Residents of Mykolaiv will be taught to tap into their inner resources during psychological workshops

Project psychologist Ruslana Sikalenko. Photo: NikVesti

A series of psychological workshops on resilience and adaptation has begun in Mykolaiv. They are designed to help participants become aware of their own «self» and inner transformations.

Ruslana Sikalenko, a psychologist with the project «Mykolaiv: A City That Learns and Teaches», told NikVesti why it is important to find inner strength and how the workshops will be conducted.

The workshops are being run by the non-profit organisation «Pivden Centre for Adult Learning and Education». Ruslana Sikalenko explained that the city has been running the major project «Mykolaiv: A City That Learns and Teaches» for seven years now, which includes a variety of psychology training sessions. This time, the workshops will focus specifically on resilience. There will be 11 in total: 3–4 per month.

The psychologist noted that the masterclasses are aimed at fostering a salutogenic approach.

«This term comes from medicine. It refers to treating an illness not with medication, but by strengthening the immune system. In other words, we look for support within ourselves. The term subsequently moved directly into psychology and then into social work. And in the context of the workshops, we will work with participants to find their inner strength, their external and internal resources, and reserves to enable them to cope skilfully and respond to the challenges of the present day, now in the fifth year of the war,» said Ruslana Sikalenko.

Resilience workshop. Photo: Ruslana Sikalenko

Neurographics at the masterclass. Photo: Ruslana Sikalenko

The psychologist clarified that, apart from the new challenges posed by the war, people needed moral support even before it began. That is why there is no shortage of people keen to attend psychological masterclasses.

«From my own experience, I can say that the number of people seeking help from psychologists, including men—which is certainly encouraging—was quite high even before the war. And, of course, the number has increased during the war. This is linked not only directly to the war and its challenges, but more generally to the fact that people have undergone a radical shift in values. What once seemed important and valuable has ceased to be so. And again, paradoxically, the war has forced us to reflect on who we are and to address deep-seated questions of identity,» said the psychologist.

Project psychologist Ruslana Sikalenko. Photo: NikVesti

Composition ‘I am in a relationship with myself’. Photo: Ruslana Sikalenko

As Ruslana Sikalenko explained, during shifts in values and worldviews, people seek support within themselves.

«They have actually forced us to look within ourselves. In the context of the Russians taking everything away from us. And this raises the question: what is ours then? The question of identity varies from the personal to the local and, for example, to national identity. That is, who am I, who am I as a Ukrainian. There is also our local Mykolaiv identity,» noted the psychologist.

Ruslana Sikalenko used the example of soldiers to show why it is important to look within ourselves and see our inner core.

«Wherever we are, I always have myself. I always give the example of the importance of that inner core. Why can our soldiers crawl for three days without legs to reach the first medical post? What resources are they drawing on? Everyone says: «That’s impossible; they should have died from blood loss by now». They say: «As soon as I see our medics, I switch off.» In other words, it all comes down to that inner core. The inner core is built from many tremendous things, from knowledge: it is what is always with us, wherever we are. But very often we don’t realise this. It’s very important to look within ourselves and see just how rich we all are. Because we’re actually so fantastic; we have so much within us. But we don’t even realise how rich we are on the inside,» added Ruslana Sikalenko.