3 500 teachers and school psychologists has joined an online course on psychological support

Over 3500 teachers and school psychologists has joined in a month an online course  "I understand" on psychological and emotional support that is aimed at helping teachers to stabilize their emotional state in times  of war and constant stress and providing practical tools to support schoolchildren and their parents. Course is launched by NGO “Osvitoria” in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and supported by UNICEF Ukraine. 

The course combines the theory and practice of psychology and neuropsychology. It is based on the research of leading world specialists and the practical experience of the best Ukrainian teachers and psychologists, in particular:

• Kateryna Holtsberg — а child and family psychologist, president of the Professional Association of Child Analytical Psychologists;
• Tetiana Shvets — а candidate of pedagogical sciences, deputy director for scientific and methodical work of the Private School "Athena" in Kyiv;
• Luidmyla Strezh — а ​​practical psychologist of the highest qualification category, an expert in child psychology, art therapy and art pedagogy;
• Anna Kozlova — а doctor of philosophy in the field of psychology, forensic expert, psychologist of psychological support groups for children, parents, and educators;
• Anna Lenchovska — а psychologist, director of the Kyiv Educational Center "Space of Tolerance".
• Mariam Zhozef — а British teacher, co-founder of The Maze Academy, specialist in emotional support of students.
• Maggie MacDonnell  — Canadian teacher, winner of the Global Teacher Prize in 2017.

The tools, which teachers will be taught to use,  are universal and suitable for the educational process, both offline and online.

During the training, participants are going to learn:

• How to adapt and integrate yourself and your schoolchildren in the conditions of a new stressful reality?
• How does emotional competence affect adult lives? What are the tools for developing emotional intelligence? How to manage your own emotions within the war context, and practically help people around you?
• What is art therapy and how to apply it in order to adapt schoolchildren to the new learning environment at school?
• How to stay well-balanced, improve your life and take small steps closer to stress resistance?
• How does assertiveness affect communication? What are the factors of developing one's own assertiveness?

Training takes place on the online platform O.University. You can join the course by following this link.

In addition to video tutorials and explanatory webinars, participants will join meetings with experts, where they can share experiences, receive feedback, and have an in-depth discussion of issues and cases that may arise within the course.

The course is entirely free. Finishing the training successfully, teachers are supposed to receive a certificate of professional development for 30 hours.