Psychology Week at the Faculty of Preschool, Special and Social Education: a space for professional dialogue, support, and inner discovery

The Faculty of Preschool, Special and Social Education hosted Psychology Week, organized by the Department of Applied Psychology and Speech Therapy. Over the course of several days, students, lecturers, and all interested participants had the opportunity to join lectures, workshops, and training sessions devoted to relevant psychological topics, including post-traumatic growth, stress, inner resources, assertiveness, emotional regulation, and the constructive processing of anger.

The series of events opened with the lecture “The Phenomenon of Post-Traumatic Growth,” delivered by Olena Starynska, Doctor of Psychological Sciences and Head of the Department of Applied Psychology and Speech Therapy at BSPU. The lecture focused on a person’s inner resources, the possibilities of recovery, the rethinking of experience, and personal growth after difficult life challenges.

The next event was the workshop “Stress and Methods of Coping with It in Work with Children,” presented by Valeriia Spodaryk, a fourth-year FPSSO student, member of the FPSSO Psychological Club, and preschool teacher at Preschool Institution No. 2 “Vyshenka” of the Zolochiv City Council, Lviv Region. Participants discussed what stress is, which factors most often trigger it in children, how it manifests itself in preschool age, and why it is so important to notice signs of emotional tension in time. The practical part was especially valuable, as it introduced breathing techniques, muscle relaxation exercises, self-soothing, and grounding practices.

As part of Psychology Week, there was also a workshop entitled “Between ‘Have To’ and ‘Want To’: a Dialogue of Inner Impulses with the Metaphorical Associative Cards ‘Body Cockroaches,’” conducted by Tetiana Sushchynska, Candidate of Psychological Sciences and Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Psychology and Speech Therapy. Participants worked with the author’s deck of metaphorical associative cards “Body Cockroaches,” exploring inner states, bodily-emotional responses, and the interaction of the inner voices of “I need,” “I want,” and “I have to.” The workshop also introduced the author’s classification of resilience profiles and invited participants to engage with key ideas of Bodynamic theory. The meeting became a space for self-observation, the search for inner support, and more attentive contact with oneself.

The practical exploration of boundaries, needs, and ways of interaction continued in the workshop “PsychoLab of Assertiveness.” Its speaker was Khrystyna Vozniuk, a fourth-year FPSSO student, member of the FPSSO Psychological Club, step aerobics and functional training coach, and nutritionist, while Tetiana Sushchynska served as moderator. During the session, participants turned to the topic of assertiveness as the ability to express one’s feelings and needs openly and honestly, defend personal boundaries, say “no” without guilt, and at the same time preserve respect for oneself and others. In the practical part, they worked with the exercise “The Cocktail of Assertiveness,” exploring the components of a conflict reaction and searching for inner supports that help make it more mature, clear, and constructive.

On April 29, an online training session “Searching for Inner Resources through the Image of a Totem Animal” was held for faculty students by Hanna Syzko, Candidate of Psychological Sciences and Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Psychology and Speech Therapy. Participants had the opportunity to get to know themselves better, look at their personal qualities from a new perspective, and feel their inner resources through metaphorical images. The work involved metaphorical associative cards “Totem Animals” and exercises based on the method of R. Tkach. Importantly, this training proved meaningful not only on the level of interest but also on the level of personal experience: participants actively engaged in the process, shared their discoveries, and supported one another.

The final event was the open lecture “Anger: Strategies of Regulation and Constructive Expression” within the educational component “Training in Emotional Competence,” delivered by Tetiana Sushchynska for fourth-year students. Lecturers of the Department of Applied Psychology and Speech Therapy were also invited to attend. The lecture addressed the important issue of preserving mental health in our difficult times, developing emotional competence, and finding more ecological ways of living through difficult emotions. Attention was focused on anger and aggression, the causes of aggressive reactions, their emotional, cognitive, and volitional components, as well as the bodily dimension of experiencing anger – how it manifests in the body, movement, facial expression, pantomime, and voice. The practical part included a visualization using the art image “Volcano,” which helped participants address the topic of accumulated inner tension and safe ways of becoming aware of and expressing it.

All the events of Psychology Week were united by a common idea: to pay closer attention to the inner world of the person, support psychological resilience, develop emotional literacy, and search for resourceful ways of interacting both with oneself and with others. The lectures, workshops, and training sessions became not only part of the educational process, but also a living space for professional communication, support, self-discovery, and important inner insights.

Based on materials provided by the Department of Applied Psychology and Speech Therapy