“Supporting Mental Health in Times of War” – this is the topic that started the High School Book Club, an open voluntary community for reading and discussing works on issues related to public administration, on 5 June.
“As part of the month dedicated to raising awareness of mental health, we decided to start our book club with this extremely relevant topic,” said Yuliia Lykhach, Head of the High School and moderator of the meeting. “Mental health is one of the top five key challenges of our time, so it is clear that this issue will remain extremely important for a long time. To this end, the High School has developed and implemented 4 professional development programmes aimed at psychosocial support, adaptation and development of psychological competence of public servants. In addition, a set of measures was taken to provide psycho-emotional support to civil servants. In particular, an all-Ukrainian educational online marathon “Emotional Resilience of a Public Servant” was organised, a practical guide “Anti-Stress Money Box” and seven videos on “Psycho-Emotional Support Techniques” were developed.”
The first meeting of the club was devoted to the presentation of Natalia Sablina’s book “Psychological Assistance and Psychologist’s Work with Military and Their Families in the Days of War. Military Psychology”. The author of the book, PhD in Psychology, Head of the International Association of Psychologists and Expert Trainers, Director of the Training Centre, shared her experience of working with the military and their families, and gave practical advice on maintaining mental health in times of war. She spoke about the peculiarities of the psychological state of war survivors, the challenges they face, and the methods of assistance they need. The advice was useful for all club members, as it applies to anyone experiencing stress and anxiety as a result of war. After the book presentation, the participants were able to share their thoughts and ask Natalia Sablinya questions.
The organisers of the Book Club hope that the community will become an important platform for self-development and allow club members to gain new knowledge and practical advice.
Natalia Sablina’s books on psychology are available here: https://www.sablinatz.com/blank
