Extreme & Crisis Psychology

At the National University of civil defense of Ukraine (Kharkov) there was held an international scientific and practical conference “Common state and development of crisis and extreme psychology”.

Thematic directions of the conference:

• Methodological bases of psychological provision of representatives of extreme professions;
• Theory and practice of supporting of mental health of representatives of the professions related to the risk;
• Psychological security of the specialists of extreme professions;
• Psychological technologies and staffing management in extreme professions;
• Technologies of constructive communication and rational behavior in conditions of stress-factors of extreme situation;
• Professional orientation and professional and psychological selection of the specialists of extreme professions;
• Professional and psychological training of the specialists of extreme professions;
• Specificity of the psychologist work in extreme situation;
• Prevention and correction of social-psychological and personal deviations among the specialists of extreme professions.

178 persons took part in the conference among them there were 23 doctors of science and 49 candidate of science – representatives of Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Security Service of Ukraine, Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, State Border Service of Ukraine, and practical psychologists of the Ministry of Emergencies of Ukraine. Among the participants of the conference there were the representatives of 34 higher educational establishments of Ukraine among them 14 representatives of National Universities. The representatives of Russia, Belorussia, Latvia, France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Cuba, Turkmenistan, Aserbajdzhan took part in the conference.

There was organized meeting with journalists who write about activities of extreme professions specialists with guests and practical psychologists of the Ministry of Emergencies of Ukraine. According to the chief of Research Laboratory of Extreme and Crises Psychology, colonel of civil defense service Alexandre Timchenko, the uniqueness of crises psychologists is that the work in the thick of things, just during an emergency.

The professor of differential psychology department of Moscow state Psychological and Pedagogical university, Doctor of psychology, Professor, chief editor of the newspaper “School Psychologist”, the President of International Association of Fairy-tales Therapeutists, Igor Vatchkov spoke about the influence of fairy-tales characters, as for instance, negative character Baba Yaga, on child`s mentality.
This folklore character is very important for children. All folklore fairy-tales have some positive and negative features – from the psychological point of view. According to Igor Vatchkov, any county folklore has a huge potential and now psychologists try to use it in their practice. Professor Vatchkov gave an example. The character of Baba Yaga is a scary character for children. Some children even ask to stop reading books where this character appears. But on the other hand, this character attracts children as they want to know the end of the story and the destiny of the heroes. And then, after finishing the story, the child understands that everything ends well. Igor Vatchkov added that psychologists know well that to overcome his fears in real life, the child should overcome them in fairy-tales. “A fairy-tale allows a child to control his emotions, to learn to control his fears” – said Professor Vatchkov.

After video, the conference was opened by the first vice Minister of Emergencies of Ukraine V. But, from the crisis hall of the Ministry of Emergencies of Ukraine and civil defense from the consequences of Chernobyl accident.

During the conference the specialists from other regions of Ukraine shared their experiences. Among them there were psychologists from Donbass, who rendered the assistance to relatives of the victims died during the accidents in the mines of Donetsk region.

During the conference there was held video conference with the ombudsman of Ukraine Nina Karpachova. She told about the work on human right defense, underlined the necessity of a close contact with practical scientists of Research Laboratory of Extreme and Crises Psychology which is created at the National University of the Civil Defense of Ukraine.

The members of the laboratory participated in all emergences of state and regional size. Besides that they took part in psychological rehabilitation of seamen of the ships “Lehmann Timber” and “Herkules” that were captured by pirates.

It is a good tradition to honor the services of psychological support of the Ministry of Emergencies of Ukraine who distinguished by giving urgent psychological assistance to victims of an accident. This conference was not an exception. The services of psychological support of the Ministry of Emergencies of Ukraine of 7 regions received an award “For Humanity and Professionalism”.

During the first day of the conference there were presented such reports:

1. “Work experience of the specialists of psychological department of the Ministry of Emergencies of Ukraine in liquidation of the consequences of emergencies”. Author – Alimov Alexander, chief of the department of social-humanitarian work and psychological support of the Ministry of Emergencies of Ukraine.

2. “Ways of improvements of scientific and practical maintenance of the psychologists work in the seat of emergency”. Author – Timchenko Alexander, chief of the Research Laboratory of Extreme and Crises Psychology of the National University of the Civil Defense of Ukraine, Doctor of Psychology, Professor.

3. “About the necessity of psychological assistance and psychological aid to the seamen freed from pirates captivity”. Author – Khristenko Vitalii, Leading scientific associate of the Research Laboratory of Extreme and Crises Psychology of the National University of the Civil Defense of Ukraine, Candidate of psychological sciences, Associate professor.

4. “Modern state and ways of development of fundamental and applied researches in the field of speciality 19.00.09 – Psychology of activity in particular conditions”. Author – Onischenko Natalia, Chief scientific associate of the Research Laboratory of Extreme and Crises Psychology of the National University of the Civil Defense of Ukraine, Candidate of psychological sciences.

5. “Application of information technologies during the psychological training of the specialists of extreme professions”. Author – Ostapenko Valeriy, Chief of the center of the information technologies of the National University of the Civil Defense of Ukraine.

6. “The problem of giving psychological assistance for people in depressive communities”. Author – Shvalb Juri, chief of the department of social work of the Shevtchenko Kiev National University, Doctor of Psychology, Professor.

7. “From the work experience of burn surgeons in giving medical and psychological aid to people”. Author – Kim Valeriy, Doctor of the Kharkov Burn Center, honored doctor of Ukraine.

8. “Application of the rheographic data for valuation of the changes of the subject functional states”. Author – Sergeev Viktor, chief of the department of the national technical center of radioelectronical medical devices “KHAI-medika” (Kharkov Aircraft University), Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate professor.

9. “Psycho physiological characteristics of a public transport driver”. Author – Pantchenko Oleg, director of state enterprise “Scientific-practical medical center for rehabilitation and diagnostics of the Ministry of Health Protection of Ukraine”, Doctor of Medicine, professor.

10. “Modern problems of professional and psychological selection of extreme professions specialists”. Author – Korolcthuk Nikolai, chief of the psychology department of National Trade and Economic University, Doctor of Psychology, Professor.

11. “Bio resonance technologies and possibility of their application in the system of defense enforcements for diagnostics and regulation of a psycho emotional mood of a person”. Author – Balabanova Lubov, professor of the department of general and applied psychology of Kharkov National University of Internal Affairs, Doctor of Psychology, Professor.

The materials of the conference were published in the collected articles “Problems of extreme and crisis psychology”, approbated by Higher Attestation Committee of Ukraine.

During the second working day of the conference (19 November) Russian and Ukrainian psychologists conducted 7 master-classes:

1. “Psychology of the taming of the aggression” conducted by Lefterov Vasiliy (Donetsk), Doctor of Psychology, Professor of the psychology and sociology department of Donetsk Law Institute Lugansk State University of Internal Affairs. Annotation for this master-class: Forming of the aggression control skills, external psychological pressure and manipulation opposition. Holds of psychological aikido and psychological sambo. Regulation and control of self aggression.

2. “Psychological analysis of fairy-tales and stories, invented by clients”, conducted by Vatchkov Igor (Moscow), Doctor of psychology, Professor, professor of differential psychology department of Moscow state Psychological and Pedagogical University, chief editor of the newspaper “School Psychologist”, the President of International Association of Fairy-tales Therapeutists. Annotation for this master-class: author demonstrated his technology of the psychological work with clients, who survived extreme situation or who has some difficulties of adaptation to life conditions. There were shown some ways of activation of creative resources of clients stimulating them to write tales and stories; the schema of psychological analysis of such texts was also presented.

3. “Healing movement” conducted by Balabanova Lubov (Kharkov) Doctor of Psychology, Professor, professor of the department of general and applied psychology of Kharkov National University of Internal Affairs. Annotation for this master-class: introduction to skills mastering of movement healing wave and different techniques of human energy potential improvement.

4. “Pain can`t be somebody else's” conducted by Lebedeva Svetlana (Kharkov) Candidate of psychological Sciences, Chief scientific associate of the Research Laboratory of Extreme and Crises Psychology of the National University of the Civil Defense of Ukraine. Annotation for this master-class: introduction to main techniques and methods that are used when giving the urgent psychological aid to victims in the seat of emergency taking into consideration their age particularities.

5. “Psychotherapy of crisis states” conducted by Afanassieva Natalia (Kharkov) Candidate of psychological sciences, associate professor, associate professor of the general psychology department of the National University of Civil Defense of Ukraine. Annotation for this master-class: formation of the desire of self-actualization, immersion in inner world and orientation in it; introduction of a notion “crisis”, types of crises, stages of the development of crisis states, ways of overcoming the crisis; broadening of knowledge of the participants about feelings and emotions, creation of the conditions for the development of the ability of their acceptation without valuation, forming of the skills to control emotions and feelings; procurement of realizing of self life perspectives, targets and ways to get them.

6. and 7. “OH-cards in the consultation process”, conducted by Popova Galina (Kharkov) Candidate of psychological sciences, associate professor, associate professor of the psychology department of National Technical University (Kharkov Polytechnic Institute) and Miloradova Natalia (Kharkov), Candidate of psychological sciences, associate professor, associate professor of the department of general and applied psychology of Kharkov National University of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. Annotation for this master-class: conception of OH-cards, diagnostics of the unconscious, range of problems. Main processes used in consultations.

The participants of the master-classes were practical psychologists of the Ministry of Emergencies of Ukraine, Litva, students and military students of Ukrainian Universities.