The Centre for Innovative Educational Technologies at the ERI “Ukrainian Engineering and Pedagogical Academy” of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University hosted a training session entitled “How to support a friend when things get tough?”, designed to familiarise students with the basics of supporting people in difficult life situations and the principles of providing psychological first aid.
During the event, participants learnt the basics of providing psychological first aid and discussed how to respond to and support someone going through difficult life circumstances. As part of the training, students learnt about the characteristics of stress, traumatic events and post-traumatic stress, as well as how these conditions can manifest in a person’s behaviour and well-being.
Participants had the opportunity to:
- learn about the basic principles of psychological first aid;
- familiarise themselves with the concepts of stress, traumatic events and post-traumatic stress;
- examine examples of how to respond appropriately and support a friend in a difficult situation;
- discuss the role of active listening, respect for a person’s feelings and the importance of unobtrusive support.
The training session was led by Anastasiia Yelahina, a member of staff at the Centre for Innovative Educational Technologies, who introduced participants to basic approaches to supporting people in crisis situations and the importance of showing consideration for one another.
