From education to professional support: Zaporuka Foundation launched a six-month program for pediatric clinical psychologists

From education to professional support: Zaporuka Foundation launched a six-month program for pediatric clinical psychologists

September 11–13, a three-day offline intensive for child clinical psychologists from eight oblasts of Ukraine took place in Lviv. This is the first stage of a six-month training and professional support program within the framework of the project «Strengthening the system of psychosocial support for children in hospitals in Ukraine».

Psychologists working in medical facilities of Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kherson, Odesa, and Poltava regions joined the training.

The first two days, participants worked with clinical cases, practiced professional skills and practical tools that they can apply in their daily work with children and their families. They also simulated situations that they may encounter in their practice.

The third day of training took place at the oncology department of the Clinical Center of Children's Medicine in Lviv. Participants discussed the specifics of working with seriously ill children and their families and learned about the experience of the Center's specialists.

«We have brought together specialists from frontline regions who daily provide assistance to children and families who have survived injuries and traumatic experiences. Our specialized experience in supporting seriously ill children is an effective tool that colleagues can effectively adapt in their own practice.

But an equally important part of the project is the professional support that participants will receive over the next six months. We heard from specialists that many of them have lacked systematic intervision and supervision practice for years. Therefore, it is important to us that after the training they are not left alone with difficult cases, but have a space for discussion, support, and professional development, — noted Mariana Nych, a speaker and psychologist who works with children and families at the Clinical Center of Pediatric Medicine, «Western Ukrainian Specialized Children's Medical Center» in Lviv.

One of the training speakers was also Lilia Sirokha, a clinical psychologist at the pediatric department of the National Cancer Institute and an assistant at the Department of Developmental Psychology at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

After the offline phase, the program will continue online. Over the next six months, participants will take part in regular intervision and supervision sessions, discuss complex cases, exchange experience, and apply the acquired knowledge in their daily work.

This is not the first training program by the Zaporuka Foundation in this direction. In May, the foundation's team of female psychologists conducted three-day training for pediatric clinical psychologists from 14 cities of Ukraine. Participants worked with approaches to communicating complex diagnoses, analyzed clinical cases, and familiarized themselves with the work of specialized departments of the Clinical Center of Pediatric Medicine in Lviv.

Such programs help specialists avoid facing complex cases alone, exchange experiences, and have a professional community they can turn to for support. All of this strengthens the capacity to provide quality psychosocial care to children and their families in hospitals.

The project is made possible by the generous support of the United States Government. The contents are the responsibility of the Charitable Organization «Zaporuka Charitable Foundation« and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Government.