Board of Trustees

Since 1991, Jaroslav Šturma has been a member of the Department of Psychology of the Philosophical Faculty of Charles University specializing in pediatric psychology – clinical as well as counselling – and in children’s psychological diagnostics. Over the years he has published his works, and has given lectures in the Czech Republic as well as abroad; he is a co-author of Children’s Clinical Psychology textbook. He is the chairman of the Czech-Moravian Psychological Society, member of the scientific board of the Institute of Psychology of the Czech Academy of Sciences and a regular member of the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities. He is also a board member of the Logopedic Society of Miloš Sovák, chairman of the International Study Group for Special Educational Needs in the UK and member of the scientific board of the Research Institute for Child Psychology and Pathopsychology in Bratislava.

Jaroslav Šturma completed his psychology studies at the Philosophical Faculty of Charles University in Prague in 1970. He started his career as a psychologist in the Children Psychiatric Hospital in Dolní Počernice and later on was a member of teaching staff at the Children Clinic of the Institute for Medical Doctors at Fakultní Thomayerova nemocnice hospital. He applied himself to the development of new forms of care for physically or mentally handicapped children and children with combined disabilities. Together with his team, he founded Children’s Centre Paprsek and became its director. His interest in his children patients has been always very closely connected to working with their families and providing them with consulting and psychotherapy. In 1995, he was recognized by the Czech President for his participation in the projects run by the Committee of Good Will – The Olga Havel Foundation. He has been a member of the board of Konto Bariéry since its very beginning. Doctor Šturma’s work with handicapped children has also had an effect on his family’s life. Together with his wife he brought up five children, they also became foster parents of a handicapped child.