A register of military psychologists will be created in Ukraine
18 April 10:26
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is creating a register of qualified specialists to provide psychological assistance to military personnel. This was discussed during a meeting of representatives of the Defense Ministry and the Armed Forces of Ukraine with public organizations, the press service of the Defense Ministry reported, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
“In times of war, we have no right to postpone addressing the mental health of our defenders. We are talking about human life, dignity, recovery from losses and trials,” explained Colonel Oleh Mukan, head of the Defense Ministry’s psychological support department.
The register will contain verified information about a specialist or organization, qualifications, capabilities and services they can provide in the field of psychological assistance to the Ukrainian military.
It is emphasized that thanks to the register, heads of psychological support bodies and personnel of the Armed Forces will be able to quickly find accredited psychological support organizations of the relevant specialization in their region.
At the same time, the defense ministry claims that the list will facilitate the interaction of the Armed Forces with civil society organizations in order to increase the opportunities for defenders to receive professional psychological support.
During the meeting, representatives of civil society organizations suggested scaling up efforts to create a
- a crisis counseling hotline
- online and in-patient psychological counseling for military personnel and their families
- inpatient psychological rehabilitation
- training deputy company commanders in psychological techniques
- training psychologists’ assistants in mental stability in military operations.
It should be noted that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law that provides for the certification of mental health professionals.
The law provides for uniform certification standards in the professional areas of psychologists’ work. Psychologists will be certified by the National Commission. Psychotherapists will be certified by self-regulatory organizations (SROs) with international recognition.
“Mental health professionals are individuals who provide mental health care, have the appropriate education, possess the necessary professional knowledge and skills, and have met the requirements for attestation and/or certification established by law,” the document says.
Special attention will also be paid to mental health care in the workplace. In particular, employers are encouraged to create psychosocial support programs for employees.
In addition, the law introduces clear definitions of such concepts as “mental health,” “mental health service,” “mental health service provider,” and “mental health professionals.”
The Law also introduces clear definitions of such concepts as “mental health”, “mental health service”, “mental health service provider”, “mental health professionals” and others necessary for high-quality legal regulation of this area.
The law also provides for the creation of conditions for the development of a system of professional self-regulation and training in this area, including the possibility for professional associations of specialists to acquire the status of self-regulatory organizations.
For the first time, the Law pays attention to the mental health of employees. Employers will be required to develop programs of psychosocial support for employees.
