reconnection, from silence toward the language of the heart.

Anna Maria Prusińska works within the humanistic paradigm, and her standards are defined by accreditation with one of the UK’s leading professional associations. For clients, this means a safe, ethical framework, regular supervision, and ongoing professional development. In practice, it means the presence of someone who does not judge but brings order, who does not impose but accompanies; someone attuned to linguistic and emotional nuances, and even more so to what unspoken needs are trying to communicate.

The essence of her work is dynamically reaching the root of the conflict. Rather than nurturing a battle over who is right, the conversation is directed toward what lies beneath the surface: hurt, fear, hunger for recognition. It is a translation from the language of anger and defence into the language of love and boundaries. It is in this shift of tone that the most important change occurs; the couple begins to hear meaning, not just form. Often, just a few hours of attentive work produce results that years of solitary struggle have failed to deliver.

Sometimes two people walk into the office, and sometimes just one. In the first case, each often expects an arbiter who will declare a winner. The therapist’s role is to break this pattern, reveal the mechanisms on both sides, and restore the “we” perspective. In the second case, when only a “half” shows up, the work focuses on regaining influence: regulating one’s own reactions, reclaiming one’s voice, adjusting boundaries. Changing one element of a system still changes the system.

One of the strongest images that emerged from the conversation is the metaphor of the glass wall. This wall is often forged in childhood in homes where there was no room for tears or fear, where emotions were scolded, and needs were seen as a nuisance. The adult, therefore, avoids emotional exposure, confuses anger with strength, and silence with control. The therapeutic process consists of learning to speak again and to hear again.

Myth one: Love is just a feeling. In practice, it is also a decision to care and take responsibility for one’s words.

Myth two: “It takes two to tango.” True, for completeness, yes, but not always for beginning change. Often, one person, taking responsibility for their own communication and boundaries, can slow down a destructive dance of two.

Myth three: “Someone else will fix my emptiness.” Without a relationship with oneself, every “we” will be built on fragile clay.

In the therapist’s toolkit, there is both what is research-based and elements of mindfulness practice, meditation, affirmations, and broadly understood spirituality. The key is one: nothing is imposed, everything is meant to serve the person and the relationship. Of particular importance is “relational depth”, the moment when the conversation touches truth so closely that change is felt even before it is fully understood.

The mechanisms that hurt us at home also appear in offices and on factory floors. That is why consultations on workplace relationships are also part of her practice: defusing conflicts, helping express needs, and clarifying responsibilities. The point is to ensure that business growth does not consume private life and that ambition does not obscure the sense of meaning. The common denominator remains communication; the lack of precision in communication can cost more than a strategic mistake.

Not every relationship can be saved at a given moment. Addictions, severe disorders, or non-promising attitudes are signals that other work must come first: treatment, individual therapy, crisis stabilisation. Sometimes a mature decision is to part ways; other times it is to return after betrayal and consistently rebuild trust. The therapist does not decide for people but ensures that they see all possible paths and do not remain with the feeling of a missed opportunity.

The most important social conclusion is this: therapy is not a stigma. It is an alphabet that is not taught in schools, yet it determines the quality of life. A person who understands their own reactions in a relationship will usually handle themselves better in a team, in a conversation with a supervisor, or in a neighbourhood dispute. The world does not become easier, but the person becomes more capable of living through it. This is precisely why a gift in the form of a couples therapy program has such great value: it is not a trophy to put on a shelf but a tool for working on oneself.

There is a simple practice that can be implemented immediately: listen to the other person for half an hour without interrupting, without correcting, without replying. Ask clarifying questions, repeat in your own words what you heard, and only then respond. If you do this for a few days, many relationships shift from a war of positions to a dialogue.

The interview with Anna Maria Prusińska reveals three important truths. First, that relationships do not “just happen”; in order to be good, they require learning. Second, the language of anger and fear can be transformed into the language of love and boundaries, and this translation can save everyday life faster than one might think. Third, that having the courage to ask for help does not diminish dignity; on the contrary, it restores a person’s sense of agency.

Author/Editor: Maria Anna Furman