The main principles of providing psychological assistance in emergencies. Providing psychological assistance: Who is provided with

The structure of the situation for the provision of professional psychological assistance.

The technology of concluding a contract for the provision of psychological assistance.

Assessment of the effectiveness of psychological assistance.

Question 1. As follows from the previous lecture, by no means in all cases, which are regarded by a person as problematic, there is a need for professional psychological assistance. And the psychological assistance provided by a specialist is not always professional: a psychologist can also provide household psychological assistance. In this capacity, he is no different from any other person - a non-psychologist who can help to cope with a problem that has arisen, provided that a trusting, confidential relationship ensures the psychological safety of the individual. People do not always want to change something in themselves when they are unable to cope with the problem on their own. Therefore, before starting to provide professional assistance to a psychologist, it is necessary to determine whether this situation is advisory or, perhaps, a person just needs to "speak out", relieve himself of the burden of the problem, without changing anything.

A consultative situation can only be called a situation that contains all five of the following signs-elements.

The structure of the situation of professional psychological assistance:

Client (a person who is actively seeking help in the form of change).

Specialist (a person who can provide professional assistance through education, experience and is perceived as a person who can help).

Psychological theory, which determines the normality or abnormality, explains the possible causes, dynamics of the problem, the mechanisms of its existence and gives a forecast.

A set of procedures used to solve a problem (which follow from the theory).

Special professional relationships (contract).

Let's consider each component separately.

Customer... Not every person experiencing difficulties in the personal, professional or interpersonal aspects of their life is a client. The client of a psychologist can only be one who has realized the need to change something in himself. Psychological assistance involves changes only in the mental sphere, which is traditionally divided into the cognitive, emotional and behavioral components of a person in a problem situation.

Difficulties in people's lives arise not only in connection with the action of personal factors. The emergence of difficulties and problems is influenced by social, organizational, political, legal, economic and many other factors. The psychologist can influence only the intrapersonal and socio-psychological mechanisms of the problems that arise. Therefore, before providing professional psychological assistance, a specialist should, firstly, highlight for himself the psychological content of a person's problem. And then determine what the person who asked for help expects, whether he / she wants any changes in the area available for psychological influence, or whether he / she is satisfied with the everyday level of psychological assistance.

Since professional assistance is associated with the achievement of changes in the mental or socio-psychological problem area, such assistance can be provided only with the active participation of the person himself, who voluntarily, consciously, based on reliable information about the current state of the problem, prospects and opportunities for change, has clear intentions to solve a problematic situation precisely through changing oneself. In other words, a person with a problem is a client only if he / she voluntarily and actively wishes to achieve changes in the mental or socio-psychological area of ​​the problem. If a person does not have such an intention, then in order to form a situation for providing him / her with professional psychological assistance, it is necessary to carry out additional work to motivate such changes, to form an intention to change something. As a rule, people do not want to change anything, because they simply do not know the arguments that are personally convincing to them that can induce change. For this purpose, a special motivational interview procedure can be used, which we will discuss later.

Specialist... In the personality of a specialist who provides professional psychological assistance, three main components can be distinguished: theoretical, practical and personal readiness.

Since the purpose of professional psychological assistance is to change the client's personality, questions arise about the validity of the applied methods of influence, their correspondence to the problem being solved, the possibility of influencing the causes of the problem state, confidence in achieving the set goals. Any help is based on knowledge. In everyday psychological help, aimed at supporting, there is enough specific situational knowledge obtained in the course of one's life (everyday knowledge), or generalized knowledge about people obtained in communication in relatively closed groups (everyday knowledge). If a change is necessary, any person has a need to be sure that the change will not harm, and to anticipate the possible consequences of the impact on his personality. In this case, everyday and everyday knowledge turns out to be insufficient. The client must be sure that the influence of the psychologist is based on knowledge, which can be extended to any specific case from practice (including his), that this knowledge is generalized and can explain the reasons for what is happening, including even if the psychologist himself I have never come across such an experience in my personal life, and also that this knowledge has predictive capabilities (it gives certain guarantees of resolving the stated problem). All these conditions are met only scientific and theoretical psychological knowledge... After all, scientific knowledge historically arose with the aim of explaining various phenomena, their knowledge for subsequent change, transformation of reality and foreseeing the consequences of the development (or purposeful change) of one or another phenomenon.

The explanatory, prognostic and instrumental functions of science (from the Latin scientia - knowledge) are based on the fact that scientific knowledge differs from everyday and ordinary knowledge by systematic (and not fragmentary) and evidence-based derivation of knowledge from some fundamental principles, basic concepts, in which the essence of what is described is fixed. phenomenon. This or that psychological theory allows you to decompose the client's problem "on the shelves", to determine the essential and insignificant (from the point of view of explanatory principles) in a problem situation. Theory acts as a kind of "map-scheme" imposed on the client's problem, which organizes the stated facts, arranges them in causal relationships, describes the mechanism of the problem, which will need to be influenced in the course of rendering assistance to the client. Theory influences the understanding of the essence of the client's problem. Without theory, the psychologist will act by trial and error, risking the wrong step and failing to achieve the desired result. The theory also helps to better understand what is happening with the client and the psychologist in the process of providing help, allows the psychologist to predict, evaluate and improve the results of their actions.

In general, the psychological theory determines the normality or abnormality of any state, explains the possible causes, dynamics of the problem state, the mechanisms of its existence, predicts the future state of the client (if nothing is changed), and also suggests possible ways to change this state, which should lead to the desired result.

A.V. Boy and J. Pine identified six functions of the theoretical training of a psychologist, which help to provide professional assistance (cited by S. Gladding. Psychological counseling. 4th ed. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2002. S. 66):

• 1. The theory helps to discover the internal unity and interconnection of various manifestations of the problem in the client's life.
• 2. Theory forces you to explore relationships that are often out of sight of the client.
• 3. Theory provides guidelines for work.
• 4. Theory helps to focus on important (from the point of view of the explanatory principles of describing the problem) information, indicates what to look for.
• 5. Theory helps to predict changes in the personality and behavior of the client.
• 6. Theory helps to evaluate old and find new approaches to providing psychological assistance.

Thus, a person providing professional psychological assistance must have adequate theoretical training, have a higher psychological education. This will allow him not only to provide support to a person in a problem situation, but to carry out changes in the personality and behavior of the client with the expected result. However, theoretical knowledge alone, of course, is clearly not enough. The specialist must also be proficient in the theory arising methods and ways(methods) of providing psychological assistance, have experience in providing such assistance, have the skills to apply helping techniques in a variety of situations and circumstances. For this, the specialist must undergo practical training in the so-called. methodological training groups and in practical work under the guidance of a supervisor (eg, as an assistant psychologist or in paraprofessional services such as a “youth helpline”, where work is carried out as part of teams). It is important that the client sees the psychologist as a specialist who can help influence. This is facilitated by the formation of their image as a specialist. For these purposes, it is advisable to form the client's image of himself as a professional: to hang certificates, diplomas, photographs in the office or in the reception, indicate all kinds of regalia that were received by a specialist in confirmation of his education and qualifications. It is also advisable to take into account the correspondence of the external appearance to the client's ideas about the specialist, as well as to carry out work on the purposeful formation of an adequate professional image of a psychologist in the perceptions of people. Finally, the person providing professional psychological care must have personal willingness do it.

First of all, personal readiness includes motives the choice of the profession of a psychologist-practitioner. It is important to immediately pay attention to "unhealthy" motives. The motives for choosing a helping profession should not be based on internal unresolved psychological conflicts. Because otherwise, the psychologist will not so much help the other as solve their problems at the expense of the client, i.e. actually deceive him. In addition, the presence of intrapersonal conflicts similar to the client's problem causes a projection of one's problem onto the client's problem, which interferes with an impartial assessment and analysis of the situation, distorts the psychologist's perception of the client's situation. However, if a psychologist regularly attends psychotherapeutic sessions with another specialist, resolves his internal conflicts, then he increases his personal readiness to provide psychological assistance.

Another undesirable motive for providing psychological assistance is the desire for power and manipulation of other people. As you know, the road to hell is paved with good intentions: you cannot make people happy by deception and coercion, just as you cannot ensure the satisfaction of your desires at the expense of other people.

No less dangerous is the motivation to provide psychological help out of love for people, because in this case the specialist can pretentiously believe that all problems can be solved, and he is a kind of messiah, a messenger of God, called to improve the world. People may not see their happiness as the psychologist sees it.

Based on the foregoing, the most important personal characteristic of a psychologist is the awareness of the measure of his responsibility: the psychologist only responds to the request of another person in order to help him cope with a problem situation, relying on his real capabilities. The psychologist cannot be held responsible for the client, since it is the client who needs to change something in this situation, and he must be responsible for his decision. The psychologist only helps to implement the client's decision, based on scientific and theoretical knowledge.

A psychologist who is personally ready to help relies on the reflection of his desires to help and on the reflection of his helping relationship with the client (so as not to cross the border of responsibility), while a psychologist who is not personally ready relies only on his own self-concept, not accepting the self-concept of another person.

In defining a personality free from psychological problems, and therefore capable of effectively providing professional psychological assistance to others, one can focus on the concept of authenticity (authenticity of existence). There are three main signs of authenticity: 1) awareness of the present moment of life, 2) choice of an adequate way of life at the moment, 3) acceptance of responsibility for one's choice. Authenticity is expressed in sincerity towards the client - both in direct reactions and in holistic behavior. The psychological problems of most people are based on the fact that they spend a lot of mental energy on playing unpleasant social roles for them. An authentic counselor is an example of adequate flexible behavior.

Another necessary quality is uncertainty tolerance. The psychologist needs self-confidence in situations of uncertainty, because he never knows in advance which client or what problem will have to face, what decisions will have to be made. Confidence in one's own intuition, the adequacy of feelings, conviction in the correctness of decisions made, the ability to take risks - help to endure the stress created by the uncertainty of the first contact with the client.

The main tool for providing psychological assistance is the establishment of a supportive relationship. Relationships are formed and developed through communication. Therefore, the personal characteristics necessary for a consultant in any paradigm of providing psychological assistance include spontaneity, the ability to express one's feelings, communication skills, empathic abilities (emotional intelligence), adequate self-esteem and the level of criticality, tolerance, self-confidence and acceptance of the other as he appears here and now. In general, different theoretical directions are characterized by different accents in assessing the significance of certain personal qualities of a practical psychologist. In the Rogerian approach, the psychologist's skills are important to be sincere, authentic in relationships, to maintain an unconditional positive position in relation to the client, despite his shortcomings; empathy, the ability to feel into the client's inner world, to catch and verbalize what the client is just beginning to realize in his work. In a behavioral approach, directivity, the ability to manipulate the process, encourage and reinforce useful reactions, persuade and inspire, be informed, to give advice and recommendations are important.

It is important to consider that the personal readiness of a psychologist is a process, not a state. Personal readiness should be maintained and developed constantly through regular psychotherapy, supervision, participation in Balint groups. Professional provision of psychological assistance has a negative impact on the personality of a specialist. The following "side" effects of this work are highlighted:

• - the threat to lose their own personal identity and "dissolve" in the client;
• - the transfer of the problems that the psychologist encounters in the process of work, to his personal life and to the lives of people from his close environment;
• - the threat of a violation of one's own psychological health ("subconscious infection" in terms of C. Jung);
• - "emotional burnout".

Burnout is the most common consequence of working as a practicing psychologist. This is a state of emotional and physical exhaustion, when a person cannot fully provide assistance to another, the cause of which is a prolonged emotional load.

Emotional burnout often manifests itself in a depressive state, a feeling of fatigue and emptiness from the work performed, a lack of energy and enthusiasm, a desire to limit the circle and the number of contacts, reduce the number of clients and shorten the time of working with them, in the loss of the ability to see the positive results of their work, a negative attitude in the relation of work and life in general.

Question 2. Any psychological help begins with contact with a client.

Establishing contact can take up to ten minutes. The contact should provide the client with a sense of security, help to ensure trust in the relationship with the psychologist. Therefore, the meeting should take place in a separate room, isolated from other social contacts. The psychologist's office should not be very large or very small, so that the physical space does not put pressure on the client. It should not be overloaded with small interior details that can distract the client's attention. In the psychologist's office there should be no personal belongings or objects reflecting his beliefs (political, religious, ideological, etc.), if it is not known to what extent these beliefs can coincide with the beliefs of the client. It is advisable to always receive the client in the same office, so that he does not feel anxiety from the new space constantly and does not waste time on mastering the new environment.

Location in space is also associated with the establishment of contact. If the psychologist and the client sit opposite each other at the table, a social distance is established between them. This positioning at the beginning of the care process is very suitable for restless, anxious clients, as they view the table as a protective barrier. Over time, the psychologist may offer the client to change the location in the space for a more consistent relationship of trust. - next to each other at a distance of no more than 1.5 meters without physical "barriers". Both can change the distance between themselves depending on the circumstances developing during the work. Related to spatial distance is the question of the therapeutic meaning of tactile contact with the client.

The first thing that needs to be done to establish contact is to meet and sit down the client, showing himself as a benevolent and interested interlocutor. You can go out from your place to the door to meet the client, help to take off his outer clothing, indicate where it is better for him to put his things and offer to sit down. You should not flirt with the client, demonstrating a willingness to be dependent on him, just as you should not engage in active contact from the first minutes, offering help. The client must first look around. The psychologist should not be verbose at the beginning of the meeting. Before starting the conversation, it is better to make a minute groove so that the client can collect his thoughts.

To establish an equal relationship, the psychologist may ask the client to introduce himself, and only then introduce himself, explaining who he is and what he does.

In the initial contact, the client should find out how much time he has to work with the psychologist during this meeting. Otherwise, he may get nervous in anticipation that the conversation is about to be interrupted, and he will not have time to express something. Time limits can be set in different ways: “We have 50 minutes at our disposal and I’m ready to listen to you” or “How would you like to use your time with me? We have 50 minutes. "

To proceed to the second stage of work, the psychologist must formulate the question: "What brought you to me?" or "I'm listening to you."

If the client does not make contact, the psychologist should not initiate this contact himself by asking questions that the client can expect. Otherwise, the main condition for professional psychological assistance will be violated: the client must himself want to change and want to meet with a specialist. An exception is a psychocorrectional situation when the client is directed to work with a psychologist by other people. In this case, a motivational interview is first conducted with a potential client.

In contact, the client makes a request - a motivated in a certain way, an appeal with a request to provide a specific form of psychological assistance. As a rule, the psychologist does not work with the initial request: this request is not operationalized, it is not yet clear what constitutes the actual difficulty, what lies at its basis and how it can be neutralized. In the request, the client describes in one form or another his difficulties and related experiences. The primary request occurs when at least two conditions are met:

objective presence of difficulties that underlie psychological discomfort;

partial reflection, reflection of the problem in the form of a need for psychological assistance.

The main reasons for contacting a psychologist (initial request) may be as follows.

1. Anxiety. The state of anxiety, anxiety is very common. However, in some cases, it is a key condition that causes the desire for change. A person is concerned about a specific circumstance (happened or is likely to happen), or he is worried about something that does not have an unambiguous interpretation.

Anxiety can act as a negative context for the development of more serious problems for both the client and the immediate environment. Very often, due to a prolonged state of anxiety, people begin to break down on loved ones, show aggressiveness, etc.

Thus, the client's actual anxiety - as his initial state - becomes, as it were, a certain "signal" addressed to the consultant as a "signal" about some very deep and painful circle of problems motivating the client's appeal to a psychologist-consultant. The effect of working with such cases largely depends on the consultant's ability to feel this painful "zone" and to lead the client to its open discussion.

2. Doubt, uncertainty. This group should include those cases of appeals that are caused by difficulties in making an important life decision or, conversely, by doubts about the correctness of an already committed act.

Cases of doubt, uncertainty in comparison with anxiety can be considered as a more pronounced degree of the client's awareness of the problems that have arisen. As a rule, what lurks "halfway" to consciousness during anxiety and, not finding a way out and an adequate verbal expression leads to anxiety, in this case is quite clearly represented in consciousness, and often as a fundamental life problem, which has already been the subject of independent reflections.

The problem of the client (and hence the problem of the consultant) here often is whether both can begin to discuss it openly, not hiding from each other those thoughts that think "to themselves." Therefore, in working with this category of clients, it is extremely important - on the one hand - their personal ability to be honest with themselves, on the other - the consultant's sensitivity to this "intention" of the client.

3. Despondency. The main feature of this group of cases is the predominantly emotional response to the traumatic life events taking place. The client is burdened by feelings of melancholy, despondency, resentment, and he, more or less consciously, seeks to share them with someone, to get consolation in a conversation with a person who is authoritative for him.

In this case, the main problem for the client and the consultant is to approach the discussion of those intimately significant values ​​and desires in which the client is frustrated. As a rule, these are the deepest, "basal" needs in which a person is dissatisfied.

It is very important that the counselor's sympathetic attitude is balanced with a grain of common sense, suggesting and reminding of how often in life anyone is faced with dissatisfaction and disappointment in their seemingly most important and urgent needs, and that the opposite is not often the case.

One of the circumstances complicating consultative work with some representatives of this group of clients is the tendency to "objectify" their adversities and a stable fixation on someone from their environment who is perceived as the "root of evil", "culprit", etc. In terms of professional activity, this can be a boss, a colleague, at home - a spouse, children, parents.

4. Shock. This group includes states associated with a painful sense of the exclusivity of the misfortune that happened to the client or the misdemeanor committed by him. A psycho-traumatic event appears to a person to be so monstrous, contrary to the very foundations of his life, that he, as a rule, cannot or (and) does not want to tell people from his environment about it and, at the same time, is clearly not able to cope with it alone. It is not uncommon for a detailed account of a painful circumstance or memory to be significant in itself. As a result of overcoming insane isolation, a person ceases to feel alone with his resentment or guilt.

As a rule, here we are faced with such a naked mental trauma that a person does not have any means of psychological defense against it. This distinguishes, in particular, this state from despondency, where this phase - the phase of acute suffering, if it took place - has already been passed, and often despondency itself can be regarded as a kind of unproductive means of psychological compensation.

These cases make, perhaps, the maximum requirements for the consultant's ability to sincerely empathize. The resulting emotional understanding between the consultant and the client in itself brings significant relief.

The exact qualification of this state can be complicated by the consultant's habitual orientation towards the very nature of the traumatic circumstances - towards the external storyline of the client's story, and not on the "trace" that it left in his soul. A state of shock can take place under seemingly quite ordinary and - from an external point of view - rather harmless circumstances. Conversely, the most dramatic situations, making a huge impression on the consultant, can be perceived in a completely different way by the client himself, without significantly disturbing his emotional balance.

Genuine shock, taking a person by surprise and destroying defense mechanisms, makes him at the same time very open and, as it were, in need of dialogue with a consultant. On the contrary, the excessive emphasis on traumatic circumstances, more or less direct demands for recognition of oneself as a "sufferer" testify to a certain degree of a person's assimilation of his situation, which in turn suggests that here we are no longer dealing with a shock, and came to the fore some other state.

5. The vicious circle of conflict. In the case of this type, attention is drawn mainly to the situation in which the client finds himself. As a rule, this is a situation of actual conflict with someone from their relatives, acquaintances, bosses (subordinates). A conflict from which he cannot or does not want to get out. This state is characterized, first of all, by the extreme emotional significance of the participants in the conflict for each other with extremely painful and, at times, ugly forms of "realization" of this significance.

The professional task of the counselor psychologist is to facilitate the emotional "separation" of the parties to the conflict from each other. The symbol of this separation (and, to a certain extent, the release from the grip of the conflict) is the separate discussion with the consultant of their problems. To the extent that such - separate - discussion acquires an independent meaning for clients that does not depend on the circumstances of their "struggle", we can talk about the process of emotional distancing, which is the most important prerequisite for a person's exit from the "vicious circle" of conflict.

6. Search for participation. The lack of spiritual closeness in life contacts with people prompts a person to seek compensation "on the side", in particular, in communication with a counselor psychologist about certain personal psychological problems. In this case, the main meaning of counseling is a mutual desire for intimacy, and the relationship between the client and the psychologist-consultant acquires, as it were, an intrinsic value.

Clients of this type have a strong desire to establish a close emotional relationship with another person, despite the fact that their personal life is often marked by loneliness. Objective difficulties in life and the inherent tendency of these people to "self-digging" makes them vulnerable to the mood of hopelessness and despair. Their first visit to a psychologist is often influenced by these feelings. For clients in search of participation, it is necessary to find in the consultant, as it were, an accomplice in their life, and they are initially set for long-term, "in-depth" cooperation.

Meeting these tendencies, the consultant becomes a kind of "emotional crutch" for the client, necessary at this stage of his life, an essential factor of psychological support. And here in itself the regularity of meetings, the opportunity to turn over and over again and talk about oneself and about one's problems, is of no less importance than the very content and quality of the analysis of the problems under consideration.

The healthy dynamics of such cases presupposes strengthening the capabilities of the client himself, due to which the alliance with the psychologist gradually loses its relevance for him, being pushed aside by events and communication in "real" life.

7. Psychological intoxication. The prevalence of this condition is a relatively recent "conquest" of our culture. It is associated, along with other circumstances, with the dissemination of psychological knowledge about the individual, about conflicts, etc. in the mass consciousness, as a result of which some people have the illusion that psychology, so well versed in human mistakes, knows the rules of how to live in order to avoid these mistakes.

A client in such a state, as a rule, does not experience any real difficulty or suffering at the moment and asks for advice as if "for the future." His problems may sound very impressive, but they are too numerous, amorphous and general. The client is inclined to find in himself all possible and impossible "complexes", and his readiness for introspection is as limitless as his hopes for counseling. Turning to a psychologist, such a client, on the one hand, wants to change his status quo, on the other hand, rather rigidly limits the "search zone" to the level of psychological regularities. As a result, the true circumstances of his life, his actions, thoughts and feelings turn out to be more or less "noisy" by those psychological diagnoses within which he is aware of himself and his life and which he offers to the consultant as "material" for joint work.

8. Management - manipulation. While in this state, the client is mainly focused on other people - specific persons from his life environment, or in general on everyone with whom he has to communicate. In counseling, he looks for opportunities to psychologically "equip" with certain knowledge or communication techniques that would help him achieve the desired results from his communication partners. At the same time, the meaning of the results, the moral and psychological justification of those goals that the client sets for himself in communication, he is least inclined to discuss with a consultant, and attempts to resolve these issues often meet with more or less pronounced resistance.

In the subtext of the desire for manipulation, one can often find deep disappointment and despair, explaining the special excitement that is characteristic of these clients in their desire to get their way. Therefore, the success of the advisory work in these cases depends on whether the discussion succeeds in moving from a narrow circle of rigidly outlined tasks by the client to a wider "semantic field".

Based on the request, the psychologist makes a working diagnosis of the problem: assumptions about the connection between the problem and the social situation of the client, about the characteristics of the client's personality and actual difficulties. There are three reasons for localizing the sources of the problem:

environment (family, place of residence, study, work, relationship);

the life of the individual as a whole (meaning of life, self-realization);

individual characteristics (psychophysiological conditions, sexual problems, addictions, diseases).

A working diagnosis of the problem is established in the process of a detailed presentation by the client of his request - a story, which prompted him to turn to a professional psychologist. The client's "confession" usually lasts 15-20 minutes, and you need to give him this time to talk. During the "confession" the psychologist should try to determine the structure of the client's inner world. Through the analysis of the context of the story, you can find out what the client knows about himself, goals, opportunities. When a client expresses uncertainty about what and how to talk about, where to start, you can suggest: “Tell us what you think is most important. If I need to know something, I will ask when the need arises. " Sometimes the client needs to be reassured: "We have enough time, do not rush." While listening to the client, the psychologist should ask himself the following questions:

What is happening in the client's life now?

What could be causing this?

What does the client expect from meeting me?

What are its capabilities?

In the course of making a request, the client formulates his complaint - dissatisfaction addressed to the consultant about the difficulties that he would like to eliminate, but cannot do it on his own. There are three components to a complaint:

• - locus of the complaint (who or what it is oriented towards);
• - self-diagnosis (why it happened, according to the client);
• - psychological problem (the need to change something in yourself or in the circumstances);
• - the actual request (please provide this or that assistance).

The last point of the complaint can often be absent from the client's story. Therefore, it needs to be opened with a special question: "How can I help you with this problem?" The psychologist must necessarily concretize the form and quality of assistance expected by the client. The request will make it clear what level of assistance the client expects (professional or household in the form of support). Requests for professional assistance may include the following:

• - request for assistance in analyzing the situation;
• - a request to expand the level of knowledge;
• - a request for training in behavioral skills;
• - a request for help in developing your own position;
• - a request to influence other people in their interests;
• - a request to influence other people in the client's own interests.

A working diagnosis that a psychologist has in the course of listening to a request is verified (verified) by psychodiagnostic methods. After that, the psychologist proposes a model for discussing the problem, based on a certain paradigm of providing psychological assistance. As a result of the discussion of this model, the psychologist encourages the client to put forward a working request (which is the concretization and operationalization of the problem in accordance with the available theoretically grounded methods for solving it). After that, a working contract is concluded with a psychologist.

The contract stipulates the mutual rights and obligations of the psychologist and the client. The scope and conditions of work are discussed. The mutual rights and obligations of the client and the psychologist are determined at the first meeting: they are negotiated orally or formalized in the form of a written agreement, which may also contain special conditions, may describe force majeure circumstances of their interaction.

Responsibilities of a psychologist.

The psychologist is obliged to maintain the confidentiality and anonymity of the client. it is imperative to preserve the secrecy of the very fact of the client's visit to the psychologist and the anonymity of the information that the client told the psychologist in a confidential conversation. If the client's interests require the psychologist to communicate with other specialists or family members of the client, then these meetings are possible only with the client's voluntary consent. In this case, the psychologist is obliged to agree with the client the information that he can communicate to the relevant persons, and must clarify the amount of this information.

Also, the psychologist commits himself not to evaluate the personality of the client. Here we are talking, first of all, about the ethnic, religious and sexual attitudes and preferences of the client, however, this principle of the psychologist's activity remains valid only if the client's attitudes mentioned above do not violate the rights of other people.

When providing assistance, the psychologist undertakes to proceed not from an ideal about a person, but from the need to help this person with all his advantages and disadvantages.

The psychologist, taking into account the problem stated by the client, his characterological characteristics and situational state, the level of the client's readiness to actually solve his own psychological problems, is obliged to inform the client how many meetings will be required, how long one meeting will last, as well as the cost of the session, if the work paid by the client.

The problem of payment is one of the most sensitive in the ethical aspect of providing psychological assistance. If we are talking about the provision of psychological assistance to people or organizations that will in one way or another receive economic profit as a result of the help of a psychologist, then this service, undoubtedly, should be paid for as a market service. In the case of providing psychological assistance to individual clients who are dealing with a problem that is not directly related to their economic well-being, the payment for the services of a psychologist, rather, has the psychological task of defining the boundaries and measures of the client's responsibility for the planned changes.

Finally, it is the psychologist who, in the course of interaction with the client, is responsible for organizing confidential communication; for the selection of adequate strategies and tactics of influence; for creating comfortable working conditions; for compliance with labor discipline, as well as the following professional principles of work.

Obligations of the client.

The client must make his own decisions about solving his problems. Decisions about a child who are not yet able to take full responsibility for themselves are made only by responsible persons. It is stipulated that the client is a person who is free in his thoughts, feelings and actions.

The client should not deliberately distort the information that is communicated to the psychologist, otherwise the work will be unproductive. It is agreed to avoid delays and missed appointments without prior notice. Finally, the client must independently and on time do his homework, if they are provided for by the technology in which the psychologist works with him.

The client must determine the parameters for assessing the result of his work with a psychologist.

In general, S. Gladding identifies two important aspects of the contract for the provision of psychological services: the process of achieving the goal and the final result. S. Gladding. Psychological counseling. 4th ed. - SPb .: Peter, 2002. S. 199. When defining the goal, the consultant acts within the framework of the theoretical paradigm that sets the vision of the client's problem. To achieve the goal, the client learns to change the way of thinking, his feelings and behavior in a problem situation. The end result makes it possible to evaluate and fix the ongoing changes in consciousness. This is important, since a person changes in the course of providing psychological assistance, the content of the social context and problem situations in it changes, which can lead to the feeling that work with a psychologist is underway, and the problems do not disappear. It is important to record what the client asked about, what exactly does not suit him and what exactly he wants to change, by what signs he will know that changes have come. At the end of the work, turning to these goals and characteristics of the expected changes allows us to make a well-founded conclusion about the effectiveness of work with a psychologist. The presence of other problems that were not relevant at the time of seeking psychological help may prompt the client to think about the need to continue working with a psychologist, but with the conclusion of a new contract.

The formal nature of the contract and time constraints act as an incentive to achieve change. The problem at the conclusion of the contract is divided into separate small parts, which gives a sense of the possibility of its resolution. The contract also ensures the regularity of referral to a psychologist in the process of solving the problem, which does not allow the problem to become protracted.

"What do you think I can do to help you solve this problem?", "What would you like to work with me on about this problem?" One of the least successful questions can be considered the following: "What would you like to talk to me about?", Because it does not imply any changes, therefore, does not aim at receiving professional psychological help;

it is important that the goals of the contract relate to changes in the client, and not to people who are not involved in the work;

the contract should not contain the words "try", "maybe", as this leads to doubts about achieving the goal;

there should be no obligation in the contract (“I must”, etc.), since such goals have an external, not an internal motive for change. When the client seeks to use such words when determining the end result, the psychologist must find out what the client really wants;

the goal should be specific, measurable and achievable, corresponding to the capabilities, value orientations and needs of the client;

the psychologist should insist that the goal is to change something in the process of work. Changes can relate to cognitive (thoughts, representations), emotional or behavioral aspects of the person.

The contract should be open for revision by both parties throughout the entire work on the problem.

Limitations of Contractual Relations.

The contractual nature of the relationship can sometimes provoke the psychologist to use external stimuli (reward or punishment) in order to induce the client to change. The contract is limited only by the external aspects of the existence of the problem. Sometimes the constant conclusion or renegotiation of a contract is boring for clients.

Question 3... There are two levels of assessing the effectiveness of psychological assistance:

objective, which includes compliance with the conditions necessary for a successful impact on the client, as well as fixing objective changes (for example, using psychodiagnostic methods),

subjective, i.e. assessment of the degree of resolution of the problem by the client himself.

The assessment is necessary for the psychologist himself, and it can also be used by persons responsible, for example, for financing the work, the customer of the service (director of the enterprise, for example), or external experts who assess the quality of the work of the unit providing psychological services.

Evaluating the effectiveness of the provision of psychological services is a very difficult task. The results of psychological impact can appear over a fairly long period of time, up to one year. In addition, the goal of psychological assistance in general may not pretend to completely resolve the problem, but focus on a more narrowly understood goal - a new look at the problem, for example.

Compliance with conditions.

Psychological assistance will be more effective if it is provided by a specialist who professionally possesses the skills of therapeutic interaction (which depend on the theoretical position) and has pronounced personal qualities of a “successful helping specialist”. Different areas of psychological assistance are characterized by different accents in assessing the importance of personal qualities. In the Rogerian model of providing psychological assistance, the psychologist's skills are important to be sincere, authentic in relationships, to maintain an unconditional positive position in relation to the client, despite his shortcomings; he must be empathic, able to feel into the client's inner world, to catch and verbalize what the client is just beginning to realize in working with him. In a behavioral model for a psychologist, directivity, the ability to manipulate the process, encourage and reinforce useful reactions, persuade and inspire, be informed to give advice and recommendations are important. For all schools, it is important that the psychologist knows his own communication characteristics and problems. A psychologist cannot have low self-esteem, be insecure, and seek recognition.

The psychologist should be able to periodically work through his own problems, regularly clarify his feelings that arise when working with clients, in Balint groups, participate in professionally oriented skills training, and undergo supervision of his own practice.

Supervision is an interactive assessment process in which a more professionally competent specialist supervises the work of another psychologist in order to improve his professional capabilities. Ideally, the supervisor should be someone who has acquired supervisory status through special training. As a last resort, supervision can be obtained from any specialist we trust and whom we consider competent in our field.

Effective supervision should be at a level appropriate to the developmental level of the person receiving supervision.

There is no single model of supervision. There are behavioral, facilitative, dynamic, reflective, expert and systems models of supervision. In order for supervision to be productive, the supervisor must first identify the level of development of the supervisee's skills and draw up a written list of realistic goals for professional development.

For effective psychological assistance, it is necessary to comply with the environmental friendliness of the space of psychological assistance. The physical space (room, office) should provide a sense of privacy and psychological safety. The room for the provision of psychological assistance should be separate, excluding the possibility of accidental eavesdropping, participation or intrusion of other persons not related to the provision of psychological assistance

Adherence to a technique or procedure is essential for effective operation. Different proficiency in the same method will give different results.

Professional experience and training. Psychological assistance will be effective if the specialist regularly undergoes training sessions that increase the level of development of the necessary skills, if he possesses the skills of active listening (paraphrasing, mirroring feelings, positive connotation - giving a positive or neutral meaning to the client's negative statements). An effective consultant treats the behavior and facts of the client's personal life without judgment (i.e., does not resort to moral assessments, instructions on how to behave, etc. in his communication with the client).

Effective help involves working with the expectations and motivation of the client, forming and maintaining a willingness to cooperate with the client with the psychologist.

The intensity of corrective measures is essential - at least once a week with a duration of 1-1.5 hours, as well as the richness of the content of the classes, the variety of methods and techniques used, the measure of the client's participation in the classes.

The prolongation of the interaction after the completion of psychocorrection is important to track changes in the client's behavior (follow-up).

To assess the effectiveness of psychocorrection, it is necessary to clearly define the method by which the correction will be carried out or carried out. However, this is quite problematic, because in the framework of modern psychotherapy, methods are usually combined. For the assessment, it is important to recruit a quantitatively and qualitatively adequate sample of clients who have undergone psychocorrection. It is also necessary to take into account the personality of the client himself - the degree of severity of his features, known as unfavorable for psychocorrection, attitudes towards one or another type of psychocorrectional work. Comparison of immediate and long-term results of correction is possible. To improve the quality of assessment, you can entrust the assessment to the psychologist who did not conduct psychocorrection (to exclude the influence of the client's attitude to the psychologist). In this case, it is desirable that the expert does not know by what method and by what technique the changes were achieved. A control group is also needed to exclude the influence of non-corrective factors. Groups of variables characterizing psychocorrectional effects:

symptomatic improvement of the subjective plan, subjective assessment of the client;

objectively registered changes - here is the problem of choosing the registered variables: they can be arbitrarily set by the authors of the programs in accordance with their theoretical positions, the goals of the classes;

stability of changes.

What methods are more effective in psychocorrectional therapy?

Meta-analysis of the results of research on the effectiveness of psychotherapy K. Grave. In correcting problems, behavioral, supportive techniques are more effective than revealing ones. Confidence training increases confidence, confrontation overcomes phobias (presenting the client with unconscious or ambivalent attitudes, stereotypes of behavior, relationships in order to understand and work them out, can be carried out in a rigid, direct form, or maybe in a hidden form, through metaphors and non-verbal techniques), sexual correction treats frigidity, hypnosis relieves pain, family problems are corrected by changes in family structure, changes in cognitive components treat depression, behavioral training allows you to strengthen self-control. In the correction of empathic techniques necessary for therapy as an improvement in self-understanding and necessary at the beginning of psychocorrectional work to establish contact and diagnostics, the correction process itself is not enough. For correction, it is important to be able and to have the risk of jeopardizing the good relationship with the client and the psychological comfort of the corrector when working with the client.

Control questions for the lecture.

What are the components that make up the structure of the situation for the provision of professional psychological assistance?

What characteristics should a person have to become a client of a psychologist?

What personality components should be formed in a specialist providing professional psychological assistance?

What are the functions of scientific and theoretical knowledge in the provision of professional psychological assistance?

What is personal readiness to provide professional psychological assistance?

What is the primary customer request?

What is a client's “working problem diagnosis”?

How can the effectiveness of the provision of psychological assistance be assessed?

Bibliography.

Abramova G.S. Practical psychology. - M .: Academic project, 2001.

Gladding S. Psychological counseling. - SPb .: Peter, 2002.

Kochyunas R. Fundamentals of psychological counseling. - M .: Academic project, 1999.

Osipova A.A. General psychocorrection. - M .: TC "Sphere", 2000.

The purpose of any psychological intervention is to change the mental state and behavior of the individual; in the case of psychological assistance, it is the elimination of psychological problems and behavioral disorders.

Psychological assistance is aimed at eliminating psychological problems and behavioral disorders through the use of special scientifically based psychological methods

Various types of psychological assistance are distinguished, which differ in goals, theoretical orientations, underlying them, areas of application, as well as the degree of professionalism of the person who provides this assistance. It is important to understand that sometimes non-professionals, relatives and friends, clergymen and even casual acquaintances who are not indifferent to our condition at the moment, can also provide psychological help to us. In addition to such “spontaneous” assistance, some of its types can be purposefully applied by specially trained volunteers (Section 3).

Depending on the main goals of assistance, there are:
psychological counseling;
psychotherapy;
psychological correction;
crisis intervention;
psychological rehabilitation;
psychological training.

Psychological counseling is focused on helping the client in resolving a certain problem situation, makes it possible to expand his understanding of various aspects of his personality, as well as social environment.

Psychotherapy is focused on improving the mental state of persons with mental and behavioral disorders, eliminating the symptoms of these disorders by methods of psychological influence.

Psychological correction is a directed psychological impact on certain mental structures in order to ensure the full development and functioning of the individual.

Crisis intervention emergency psychological assistance to persons in a crisis state (victims of ethnic conflicts, natural disasters, catastrophes; people who have lost loved ones, etc.), aimed at preventing the development of mental disorders and behavioral disorders.

Psychological rehabilitation assistance to the patient, focused on the fullest possible restoration of his abilities, improving the quality of life, improving social adaptation, integration into society, preventing the development of persistent personality disorders and negative changes in life style.

Psychological training - developing the client's necessary psychological and behavioral skills: overcoming stress, resolving conflicts, making decisions, etc.

Psychological assistance can be provided both individually and in a group (family, group therapy), as well as within an entire organization (organizational counseling).

Depending on the spheres of application, M. Perret and W. Baumann propose to single out psychological-pedagogical, organizational-psychological and clinical-psychological interventions.

There are no rigid boundaries between different types of psychological assistance; they are based on the use of similar methods of influence. This applies primarily to psychological counseling, psychological correction and psychotherapy.

The division between them is largely artificial and is due to legislative restrictions on the functions that a psychologist can perform in a medical institution:
“At this time [late 1970s, approx. author] psychologists began to work actively in the field of psychotherapy, primarily group therapy. Discussions about whether a psychologist can engage in therapeutic (psychotherapeutic) work were predominantly theoretical, because in practice psychologists not only wanted, could and successfully realized this opportunity, but were at that time more prepared for this kind of activity, especially in as group psychotherapists. But since psychotherapy is a medical practice, and by law only a person with a higher medical education can engage in it, the spread of the term "psychological correction" was aimed at overcoming this situation: the doctor is engaged in psychotherapy, and psychological correction. ... Abroad, the term “psychological psychotherapy” has become a more common designation for the activity of a psychologist in the field of psychotherapy, in our country “psychological correction”.

It follows from the above quotation that the term "psychological correction" was introduced in order to make psychological practice in the clinic more legitimate. At the same time, we believe its use is quite justified in those cases when it comes to correcting abnormal development.

The nature of psychological assistance is largely determined by the theoretical orientation of a particular specialist. In this regard, the American psychologist R. Comer notes that within the professional group, the differences caused by theoretical disagreements are much greater than, for example, between doctors, clinical psychologists and social workers who adhere to the same concept1. Today there are a significant number of areas of psychological assistance: psychoanalysis, behavioral and cognitive behavioral therapy, existential psychotherapy, rational-emotional therapy, gestalt therapy, etc. characteristics of a healthy, adapted personality. The most important areas of psychotherapy will be discussed in chapter 1.4.

One of the most difficult tasks today is to assess the effectiveness of psychological assistance. Self-reports from patients, as well as reports from therapists, are not enough to accurately determine the success achieved. The fact is that both the patient and the therapist, who have invested a lot of effort in the treatment process, tend to evaluate any positive changes in treatment as a kind of “reward for the work” 2. In addition, it is not always clear what to use as a criterion for success, how long after the end of therapy to take measurements and, most importantly, what other factors influenced the change in the client's condition.

According to the German psychotherapist W. Lauterbach, the most researched in this aspect are cognitive and behavioral psychotherapy, client-centered psychotherapy according to K. Rogers, as well as various methods of relaxation and hypnosis. Research results indicate their high efficiency. Note that research methods not included in this list can also lead to the desired results. The lack of information about the success of their use in the clinic is largely due to the theoretical orientation towards an idiographic approach to data analysis (first of all, this applies to various classical and modern areas of psychoanalysis).

W. Baumann and K. ReineckerHecht note that the study of psychological assistance should not be limited only to assessing its effectiveness, it is necessary to approach this problem in a differentiated manner, to take into account the nature of the relationship between the therapist and the client, the techniques of therapy, and the peculiarities of its various stages1. They suggest using the following criteria:
efficiency (the presence of statistically and clinically significant changes, as well as positive shifts, i.e. shifts that relate to a wide range of situations, are stable, lack of negative effects, i.e. deterioration of the state, cessation of therapy, etc.);
profitability, i.e. a reasonable ratio of material and moral costs and benefits from the provision of assistance;
customer satisfaction;
theoretical validity.

The existing fairly extensive experience in the activities of specialists in psychological support of people in various emergency situations makes it possible to recommend using the following principles of providing psychological assistance in extreme conditions:

> Urgency: assistance to the traumatized victim should be provided as soon as possible; the more time has passed since the trauma, the higher the likelihood of chronicity of disorders, the onset of pathological changes in the body and behavioral disorders (alcoholism, drug abuse, etc.). The most effective help is provided "hot on the trail".

> Proximity: assistance should be provided as close to the scene as possible. In combat conditions, this means that hospitalization of a victim with a combat mental trauma and his evacuation to the deep rear should be avoided, if possible. The meaning of this principle is to provide assistance without changing circumstances and social environment, as well as to minimize the negative phenomena of "hospitalism", i.e. attitudes towards their disturbed mental state as intractable and "withdrawal into illness."

> Expectation of recovery: a person who has experienced a stressful situation should not be treated as a patient, but as a normal individual, whose condition is psychologically understandable and explainable by the experienced event ("" normal reaction to an extreme situation ""). It is necessary to maintain confidence in an early return to normalcy, in the ability to again do their job in full. In the event of a "combat" "mental trauma, the efforts of the therapeutic personnel are directed towards a speedy return to duty.

> The unity of psychotherapeutic (psychological) influence implies that its source should be one person or a group of persons, but in both cases a unified procedure for dealing with the victim and his psychological correction should be followed. This principle takes into account the peculiarities of the mental state of persons who have been traumatized, for example, the narrowing of consciousness ("tunnel guidance"), lethargy, etc., leading to the inability to perceive multidirectional influences.

The simplicity of the psychotherapeutic (psychological) impact is closely related to the previous principle and means that the impact is of the nature of first aid and is aimed, first of all, at relieving anxiety, preventing self-isolation, "withdrawing into oneself" "by encouraging the victim to articulate their experiences, discuss injury and actual condition. Very often, help is expressed in taking the victim away from the source of trauma, providing the necessary information, warm drinks, food, rest, a psychologically safe environment and the opportunity to be listened to.

> Continuity of psychological training, psychological support and psychological rehabilitation: it provides, in particular, the development and filling out of individual mental state control cards at different stages of the employee's participation in the relevant activities (operations) and during the rehabilitation period. The cards contain information about individual and personal characteristics, data of psychological testing, the duration and nature of the impact of traumatic circumstances, the amount of psychological assistance provided and its effectiveness are noted.

Psychosocial support is a key factor in preventing and overcoming the negative consequences of stressful situations, both at the level of the individual and at the level of social, professional groups.

A person who has experienced a traumatic event experiences a heightened need to express their experience and comprehend it in the process of communication, just as a group of people or population in a disaster region in trouble always hopes for outside help (sympathy for their suffering and understanding of their requirements).

Lack of social support often gives rise to aggressiveness, anger, demonstrative reactions, and other manifestations of social and personal deformation, which are usually considered only in the context of mental trauma. Meanwhile, it is more correct to consider these negative psychological consequences of traumatization also from the point of view of the provided measures of social and psychological support to the victims, their timeliness, adequacy and completeness.

Psychological assistance in this regard can be considered as one of the specialized types of social support, to which the need of victims to express and understand their feelings, relieve tension, uncertainty, gain a sense of security, etc. is addressed. In turn, other sources and types of psychosocial support (family, workmates, friends, commander or boss) can also serve the purposes of psychological assistance provided both “spontaneously” and “directed” “by a psychologist or other professional. trained in stress prevention and management.

Programs for the provision of psychological assistance provide for its differentiated nature and stage-by-stage.

The goals of psychological assistance at all stages are:

give a person the opportunity to express their experiences and reactions and evaluate them

character;

[provide the necessary information, fill the "information vacuum"; [to support and inspire self-confidence; encourage an early return to normal activities.

Psychological support activities may include psychodiagnostics (or other assessment of the state), individual counseling, psychological dibriefings, recommendations, mutual support programs, including family, family dibriefings, counseling for leaders (commanders).

When identifying those in need of correction, you should pay attention to the most obvious signs of distress, such as:

Emotional imbalance;

Outbursts of anger;

Self-isolation;

Violation of psychomotor skills,

Mental shock;

Loss of orientation;

Memory lapses.

Usually, in the acute phase of post-stress disorders, group strategies are not used, because victims are at different stages of stress, often simply not ready to discuss their feelings in a group.

Group techniques are indicated in cases where people have undergone joint (collective) trauma, for example, as part of a group or unit. Autogenic training sessions, decompression and relaxation sessions can be held in the vicinity of the event to relieve the psychological stress caused by the trauma. These sessions are shortened dibriefings that include phrases such as:

Short introduction;

Discussion of facts; provision of information.

Their task is to eliminate the need for further full dibriefing or, on the contrary, to stimulate participation in such, if such a need arises.

At the end of the period of being in a traumatic environment, it is recommended to carry out the so-called de-escalation or demobilization: measures aimed at reducing the distress associated with the return to everyday life and the usual conditions of activity. Within the framework of a short 10-15 - minute conversation, the following are discussed:

® symptoms of post-stress reaction;

® ways to reduce it;

® at the end of the conversation, the commander gives an order on the procedure for the further organization of work and the passage of the rehabilitation period, if such is provided in this case;

® the conclusion provides the necessary information about the time and place of the psychodiagnostic examination and (or) psychological dibriefing.

You can also find information of interest in the scientific search engine Otvety.Online. Use the search form:

More on the topic Providing psychological assistance to rescuers in extreme conditions:

1. CHAPTER 3. PSYCHOLOGICAL REHABILITATION AND PROVISION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE AFFECTED POPULATION AND RESCUERS DURING THE REHABILITATION AND POST-REHABILITATION PERIODS
2. 1. Psychological stability (preparedness) of rescuers for actions in extreme conditions, ways, forms and methods of its improvement:
3. 2.3. Psychological assistance to the population and rescuers in the emergency zone
4. 1. Methods for managing the state of a person (rescuer) when working in extreme conditions and after leaving the lesion focus:

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Various types of psychological practices are used in social work. Being psychological in essence, they are aimed at solving the problems of socialization, improving society. The attitude of the psychologist to the main categories of psychological science determines his initial, methodological position in solving the psychological problems of the client.

The concept of "client" was first widely used by the American psychologist K. Rogers instead of the previously used word "patient". At the same time, according to K. Rogers (1942), the client knows better than anyone else what his problem is and, together with a psychologist, can find its solution himself.

When a psychologist and a client interact, the content of the order for his work is of primary importance. It is the content of the order that determines the professional position of the psychologist when choosing the client's assessment system, thanks to which he perceives psychological information and creates the necessary conditions for formulating the content of the order into a psychological task. At this moment, the psychologist has a question about how to solve the psychological problem of the client. One of the main components of the position is a generalized psychological theory or the content of scientific knowledge of a practical psychologist. It is the generalized psychological theory that makes it possible to answer the question of how to solve the psychological problems of the client.

Before considering the main types of psychological practice in the provision of psychological assistance to a person, we will give some key concepts and categories adopted in social work and, above all, the concepts of "social protection", "social support", "social assistance" (M. V. Firsov . B.Yu.Shapiro, 2002).

Under social protection it is customary to understand the system of measures carried out by society and its various structures to ensure guaranteed minimum sufficient living conditions, to maintain life support and an active existence of a person.

Social support is defined as special measures aimed at maintaining conditions sufficient for the existence of "weak" social groups, individual families, individuals in need in the process of their life and active existence.

Social help is a system of social measures in the form of assistance, support and services provided to individuals or groups of the population by the social service to overcome or alleviate life difficulties, maintain their social status and full-fledged life, adaptation in society.

In this list, the most realizable when considering psychological practices is the concept "social help". Consider the possible content of psychological assistance in the interaction of a psychologist with a client. Let's agree right away that we will consider one word “help” as a “pseudoscientific” term, which only in the phrase “psychological assistance” or as “social assistance” loses this shade of pseudoscience. This is how we will define and describe the content of psychological assistance - as the goals of the professional position of the psychologist in his interaction with the client.

1. Providing the client with psychological assistance by communicating objective psychological information to him. This is done psychological diagnostics ( psychodiagnostics) is one of the areas of practical psychology. Thanks to psychodiagnostics, numerous tasks of studying the socio-psychological characteristics of an individual, as well as collectives, educational and economic relations are solved. The peculiarity of this type of assistance is that the psychologist is responsible for the accuracy of the information and the form of its message to the client. The client himself develops an attitude towards the information received, and makes a decision on its use.

2. Psychological correction involves an organized impact on the client in order to change the indicators of his activity and in accordance with the age norm of mental development. The psychologist works with such concepts as:

a) the age norm for the development of a certain type of activity (reading, writing, counting, etc.),

b) the individual rate of its development.

With psychological correction, the content of psychological assistance consists in the fact that an individual program of psychological correction of the assimilation of a certain type of activity is developed for the client in accordance with social requirements for it.

3. In social work, it is widely used psychologicalconsultation. Consulting Is a two-way process of cooperation within the framework of a supportive relationship that helps the client understand his problem, understand the need to act and take appropriate action. Psychological counseling is used by managers, ordinary workers, teachers, parents, pupils, students, newlyweds, family people, etc. Based on the results of this work, their individual and group activities are built. Psychological counseling as a type of psychological assistance is addressed to mentally normal people in order to achieve their personal development goals. The purpose of psychological counseling is to provide a person with a productive existence in the specific circumstances of his life. Productivity is primarily associated with a person's ability to find as many possible behaviors as possible, as many concepts, thoughts, feelings, actions as possible, in order to be able to communicate with the largest possible number of people and groups within their own culture. This makes it possible to correspond to a given culture and reflect in it.

4. An in-depth character in relation to the individual is psychotherapy. Psychotherapy as a type of psychological assistance involves the active influence of the psychotherapist on the personality of the client. It is focused on holistic psychological transformations in the structure of the personality. The client of a psychologist as a psychotherapist is a person who requires reconstruction of his personality. In other words, this is a sick person who needs an organized impact on his mental reality in order to restore or reconstruct it. On this basis, various psychotherapeutic methods used in social work are distinguished by their consistency and force of influence. Practically most often, psychotherapy is carried out against the background of drug exposure to the client and acts as an auxiliary method of treatment. Along with this, various forms of training, "immersion", games, etc. can be used as psychotherapeutic methods.

If in psychological counseling, responsibility for the results associated with changes in the productivity of a person is distributed between a psychologist and client, then in psychotherapy, especially in its first stages, responsibility for the reconstruction of the client's personality is psychologist-psychotherapist.

Along with the considered basic types of psychological practices, other psychological practices are now widely used.

So, the necessary method of social work is psychologistsical selection. It is used for the social and professional self-determination of young people, the definition of the field of retraining of personnel, the recruitment of groups.

Methods that bring significant results in social work psychological adaptation. They include recipients in social activities so that they are better aware of the social situation, develop self-esteem, and adapt to changing conditions of life.

Socio-psychological training and auto-training have become fairly typical types of psychological practices used in social work. They are attracted by the rapid formation of the social qualities of a person, relationships and methods of activity. The effect is especially achieved when the transfer of the formed substructures into the real conditions of educational, labor and other human activities is ensured.

Methods of a clearly expressed psychological character are corrections behavior, motivation, communication, self-esteem. Thanks to their use, the client realizes the shortcomings in the structure of his own personality, develops new models of behavior and exercises in their application, followed by generalization and transfer of socio-mental formations to new conditions of his life.

Various types of psychological practices are now increasingly used in various state and non-state structures (public, commercial, etc.).

As an example, let's name just a few of them:

o Offices of social and psychological assistance to families,

o Telephone for psychological assistance (hotline), in Minsk - 2-46-11-11,

o Psychological Service of the Belarusian State University,

o Psychologist - professional consultant of the district employment service,

o Psychotherapy rooms,

o Departments of borderline psychotherapy, etc.

Considering the increase in various neurotic disorders associated with stress, other problems, the importance of psychological assistance is growing, and the number of various organizations in which appropriate psychological and psychotherapeutic assistance is provided is also increasing. For example, the number of psychotherapy rooms has quadrupled over the past 10 years.

At the same time, for example, currently there is an urgent need for a diverse market for drug treatment, where, in addition to medication, psychotherapeutic and psychological assistance is also needed. In Western countries, it is 2/3 of the treatment for alcoholics and drug addicts. Today this market is gradually emerging, although not as quickly as we would like.

There are various models for providing psychological assistance. However, regardless of the chosen model, the provision of psychological assistance to adolescents requires adherence to a number of general ethical, substantive and organizational principles for the provision of psychological assistance, the construction of diagnostic and correctional and developmental programs. These principles include:

• - the principle of voluntariness of the client's request. No one can be involved in counseling and (or) psychotherapeutic work and undergo psychological diagnostics and correction procedures without voluntary consent. When working with minors, it becomes an important condition to obtain the consent of the child's legal representatives to carry out psychological work. The adolescent is not yet an adult, however, the level of his development, reflection and self-awareness allow not only assessing the difficulty of the problem facing him, but also making a decision about contacting a psychologist for assistance in solving it. This creates a dual situation when, on the one hand, the adolescent's representatives - his parents - must give consent to psychological work, and on the other hand, the adolescent's voluntary consent to receive this assistance becomes a key condition for its effectiveness;
• - the principle of confidentiality is associated with the guarantee of personal and social security of contacting a teenager with a consultation and keeping secret all information obtained in the course of work. The communication of data on the fact of treatment, the nature of the problem and the results of psychological work by third parties is possible either with the consent of the client, or in conditions of a threat to the life and safety of the client or other persons. At the same time, taking into account the age of the adolescent and the legal responsibility of the parents for his life, physical, mental and moral health and development, the principle of confidentiality in working with adolescents does not apply to their parents and guardians;
• - the principle of the client's personal responsibility implies, on the one hand, the recognition of the client's right to choose his own solution to the problem, on the other hand, the acceptance of responsibility for its implementation and consequences. In the context of psychological work with adolescents, it is necessary to limit its application to the zones of the adolescent's age competence and the level of one hundred social maturity. Assistance and provision of psychological support to a teenager in making and implementing a decision are the unconditional responsibility of a counseling psychologist;
• - the principle "do no harm" focuses on the fact that the methods of psychological work used should not cause psychological, social or physical harm to the client;
• - the principle of professional competence and responsibility of a psychologist is associated with the need for a psychologist to adequately assess the boundaries of his professional competence when working with adolescents. Going beyond the limits of one's professional knowledge and skills, the use of dubious, insufficiently valid methods or simply not mastered by the specialist himself in practical work with adolescents is unacceptable;
• - the principle of orientation towards the "normativity" of development based on taking into account the age-psychological and individual characteristics of a teenager. The socionormative model of mental development in adolescence is based on developmental tasks and sociocultural expectations regarding the formation of age-related psychological neoplasms and the internal logic of development as a sequence of interrelated and interdependent stages of development. The concept of the normality of development includes a model of the content, mechanisms, conditions and factors of mental development at each age stage. In the domestic practice of psychological counseling on the problems of development and learning in adolescence, the theoretical model developed in the works of L. S. Vygotsky, A. N. Leontyev, D. B. Elkonin, A. V. Zaporozhets and others has received deserved recognition;
• - the principle of the consistency of correctional, preventive and developmental tasks emphasizes the importance of all three areas of psychological work with adolescents. Correctional tasks are associated with correcting deviations, developmental disorders and resolving developmental difficulties, preventive tasks are focused on preventing deviations and difficulties in development, and developmental tasks are aimed at optimizing, stimulating, amplifying and enriching the content of development;
• - the principle of the unity of diagnosis and correction reflects the idea of ​​the integrity and unity of the process of providing psychological assistance. Any corrective work involves diagnostic procedures. Diagnostics is carried out both at the stage of determining psychological difficulties and their causes, and at the stage of implementing corrective action in order to control the dynamics of changes in the behavior and activities of a teenager, the development of his emotional states, feelings and experiences;
• - the principle of "correction from top to bottom" determines the main task of correction to create a zone of proximal development of the child (L. S. Vygotsky). Correction should be aimed at the development of qualitatively new psychological abilities that make up the zone of proximal development of the adolescent. It is not the training of intact mental functions and abilities ("correction from the bottom up") that is important, but an active formative influence, which has a targeted effect on the genesis and formation of psychological neoplasms that make up the essential characteristic of age ("correction from the top down");
• - the principle of priority correction of the causal type is focused on identifying and eliminating the causes of external symptoms of psychological distress in a teenager. Work on eliminating the symptoms of unhappiness (symptomatic correction) can be effective in the short term in solving problems to reduce the severity of acute signs of trouble, which in most cases is temporary (for example, deviant behavior). Only causal correction will be effective when working in the medium and long term, allowing you to eliminate first the causes, and then the symptoms of psychological distress;
• - the activity principle of correction determines the tactics of carrying out correctional work, ways and means of realizing the set goals. The main method of correctional and developmental influence is the organization of the adolescent's vigorous activity, during the implementation of which conditions are created for his orientation in difficult conflict situations, their resolution is organized and the necessary basis is laid for positive changes in the adolescent's personal development;
• - the principle of the complexity of methods of psychological influence emphasizes the need to use various methods, techniques and methods of work belonging to different schools of psychology. The issue of effective selection of complementary methods of work in solving a specific problem becomes significant;
• - the principle of actively involving the closest social environment of a teenager to participate in a correctional program is associated with the idea that the result of correctional work will be psychological changes not only in the teenager himself, but also in his relationship with a significant social environment. In other words, the result will be an optimization of the social situation of the adolescent's development. On the other hand, the social environment provides a resource potential for providing psychological assistance to a teenager. Involving the close social environment of a teenager, most often a family or peers, for joint problem solving, practicing acquired skills and transferring them into real life, stabilizing acquired psychological qualities is a necessary condition for the effectiveness of psychological correction. An illustration is personal growth trainings, which involve the interaction of the adolescent with peers, often unfamiliar to him before starting group work, which create a typical "adolescent environment". In this "teenage environment" a problematic teenager has an opportunity to express himself in new roles and qualities, to try out new strategies and ways of action, to get feedback about himself and his behavior.

These principles determine the general content of psychological assistance to adolescents. Specific complaints and requests will determine the goals and objectives, the choice of form (individual or group) and methods of work.

• Burmenskaya G. V., Zakharova E. I., Karabanova O. A., Lebedeva N. N., Lidere A. G. Age-psychological approach in counseling children and adolescents; Karabanova O. A. Psychology of family relations and the basics of family counseling