On February 13-14, 2025, at the UN building in Ashgabat, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Office in Turkmenistan held a two-day workshop on psychosocial counseling for young families and couples preparing for marriage. The event was attended by heads and specialists of Civil Registry Offices from Ashgabat city, and Mary and Lebap velayats, representatives of the Institute of State, Law, and Democracy of Turkmenistan, the public association "Mashgala," and UNFPA.

The aim of the seminar was to improve the qualification of civil registry specialists in the field of psychosocial counseling of young families and married couples, and to promote gender equality in the family in order to strengthen family relations and prevent family conflicts.  

During two days the participants discussed a wide range of issues related to family relations, gender equality, stages of family development, as well as methods of psychological counseling. Special attention was paid to the issues of effective communication, conflict resolution and building a healthy family based on mutual respect and support between spouses. 

The workshop contributed to the development of the professional capacity of Civil Registry Office specialists in providing psychosocial support to young families. UNFPA will continue to collaborate with national partners to further improve the system of preparing individuals for family life and providing assistance to families in Turkmenistan