NICE TO MEET YOU!
My passion for human rights and my desire to improve people’s living conditions have been guiding stars throughout my life. In high school, I began to grasp the power of psychology when I first explored how thoughts, emotions, and behaviors shape our lives—especially through sports psychology and the mental strength required to compete in basketball at a high level. That’s when my fascination for humans inner world began to grow.
At 19, fresh out of high school, I boarded a plane to the United States. Ten hours later, I found myself on a beautiful university campus in a new country, surrounded by open-minded and welcoming people. It was a time filled with both excitement and challenges. I began to see my Swedish and Assyrian heritage through new eyes and soon developed a deeper understanding of how culture and background shape who we are—an insight that became a driving force for me moving forward.
Despite moments of homesickness, I discovered the joy of growing independently beyond the environment I had known. I built strong bonds with inspiring professors, classmates, teammates, friends, and their families. After four years of intense study—and with a well-worn dictionary always close at hand—I proudly earned my bachelor’s degree in psychology.
After graduation, I returned to Sweden with hesitation. The country now felt more reserved and the winters darker, yet I was driven by a clear ambition to keep moving forward. I became an assistant coach for Södertälje’s women’s basketball team and resumed my academic journey at Stockholm University. In 2004, I completed a Master’s degree in Psychology with a specialization in Behavioral Science.
Soon after, I began working as a school counsellor—a vibrant, ever-changing environment where I thrived, connecting with young people in their daily lives. But after five years in that role, a quiet longing began to grow within me—a desire for something deeper, a position where I could make an even greater impact.
As a daughter and woman raised within a culture shaped by deep-rooted patriarchal structures—and as a descendant of survivors of the Assyrian genocide, Seyfo, I have always felt a profound drive to challenge the limiting norms and beliefs passed down through generations. I longed to be reborn, to transform both my own pain and that of my grandmothers into strength. My thirst for liberation extended beyond the freedom I had discovered in the United States. I didn’t just want to free myself. I wanted to help others, especially young girls, discover their inner power and claim their right to a life of their own. A life where they could own their bodies, make their own choices, and write their own stories.
It was therefore a natural step for me to be involved from the very beginning in the development of Origo—Sweden’s first resource center dedicated to combating honour-based violence and oppression. For 10 years, I educated, guided, and supported hundreds of young people in vulnerable situations, while also training professionals to better understand and meet the complex realities these young people face.
I am immensely proud to have been part of Origo’s work and to have gained invaluable experience along the way. Highlights include visiting the UK’s Forced Marriage Unit and attending an honour-based violence conference in Kenya alongside representatives from the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But what matters most to me is this: Origo has grown from a temporary government initiative into a permanent, established service in Stockholm County. Today, the Origo Model is not only recognized as a leading framework but is also used as an effective tool for supporting young people exposed to honour-related violence through meaningful, empathetic conversations.
As I’ve grown and evolved, so too have the matters of the heart that guide me. Becoming a mother opened up an entirely new dimension of understanding—about life, love, and the profound responsibility of parenthood. I came to fully realize how deeply our words and actions shape our children, and how the patterns formed in childhood often echo into adulthood. In connecting with my own children, I experienced a kind of rebirth. I saw clearly how much of my own history I still needed to heal in order to offer them the very best of me.
Motherhood was a powerful awakening. It ignited a deep desire within me to focus on prevention and early intervention—on creating change before harm takes root. In 2019, I was entrusted with developing a parental support program for the Läsfrämjar institutet (Reading Promotion Institute), a non-profit organization that promotes reading and cultural engagement among children in socio-economically disadvantaged areas.
Coaching parents early on and equipping them with tools to navigate the challenges of raising children feels like a crucial step toward building a more equal and violence-free society. Because violence often begins at home—and it is passed down.
In 2024, I was honored to receive Södertälje Municipality’s Gender Equality Award for my work with the LFI - an award that holds deep personal meaning for me.
Today, I work within Södertälje Municipality’s social services as a family therapist, offering guidance and support to parents who voluntarily seek help. I also lead evidence-based parenting programs and facilitate groups for children affected by parental separation, substance abuse, or mental health challenges. Preventive work feels deeply meaningful to me and aligns fully with my vision for the future.
My dream now is to create children’s books and materials that empower both children and parents in their everyday lives. I hope you’ll join me on this journey.
~ Maria Geni
