Psychological Counseling and Psychotherapy

Infodemics and Challenges of Human-Centered Psychotherapy Practice in Times of the «Perfect Storm»

2026-01-28T12:37:15+00:00

The rapid expansion of digital communication technologies has fundamentally transformed the dynamics of collective psychological processes, giving rise to the phenomenon known as the infodemic. Infodemics represent an intensified form of mental epidemics in which excessive, distorted, or manipulative information spreads rapidly through digital media, amplifying uncertainty, anxiety, polarization, and psychosocial vulnerability. This process unfolds against the background of multiple overlapping global crises, conceptualized in this paper as a «perfect storm» encompassing armed conflicts, pandemics, technological acceleration, erosion of institutional trust, and structural uncertainty. The aim of this study is to conceptualize infodemics as an evolutionary stage of mental epidemics in digitally mediated societies and to analyze their psychological impact on individuals and populations, as well as the challenges they pose to contemporary psychotherapeutic practice, particularly within person-centered and humanistic approaches. The paper employs a theoretical and interdisciplinary methodology combining historical-comparative analysis of mental epidemics, conceptual modeling, and critical synthesis of research from psychology, media studies, and mental health. The article proposes heuristic conceptual models for assessing infodemic intensity and its psychological impact, highlighting the interaction between information-technological affordances, crisis-related stress, psychosocial vulnerability, and levels of institutional trust. It is argued that infodemics contribute to the reconfiguration of mental health norms, therapeutic demand, and modes of psychological distress, increasingly characterized by fragmentation of meaning, affective dysregulation, and erosion of shared reality. Special attention is given to the implications of these processes for person-centered psychotherapy. The paper suggests that infodemics challenge core therapeutic conditions–empathy, unconditional positive regard, and congruence–while simultaneously underscoring their critical importance as non-algorithmizable resources for maintaining human subjectivity. The study concludes that person-centered psychotherapy can be understood not only as a clinical practice but also as a protective humanistic framework capable of supporting meaning-making and psychological resilience in digitally saturated and crisis-prone environments.

Ethical Infrastructure for Mental Health Practitioners

2026-01-28T12:37:43+00:00

This report examines ethical infrastructure in professional organizations for mental health practitioners, drawing on a wide review of academic literature to explore its historical development, main components, implementation challenges, leading global practices, and its impact on both practitioners and clients. The strongest ethical infrastructures seamlessly integrate formal systems with a positive organizational culture and supportive climate. This combination makes ethics not merely a matter of rule-following but something embedded in values and everyday practice. Formal policies are more effective when they are reinforced by informal norms and shared ethical commitments. Conversely, a mismatch between official expectations and real-life dynamics can significantly weaken the entire structure. To fully appreciate the significance and complexity of ethical infrastructure, a thorough understanding of its historical and theoretical foundations is essential. Ethical thinking has evolved from early 20th‑century medical models that prioritized diagnosis over autonomy, to Freud’s psychoanalysis addressing transference and power imbalances, and Rogers’ client‑centered approach emphasizing empathy. Post‑WWII humanistic developments and the rise of secularism after the Industrial Revolution stimulated diverse therapeutic approaches, prompting organizations such as the APA and NASW to develop codes addressing boundaries, consent, and privacy. Mental health services demand a firm commitment to ethics. Ethical infrastructure in organizations supporting practitioners combines formal systems—such as codes of ethics, training, hotlines, committees, informed consent procedures, and confidentiality protocols—with informal elements such as culture, leadership, and peer norms. This dynamic configuration fosters ethical behavior, reduces misconduct, protects vulnerable clients, upholds professional integrity, and supports sustainable mental health services. Equally important is the shift from rigid, punitive structures towards more supportive forms of ethical education and guidance for practitioners

Dialogue as a Resource: Psychological Support for Adolescents in the Context of Traumatic Experience

2026-01-28T12:41:59+00:00

Problem definition. In the current socio-political context resulting from military actions on the territory of Ukraine, the issue of psychological support for adolescents has become exceptionally urgent. The psychological trauma experienced by teenagers in wartime conditions is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that affects emotional stability, levels of social adaptation, academic motivation, and the development of life orientations. Unlike adults, adolescents do not yet possess sufficient resources to cope independently with traumatic events; therefore, particular attention must be paid to developing effective methods of psychological support for this age group. Despite the existence of numerous studies on traumatic experiences, the issue of providing effective psychological assistance to adolescents who are under emotional stress due to war remains insufficiently explored both theoretically and practically. There is a need for further development of innovative means of overcoming psychological trauma that are based on a combination of external dialogue between the psychologist and the adolescent and internal dialogue—in the form of interaction with an imagined interlocutor. Dialogue, as a foundation of therapeutic engagement, may become a resource that opens possibilities for internal restoration, reflection, the actualization of emotional experiences, and gradual integration of traumatic events into one's personal life narrative. The relevance of this issue is determined not only by the quantitative increase in psychological support requests but also by the ongoing nature of the war, which gives traumatic experiences a prolonged character and affects personality development in conditions of sustained turbulence. Accordingly, there arises a need for theoretical reflection on the potential of dialogue as a support instrument, as well as the exploration of applied aspects of psychological counseling for adolescents in crisis. In this context, direct interaction with the therapeutic toy Hibuki and its symbolic image contributes to the creation of a safe emotional space that enables adolescents to express complex emotional experiences, reframe traumatic memories, and discover internal psychological support.

Sexual Disorders: A Behavioral Approach to Their Formation and Therapy

2026-01-28T12:38:25+00:00

A behavioural model of sexual disorders is based on the principles of behavioural psychology, according to which these disorders are regarded as a result of acquired forms of behaviour fixed in the process of learning. Undesired or disadaptive sexual patterns (for example, avoidance of intimacy, dependence on certain objects or situations for arousal) can result from negative experience, reinforcement or absence of adequate learning. Behavioural therapy is intended for elimination of learned forms of behaviour (symptoms and syndromes). It is based on the principle, according to which it is possible to get rid of any unhealthy or inadequate manifestation (symptom) with a reflex origin following the same way. Therefore the goal of behavioural therapy consists in destruction of pathological behavioural programmes and formation of normal ones, which are adjusted to reality. The article presents behavioural models of formation of sexual disorders: I. P. Pavlov’s model of classical conditioning (formation of conditioned reflexes); model of operant conditioning (awards: positive and negative reinforcement, punishment); A. Bandura’s model of social learning (the learning takes place when watching behaviour of other people, as well as under the influence of media). The author characterizes determinants of formation of sexual disorders in a behavioural model, gives examples of different sexual dysfunctions and sexual orientation disorders, which develop by behavioural mechanisms. Behavioural interventions used for therapy of sexual disorders are presented, and the author’s behavioural scheme of using medications for treatment of anxious sexual failure expectation syndrome is suggested.

Offering Connection Within a Wider Community Context: The Heart Wood Groups for Men

2026-01-28T12:38:57+00:00

Our aim is to offer a ‘receiving climate’ in which men, a majority of whom are survivors of trauma, who are at levels one and two of Carl Rogers’ tentative Process Conception of psychotherapy, feel safe enough to begin to strengthen their contact functions (levels of psychological contact with self, others and the shared environment). Since 2018 we have offered person-centred men’s therapy groups in a woodland setting. Group members are welcomed into our community for as long as they need. Groups are facilitated in a ‘contact-orientated’ way; we don’t assume psychological contact but work continually to gauge its level with group members, and to facilitate the strengthening of contact through contact reflections within an activity orientated group. Activities include bushcraft and cooking on the fire. Groups comprise up to twelve men and two or three facilitators, and are of 3 to 4 hours duration. Sessions are weekly through spring and summer, and are currently bi-weekly through autumn and winter. An independent researcher evaluates our service annually through voluntary recorded interviews with the men which take place in the woods by the fire. Our person-centred facilitation means that we constantly listen and respond to feedback from the men about their experience of the groups. The outcomes of these interviews and the feedback we get from group men throughout the process show that we are able to offer a receiving climate to these men who are suffering considerably, but cannot engage with therapy in the way it is generally offered.

Psychological Determinants and Intrapsychic Mechanisms of Post-Traumatic Growth: A Person-Centered Dimension

2026-01-30T11:31:45+00:00

This article systematizes the phenomenon of post-traumatic growth within the person-centered paradigm. It argues for the limitations of clinical-nosological approaches focused solely on symptom reduction when explaining constructive personality changes under conditions of chronic traumatization. Based on Carl Rogers’ phenomenological theory and Stephen Joseph’s theory of organismic valuing and growth through adversity, trauma is interpreted as a state of systemic disorganization containing implicit potential for the structural reconstruction of the psyche. The study defines the intrapsychic architecture of growth, which is realized through the synergy of three mechanisms: 1) the reactivation of the organismic valuing process, facilitating the restoration of authenticity and an internal locus of control; 2) the process-based regulation and symbolization of affective experience, necessary for integrating fragmented experiences; and 3) the positive accommodation of the self-concept, involving a cognitive-existential reconfiguration of belief systems. It is established that the dynamic transition from maladjustment to growth is determined by the presence of a facilitating intersubjective environment and the actualization of self-determination resources.

Operatory Thinking: Conceptualization, Psychodiagnostics and Methodology Standardization

2026-01-30T17:03:49+00:00

This paper presents a comprehensive study of the phenomenon of operatory thinking as a specific form of cognitive-affective functioning characterized by a reduction in symbolic activity, a deficit in the mental representation of emotional experiences, and an excessive attachment to concrete reality. The relevance of this research is determined by the increasing prevalence of psychosomatic disorders in modern psychological practice, where up to 60–80% of individuals demonstrate symptoms of somatization of psychological distress. The aim of the article is the theoretical and methodological conceptualization of the phenomenon of operatory thinking through the systematization of its structural and functional characteristics within seven interrelated domains of mental functioning, as well as the development and standardization of psychodiagnostic instruments for identifying individuals with a heightened risk of psychosomatic disorganization. The study conducts a systematic analysis of the theoretical legacy of the Paris Psychosomatic School (P. Marty, M. de M’Uzan, C. Smadja), identifying seven main domains of operatory thinking manifestation: linguistic (reduction of the symbolic function of language, concreteness, avoidance of metaphoricity), social (disturbance of interpersonal distance, conformity, formalization of contacts), psychodynamic (deficit of sublimation, disturbance of affect regulation, instability of object relations), cognitive (reduction of imaginative life, dominance of concrete thinking, rigidity of cognitive schemas), behavioral-activity (monotony of activity, emotional detachment), emotional-affective (alexithymia, somatization as a form of expression, disruption of emotional differentiation), and the domain of interaction with external reality (hyperinvestment in the external, dependence on social norms) [1–6]. The result of the research is the development of a psychodiagnostic questionnaire of operatory thinking comprising 122 items and 12 scales: energetic-motivational rigidity, alexithymia, control and cognitive rigidity, affective isolation, deficit of imagination and symbolization, avoidance of personal contact, social adaptive dependence, emotional-semantic reduction, emotional distance, deficit of emotional attachment, operational approach to emotions, and rationalization of affect. This methodology operationalizes key theoretical constructs and enables differentiated diagnostics of the intensity of particular components of operatory functioning. The practical significance of the work lies in creating a valid instrument for identifying individuals belonging to the psychosomatic risk group in psychological counseling and psychotherapeutic practice. The integration of classical psychoanalytic concepts with contemporary research in mentalization (P. Fonagy), neurobiology of emotions (A. Damasio), and somatic psychology (P. Ogden) opens new perspectives for understanding psychosomatic phenomena and for developing psychocorrective strategies aimed at enhancing reflexive function, emotional literacy, and symbolic activity [7; 8; 9].

Resilience as a Resource for Overcoming Negative Impacts of Volunteering

2026-01-28T12:36:49+00:00

The aim of the study to determine the specifics of resilience as a resource for volunteer activities. Analysis of foreign theoretical models of resilience shows that this phenomenon is considered as a multidimensional, dynamic process in which personal, social, cognitive and contextual factors interact. Domestic psychological science actively integrates these global approaches, adapting them to the realities of modern Ukraine. This has made it possible to form a number of conceptual and empirical directions aimed at studying the resilience of the individual in conditions of uncertainty and crisis challenges. The generalization of modern domestic research shows that resilience in Ukrainian psychology is considered as a systemic, multi-level quality that ensures effective adaptation, self-regulation and restoration of the personality in conditions of stress and crisis influences. The article shows that scientists are consistently expanding the understanding of this phenomenon - from a separate resource to a universal ability to maintain mental balance and vitality. It also was shown that Ukrainian research reveals similar trends, demonstrating that volunteer activity contributes to the formation of moral values, social maturity, empathy, a sense of responsibility, but at the same time can be accompanied by emotional exhaustion, secondary traumatization and professional burnout. This necessitates the development of psychological resources of resilience of volunteers. In this context, the phenomenon of resilience acquires special importance, which appears as a dynamic mechanism for maintaining adaptive functioning in conditions of stress. We concluded that various theoretical models prove that resilience is formed in the interaction of individual, social and contextual factors and can be developed through psychological preparation, self-regulation training and social support. Therefore, volunteering in crisis conditions requires a high level of resilience as a basic resource for overcoming stress, maintaining mental health and ensuring the effectiveness of assistance.