As mentioned above, the organizations involved in the project have diverse cultural contexts, statuses, and histories of working with young people. Icelandic clubs are more integrated into the formal education system than Slovenian and Slovak low-threshold programs (low-threshold clubs and streetwork). However, the common denominator is the informality and accessibility of services in the natural environment of young people – in schools after school (Iceland) or in neighborhoods (Slovakia, Slovenia). This type of setting can be beneficial for counseling work with young people and their families for several reasons. This can then be reflected in the multi-institutional cooperation itself and the position of organizations of this type within it.
In individual counseling with young people, one often encounters the obstacle that it is not natural for children and young people to sit down and talk about their difficulties. Such a conversation can take place in a low-threshold program while playing billiards in a club or basketball on the street in a much more natural way.
The organization builds a trusting relationship with young people within the club or on the street, which means that the counseling process involves people with whom a relationship has already been established, which is an advantage in the subsequent work of other actors involved in the process.
Building relationships and trust is the basis of any intervention and prevention activity, which can be effective for the work process.
At the same time, the use of group dynamics and situational intervention within a low threshold and low structure contributes to the development of social and communication skills in natural situations, which is then an important addition to the counseling process.
On the other hand, the possible risks of combining these services have also been demonstrated. If an organization providing low-threshold services for youth and family counseling attempts to address all aspects of family life—financial, relational, psychological—and work with both children and adults, their task will be quite challenging. Uncertainties in service provision and insufficient distribution of staff in terms of the contract can lead to unclear and unrealistic expectations on both sides, which is counterproductive.
For example, after families were provided with mainly material assistance as part of the project "Effective support for young people and families in crisis through field and club social work," families expected much more in terms of solving economic problems (e.g., buying food, school supplies) and were less motivated to address relationships or train parenting skills, and it was then very difficult to motivate users to engage in this type of cooperation.
Moving a young person from a low-threshold context to a context of individual or family counseling is sometimes difficult because they are used to a certain type of work—living together in a safe environment. Suddenly, however, they are expected to follow a more structured approach – regular meetings, involvement of parents and other important adults, setting goals.
At the same time, some families were "recommended" to the process by an institution (school, Labor Office) as part of the projects, which then influenced their perception of the problem and their motivation to change. Young people and their families did not want to be in the process because it was a disciplinary measure on the part of the school/Labor Office. Parents, on the other hand, expected that "the child will be corrected" and "there will be no more problems with him/her."
The inclusion of individual and family counseling in a low-threshold program is possible and often necessary if we focus on changing the individual and his/her motivation to find safer ways to meet his/her needs. Working with the whole family opens up space to work with the entire system that may be behind the young person’s risky behavior. The following chapter will discuss methods for addressing this behavior in a low-threshold context and the challenges associated with it.