It took many of us long enough for the profession of “practical psychologist” to cease to be something incomprehensible or exotic. Today, for recovery, finding our own resources or resolving difficult situations, we almost do not turn to friends or girlfriends to cry on their shoulders – came the understanding of the need to work with professionals. Psychology is a serious science, its mastering requires time and effort. However, without empathy and responsibility it is difficult to imagine a good psychologist. Practical psychologist Ruslana Prysyazhnyuk, who specializes in working with children, shared with us her own views on the profession

“It may sound very eloquent, but I have an important personal credo: ‘Let there be more happy children in the world.’ Then they will grow up to be happy adults who will be able to love, dream and realize dreams, be aware of their own boundaries and respect other people’s personal boundaries”

“Although I dreamed of helping people as a child, I learned about the profession of a psychologist by accident. As a child she dreamed of being a doctor, wearing a white coat. However, when I was 16, my father died suddenly of a heart attack that was not diagnosed by a doctor in time. There was universal disappointment in this profession, and I decided to become a biology teacher. At Zhytomyr State University at the Faculty of Natural Sciences there was then a double specialty “biology-practical psychology”, and my choice fell on it. She chose this specialty because she did not have a friendship with chemistry at school, and the concept of “psychology” seemed interesting and not difficult. While driving, I liked to watch the windows of houses – I was interested in what kind of people live there, how they communicate with each other, what traditions they have. I became so interested in psychology”

“Emotionally, working with children with cancer was extremely difficult for me. When you leave the department, you want to cry out loud from the feeling of injustice, pain, from the suffering of children and their families, from the realization that some children draw with you or not to the last. I still remember the dream tree of the girl Christina, who has already become an angel. It is difficult to listen when children talk about violence, about cases of bullying, it is difficult to observe the neglect of children by adults”

“I like to look into children’s open eyes, listen to them share their thoughts and funny stories. Attracts children’s spontaneity, authenticity. I try to carefully reveal their potential, to observe the creative process. It is very valuable for me the progress and growth of each child and the understanding that I am at least a little involved in it”

“Oh, I have a lot of laughter in my office every day. One day I can be a spider, a tin soldier, a balloon, a dog, plasticine dough and even a gingerbread man. You need to speak to children in their language, then the work process will be effective. I remember one girl saying that she was very annoyed by my soothing music in the office and that we danced to almost the whole song, “You’re a bee, I’m a beekeeper.” They laughed to their heart’s content, and this was the starting point for positive changes”

“Famous child psychologist Svetlana Roiz is a standard of the profession for me today. I admire her professionalism, softness and strength at the same time, her ability to convey information. I am currently studying with her, and this training is very valuable and important. I consider Olena Tararina, Victoria Nazarevych, Olena Ratynska as my teachers – they are Ukrainian psychologists. I try to “create” some professional features of each of them in myself .”
“Today we are living at a breakneck pace. Life is so fast that in the pursuit of status, wealth, recognition, we lose the most precious thing – ourselves. A psychologist is a person who helps to bring order to his inner personal territory so that we are as effective as possible from the outside. A psychologist is a specialist who carefully guides and understands. It is always safe for such a person”

“Quarantine changed our lives, and it also affected my work. Since an important condition of work is compliance with all quarantine requirements, I work in a mask. Unfortunately, the mask hides part of the face and to some extent erases the emotions that are extremely important. The counseling process can also be interrupted due to illness, which is also bad”

“I have my own psychotherapist, whom we meet once a week. I am the same ordinary person as others, with my inner troubles, certain difficulties in life. Psychotherapy makes it possible to understand the root causes of processes that can often be unconscious, blocked. This practice is necessary so that in my personal practice there is no transfer”

“Parents should understand that a psychologist can take only part of the responsibility for the child, and the rest remains with them. Only realizing this can be a good result of working with a psychologist. A child always “signals” if something is bothering him: he may suddenly calm down or become overly active for some reason, start avoiding certain topics, places or people, start to show aggression or crying, may be afraid to sleep alone, stay at home, even start often to be ill. If mom and dad have a good emotional connection, they always notice the first symptoms of the problem in the child”

“Children in primary school have problems with adaptation; If we talk about the problems of children who study in the middle level, here are all the “beauties” of adolescence (negativism, separation, problems with self-esteem). Problems of self-determination and vocational guidance are relevant in high school. However, now most children of all ages have common problems: addiction to gadgets, problems with psychological boundaries”

“I am very helped by boundless love for children, intuition. And knowledge, of course, – I am constantly learning, because I love the process itself. The separation of the counseling process from the systems in which the child is located: family, school or kindergarten – hinders the work. Parents can be ready to change something in the process of interaction with the child, but I can`t influence educators or teachers”

“The most important things we can give our children are time spent together: reviewed together and discussed, an interesting book read before bed, walks and warm hugs, shared ice cream, celebrated first “two”, a supportive look, and respect for the child’s personal space. Be there when needed – help, but don’t do it for them. Be happy, and this is the first thing that parents should be advised, because children follow our example. Take care of your resource, general emotional state – we share what we are filled with. Respect and accept the otherness of the child – he must become HIMSELF, go his own unique way. Be careful with emotions and feelings, love yourself and teach it to your own children”