“In another situation, in another war, any one of us could be in their shoes”.
Ali, Psychologist at The Home Project
Ali, who works as a resident psychologist in one of our shelters, grew up between two worlds. Born in Lebanon and brought to Greece as a baby after his parents were forced to flee due to war, his early life carries the experience of displacement that he now encounters daily in his work with the children under our care. His upbringing in Greece gave him a sense of stability, but he always carried an awareness of migration and what it means to rebuild life in a new place.
“I understand their journey. How difficult it is to get documents, how challenging it is to be in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language, you don’t know anything, and you’re trying to start over”, he admits.
Before becoming a psychologist, Ali explored different career paths. He worked for years in hospitality as a bar manager, and also studied IT and shipping. Psychology was constantly present in the background, even if not yet formalized. “The behavior of people, how you can feel better, how you can improve your life and the lives of those around you. I was interested in these things long before I even knew what psychology was”, he says.
Eventually, he returned to that interest intentionally, training in clinical psychology and systemic psychotherapy, and stepping into the field professionally. What defines his approach today is not only training, but lived experience. Having grown up between cultures, he relates to the children he cares for in a way that is grounded in recognition rather than observation. That connection, however, is not based on similarity alone. For Ali, it is more about presence.
“At the end of the day, what matters to me is my presence with the child, whatever my role is”, he emphasizes. In practice, that presence is quiet but consistent: being available, being stable, being there in ways that are not always verbal or structured. As he puts it: “Trust is built through repetition, not intensity. The most important thing for the children is presence. When they see someone again and again and they see that you care, that’s what matters”.
Sometimes that trust becomes visible in very small moments. A child asking to talk. A conversation that is sparked without pressure or a set agenda. A shift that is only noticeable over time. “When they come and tell me, ‘I want to talk’, that’s very important. It means I’ve done something right in helping them understand why I’m here”, Ali states.
The environment he works in is unpredictable by nature. Children arrive with different histories, different levels of trust, and different ways of expressing what they have experienced. For Ali, the challenge is not to react to what is visible, but to understand what sits underneath it. This perspective shapes how he responds to behavior, tension, or silence not as isolated incidents, but as part of a broader story that is still unfolding.
At the same time, he emphasizes that this work is never isolated. It depends on coordination, communication, and shared responsibility. Ali also describes teamwork as the condition that makes real support possible. “There is an interdisciplinary team to support each child in an individualized way”, he clarifies. “Alone you go fast. As a team you go far”.
Supporting unaccompanied children, Ali admits, is demanding, but it reshapes the way you observe and perceive the world. It pushes you to see the human being first, beyond labels, backgrounds, or assumptions. “In another situation, in another war, any one of us could be in their shoes”, he says. “We are not different. In the end, we all need something to eat, a roof over our heads, and to feel safe”.