Children in pain: psychologists of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and “Gen.Ukrainian” teach how to help teenagers

Teenagers are a mirror of society. They not only absorb the traumas of adults, but also transform them into their own unique reactions. Someone falls silent, moves away, loses meaning. And someone begins to respond to evil with aggression, not trusting the world in which he has to live. Today, a whole generation of war teenagers is growing up in Ukraine – children who had to see death, loss, evacuation, occupation, and captivity. Some of them no longer believe in humanity. The part shows cruelty. You have to work with them. They cannot be left alone with pain. Because if you don’t do it today, tomorrow will be too late. Because children of war grow up. And if society does not help them heal their injuries, they will carry them into the future, forming a generation that does not know compassion, trust, or security.

That is why the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine together with the public organization “Gen.Ukrainian” organized two-day psychological intensive on the basis of the National Academy of Internal Affairs. Practical psychologists, teachers of lyceums of security orientation and national-patriotic education, teachers from various educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs took part in it. 30 representatives of educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and 7 lecturer psychologists were involved in the program, who conducted a series of lectures and trainings on the most pressing topics of modern children’s pain.

State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Inna Yashchuk, opening the training, thanked the organizers and emphasized that the mental health of children during the war is the basis of the country’s security in the future.

“Adolescence is an extremely responsible period for the formation of personality and its identity. This is the period of formation of personal and civic values, social habits and norms of behavior. That is why the Ministry of Internal Affairs pays great attention to work with teenagers studying in educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The priority is psychological help and support for children with traumatic experiences due to separation or loss of parents who went missing under special circumstances or died defending Ukraine.

Our task is to raise a new generation of patriots who will continue the noble work of their fathers-heroes, defend and rebuild Ukraine. In this activity, it is necessary to carefully consider and apply an individual approach to each child. For this, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the NGO “Gen.Ukrainian” implement a comprehensive program of support for teenagers, in particular, in lyceums of security orientation and national-patriotic education of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. – emphasized Inna Yashchuk.

Oleksandr Tarasenko, Director of the Department of Education, Science and Sports of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, noted that such educational initiatives are an important part of the internal transformation of the system:

“We study organizational, educational and educational processes in educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, we provide methodical assistance for their improvement. We have a lot to work on and something to develop. Training from lecturers and trainers of the NGO “Gen.Ukrainian” will expand the capabilities of the staff of lyceums of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to provide psychological assistance to teenagers with traumatic experiences. I hope that the participants will apply the acquired knowledge in their work and spread it among their colleagues, which will help the children to become stronger and, in general, will have a positive effect on the educational process in educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.”

Rector of the National Academy of Internal Affairs, Doctor of Law, Professor, Honored Lawyer of Ukraine, Police Colonel Ruslan Serbyn added that the Academy is open to such partnerships and is ready to become a platform for such events in the future:

“I thank the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for their trust, and the leadership of Gen.Ukrainian for holding this event within the walls of the National Academy of Internal Affairs. This is an important platform for the professional exchange of knowledge, methods and experience, which will help to build an optimal system of support for children in times of war. The issue of their recovery and psychological well-being is a common priority for scientists, practitioners, educators and practical psychologists. The Academy is always ready to provide all the necessary conditions for effective training and advanced training of employees of educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.”

A particularly painful, but necessary part of the discussion was voiced by Oksana Lebedeva, the founder and Chairman of the Board of the NGO “Gen.Ukrainian”. She not only talked about the methods of working with children who have experienced the worst, but also directly pointed out what psychologists face:

“Since 2022, our organization has been engaged in professional and mental rehabilitation of the most traumatized children. Currently, according to our data, in Ukraine there are more than 100,000 children need psychological help. The effectiveness of our Protected by Love program is statistically and scientifically proven, so we share our expertise with our colleagues. I hope that with joint efforts we will be able to reach as many children as possible in Ukraine.”

Lectures and practical classes conducted by the speakers of “Gen.Ukrainian” covered extremely deep and painful topics: retraumatization, work with children’s aggression, prevention of revenge, group therapy techniques, historical memory as a resource of identity, children’s rights in war conditions, peculiarities of children’s grief.

Psychologist Oleksandra Kharchenko from the Donetsk State University of Internal Affairs emphasized that their students are not abstract young people, but children with real injuries.

“We have many students who experienced the horrors of war: they were under occupation, and then they left Mariupol, other occupied or front-line territories. There are children who have lost relatives, some of them have relatives still under occupation, some of them have disappeared. With each enrollment of students, the number of people suffering from panic attacks or stupor reactions due to traumas is increasing. In peacetime, psychologists rarely encountered such consequences of stress in patients, so there is a constant need for additional training. Exchange of experience among colleagues also contributes to the improvement of our activities and work,” said Kharchenko.

What is happening in Ukrainian educational institutions today is not just education. This is rehabilitation. This is the prevention of future anger. This is a struggle not only for the country, but also for its face – sensitive, sympathetic, able to love and feel. And this struggle begins with every child. Because only children cured of pain grow into adults who do not carry the pain any further.