School of Practical Psychology Project: Psychologist in Inclusive Education

As part of the “School of Practical Psychology” project, my students and I participated in a meeting with a practical psychologist, hr - manager Yulia Shpachenko. She shared her own experience of working with different categories of children with special needs and their parents.

Future psychologists got acquainted with the psychological characteristics of children with autism spectrum disorders, hearing and musculoskeletal problems, learned about the problems encountered in the practical work with such children, the specificity of their diagnosis, corrective work and psychological support in institutions. Together, in lively discussion mode, they worked on typical queries, counseling situations and methods for diagnosing children and their parents.

Drawing on many years of experience, Julia outlined the range of problems associated with working with parents of children with special needs, who very often require no less psychological support than their children. We need constant support for the strengths of children and their families in the process of psychological help - this is perhaps the most important message that our guest sought to convey to the participants.

Perhaps for the first time during the “School of Practical Psychology”, we talked about the importance of supervision in the work of a practical psychologist and the role of individual psychotherapy, without which it is difficult for a psychologist to maintain his or her own mental health, to understand and to preserve himself in difficult situations of practical help.

We thank Yulia Spachenko for her professionalism, sincere willingness to share her own experience, openness to discussion and a great opportunity to see the relationship between psychological theory and practice.

We are looking forward to our next meeting on the School of Practical Psychology project.

Anzhelika Shamne,
Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty for Humanities and Pedagogics
Larysa Afanasenko,
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty for Humanities and Pedagogics