"It is important to create an image of the future for the returned soldier"
The beginning of the special operation in Ukraine and the pandemic of coronavirus infection led to the fact that people began to seek psychological help more often, said Yuri Zinchenko, dean of the Faculty of Psychology at Lomonosov Moscow State University. This stimulated an increase in demand for clinical psychologists, but also contributed to the emergence of unskilled specialists on the market. About how to distinguish a professional from a charlatan, solve the problem of the shortage of psychologists in the country, and help SVO fighters — in an interview with Izvestia for the opening of the forum "National Health — the basis of Russia's Prosperity" (ZNOPR), which starts on May 14.
"A specialist is someone who has studied for five to six years"
— In 2024, the Russians' need for psychological help has increased. According to a VTsIOM survey, this figure has increased by 34% in two years. How rapid is this growth?
— I would not call the figure a record. But the growth indicated in the survey is natural: first there was COVID-19, then there was a special operation.
Restrictions have brought new conditions to the pandemic: people have jumped from their usual active life to a fairly limited space in their homes. If we compare the situation in the People's Republic of China, Western Europe, African countries and Russia, then we can say that our society survived the pandemic and came out of lockdown not as traumatically as residents of other countries.
Since the beginning of the special operation, the number of appeals has also increased, but it could have been much more significant. This suggests that Russians have a fairly high level of psychological self-help.
— According to VTsIOM, women most often came to see psychologists last year. Is there a gender advantage now?
— Indeed, women are more active than men in taking care of their psychological health. This is due to the fact that the tradition of conversion among men is much lower. But since the beginning of the SVR, the frequency of requests from them has increased.
In addition, since the beginning of the special operation, refugees and internally displaced persons have also appeared, among them, in addition to women, children and the elderly. They also need psychological support.
— In March 2025, the Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko pointed out the shortage of psychologists in the country. What caused it?
— There is a shortage, its presence is an indicator of the demand for psychological help. The position of "medical psychologist" was introduced in the healthcare system only 15 years ago. And when a new position is introduced in the public system, it entails the need for additional resources for salaries, equipment purchases, and rental of premises.
But I would not say that there are not enough medical psychologists alone. In many areas, the need for specialists has increased.
— More than half a million resumes of applicants in the field of "psychologist" are posted on one recruiting website alone. Why are there so many applicants for these jobs in the country, but they are not closed?
— First of all, it has to do with who exactly positions himself as a psychologist — a person with higher education in this field or not. Now many have completed additional education programs and after that began to consider themselves professional psychologists, applied for a job in this field. This is how they try to occupy a niche.
There is currently no federal law regulating the provision of psychological assistance and the requirements for who should provide it. From a professional point of view, all those who pose as psychologists are illegals.
At the same time, employers are interested in qualified employees.
— There are a lot of bloggers and coaches who call themselves psychologists now. How do you distinguish a good specialist from a charlatan?
— It is necessary to be guided by reviews, to look for specialists within professional organizations or mental health clinics. In these organizations, there are certain requirements for a psychologist, the key is to have a higher psychological education.
The type of higher education is also important, since you can only complete a bachelor's or master's degree, or you can complete both levels. A qualified specialist is someone who has studied for five to six years. But with the introduction of the Bologna system, there are very few such specialists.
In addition to having a higher education, it is important that a psychologist be certified to enter the profession. This exam tests not only the theoretical part, but also the practical skills.
Now a whole platform of psychological services of universities is being actively built, where not just a volunteer is hired, but a specialist who has a psychological background, has completed an additional education program and is ready to work in one direction or another. We have a lot of psychologists in our schools and kindergartens.
"The moments of negative attitude towards a child are better seen not by a psychologist, but by a subject teacher"
— How significant is the request for their help in connection with bullying of students now? What measures to control the situation are missing in schools?
— It is necessary to pay attention to the education of specialists in this field in schools, because we have psychological within the framework of educational standards, and there is pedagogical. Educational psychologists are trained within the framework of pedagogical education. Some of them are confused in terms of competencies with a clinical psychologist. But the functionality of the specialists differs.
The duties of a teacher-psychologist include working with children with special needs on an equal basis with ordinary ones. In a 45-minute lesson, it is difficult to pay attention not only to the learning process, but also to the atmosphere inside the classroom. And here the school psychologist plays an important role. Therefore, an integrated approach is important in bullying.
The moments of negative attitude towards a child are better seen not by a psychologist, but by a subject teacher or a class teacher. Their task is to monitor the situation during lessons and at recess in time and involve a school psychologist in its resolution. Only joint attention from the teacher, class teacher, school psychologist, parents and school management can contribute to the timely prevention of negative situations.
— How do approaches to providing psychological assistance to a child differ depending on age and to an adult?
— A child is a separate developing world. There are a lot of methods, methods, and technologies for providing psychological assistance. There are more than 2 thousand types of psychotherapy. Their choice, of course, is determined by the age at which this assistance is provided. For example, the type of psychological support provided to a child from three to six years old may differ from that suitable for a high school student.
Similar approaches are applied to young and middle-aged adults. But gerontopsychology is singled out separately — a section that studies the psyche of the elderly. It is aimed at people with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and is aimed at preserving cognitive functions.
— One of the topics that will be discussed at the forum is the increase in life expectancy of the population. It is planned, for example, that by 2036 this figure will increase to 80 years or more. What role could psychologists play in achieving this goal?
— The task is not to mechanically take and increase life expectancy, it is important to maintain its good quality. The main task is to preserve cognitive abilities and emotional background. These are precisely the competencies of psychologists.
It is important to avoid stress, because it affects the hormonal background, and its change affects the psychoemotional state of a person and his health. For example, the cardiovascular and muscular systems begin to suffer.
"Working with PTSD is not popular among specialists"
— Another topic of the forum is dealing with post—traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In 2023, the professional psychiatric community developed clinical guidelines for PTSD care for the first time. What is the special feature of managing patients with this diagnosis?
— First, let's turn to the history of where the abbreviation PTSD came from. It dates back to the period when the United States of America was waging wars in Vietnam and South Korea. The fact is that American medicine guarantees practically nothing from the state, except for important emergency minimal medical care, all other types of care are paid. During the wars, American soldiers returned, and they either needed amputation, or their cardiovascular system suffered, they received such assistance, the state compensated for these costs.
But then a situation arose when they began to experience changes in their psychological health, and their treatment was not covered by insurance. To receive help with it, a person must have a medical diagnosis. At that time, it was decided to designate the condition of veterans, in which they experience a certain set of symptoms that do not resemble a psychiatric illness, as post-traumatic stress disorder.
It should be borne in mind that most often the symptoms of PTSD do not appear immediately, not in the trenches, but after a certain time. It may take six months, a year, or a year and a half before she makes herself felt. This is natural, because especially those who were mobilized were forced to drastically change their lives and found themselves in stressful conditions for themselves. And then they got used to the conditions at the front, and peaceful life and building family relationships upon their return began to be difficult for them. At this point, it is very important to support the soldier so that he finds the strength and desire to adapt to new conditions.
Do not forget that there are different situations: one came, and he needs to adapt only to a peaceful life, and the other underwent amputation, in which case, for example, he may still have problems with work. And if he was the only breadwinner in the family, this may affect his self-confidence and desire to continue living.
— How can we help such people?
— It is important to create an image of the future for the returned soldier, to reinforce him with a place of work, if necessary, to conduct retraining and additional training. It is necessary to help him build a goal setting, taking into account the changed circumstances. To solve these problems, clinical psychologists or psychiatrists are involved. But working with PTSD is not popular among professionals. With the beginning of the SVR, there was an understanding that additional educational programs for psychologists were needed, and they have already been created.
From the very beginning of the special operation, at the Faculty of Psychology of Lomonosov Moscow State University, we have developed a professional development program for psychologists. It was called "Psychological support for combat stress disorders and post-traumatic stress disorders." It is led by leading experts in the field of clinical psychology, military psychiatry, and crisis psychology. They work directly with the participants and veterans of the SVO, as well as their family members. Special attention is paid to living through grief, experiencing loss, and the effects of combat stress.
At the moment, more than 600 specialists have been trained. Also, the Russian Psychological Society, together with Moscow State University, is launching an educational program "Mentor of the group of socio-psychological support for combat participants" for its veterans. Psychological specialists will help soldiers master the skills of conducting group work, providing support to returned soldiers and their family members who find it difficult to adapt to peaceful life on their own.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
