The Ministry of Internal Affairs has developed an algorithm for providing emergency psychological assistance to victims of Russian aggression - Igor Klymenko
This was stated today by the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Igor Klymenko during a meeting of the Interdepartmental Coordination Council (ICRC) on the protection of mental health and psychological assistance to persons affected by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
First Lady Elena Zelenska and Prime Minister of Ukraine Denis Shmyhal also took part in the meeting of the ICRC, during which, in addition to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, their projects of the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program were presented by the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, the Ministry of Social Policy, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth Sports.
“For 14 months of the war, unfortunately, we have a lot of experience in dealing with victims of Russian aggression. Our psychologists always go to the sites of enemy missiles. The first reaction of a person is shock. In this state, it is important not to let it, so to speak, get lost. So a psychologist must be nearby, - said Igor Klymenko. - Also, our psychologists do not just help. They already carry out marking and how specialists understand who will need further support.”
The minister also added that here, as a rule, the “thread of assistance” is broken. But our task is to continue it in the form of a full cycle of accompanying people from the moment of detection of psychotrauma and provision of emergency care until recovery. And this is possible only in the case of effective cooperation between all the departments involved in this process within their competence.
“Realizing the importance of these developments, we strengthened the profile unit in the Ministry of Internal Affairs by creating a separate Department of Psychological Support. Because it is important to gather specialists who understand the specifics of the task and know the ways to overcome the problems. But work on this needs to start now. We discuss the algorithms that need to be created. We already have such an algorithm of work at the scene in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs”, - said Igor Klymenko.
According to the Minister, 500 psychologists work in the State Emergency Service and the National Police. 55% of them have already received relevant training in the field of mental health with the assistance of international partners. By the end of the year, the rest of the specialists will be prepared. This will be the main basis for providing emergency psychological assistance to the population.
“I am convinced that together, using the practical experience gained, we will be able to achieve the main goal of preserving the mental health of the nation and improving the quality of psychological assistance to the population both during the war and after the victory,” said the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The Minister also noted that interdepartmental cooperation in this process is key.
“We are ready to implement our experience in the algorithm, to develop an effective mechanism for transferring data about a person who needs further support. And we will be sure that the victims will receive the necessary assistance,” the Minister summed up.
Department of Communications of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
