Psychological Counseling and Psychotherapy

Training Program for the Development of Lawyers’ Psychological Readiness for Mediation Activity

Serhii Proskuriakov — 2026-05-28

The article presents the results of theoretical substantiation and experimental approbation of a training program aimed at developing lawyers’ psychological readiness for mediation activity. The relevance of the study is determined by the growing importance of mediation as an alternative method of dispute resolution in modern legal practice, as well as by the increasing psychological demands placed on lawyers under conditions of professional conflict interaction, emotional tension, and responsibility for the outcomes of legal assistance. Modern advocacy increasingly requires the integration of legal and psychological approaches to conflict resolution, which actualizes the problem of developing lawyers’ psychological readiness for mediation activity. The aim of the article is to analyze the effectiveness of a training program for the development of lawyers’ psychological readiness for mediation activity. The study is based on the personal-professional approach and structural-functional understanding of psychological readiness as an integral formation that includes motivational, cognitive, emotional-volitional, reflexive, and behavioral components. The research employed a set of theoretical, empirical, and statistical methods. Theoretical methods included analysis, systematization, comparison, and generalization of scientific literature on mediation, conflict psychology, and professional activity psychology. Empirical methods involved observation, questionnaires, interviews, psychodiagnostic testing, and a formative experiment. The study used the 16 Personality Factors Questionnaire (16PF by R. Cattell), the Thomas Conflict Mode Instrument, and T. Leary’s interpersonal diagnosis methodology. Statistical processing included descriptive statistics, comparative analysis, and methods of determining the significance of experimental changes. The training program was aimed at developing emotional self-regulation, communicative competence, reflexivity, conflict-management skills, and cooperative behavioral strategies in lawyers’ professional activity. The program included theoretical modules, practical exercises, communicative training techniques, role-playing tasks, mediation simulations, and reflexive discussions focused on constructive conflict resolution and the development of mediation competencies. The results of the formative experiment demonstrated positive dynamics in the development of lawyers’ psychological readiness for mediation activity in the experimental group compared with the control group. Significant improvements were identified in indicators of emotional stability, reflexivity, communicative flexibility, readiness for cooperation, and constructive strategies of behavior in conflict situations. The implementation of the training program contributed to increasing lawyers’ effectiveness in professional interaction, improving their ability to manage emotionally tense situations, and enhancing their psychological resilience in mediation practice. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the theoretical substantiation and experimental verification of a training program for the development of lawyers’ psychological readiness for mediation activity as an integral personal-professional construct. The practical significance of the obtained results consists in the possibility of implementing the proposed program in professional training, postgraduate education, and advanced training of lawyers, as well as in mediation centers and systems of psychological support for legal professionals.

Burnout Management Programme for Personnel of the State Criminal Executive Service of Ukraine as a Tool for Enhancing Mental Health

Iuliia Paskevska — 2026-05-28

The article presents a Burnout Management Programme for personnel of the State Criminal-Executive Service of Ukraine as a comprehensive tool for promoting mental health under contemporary occupational challenges. The relevance of the programme is determined by the growing psychosocial risks associated with the professional activities of penitentiary personnel in the context of martial law, staff shortages, high workload, and the need to implement the provisions of the Strategy for the Reform of the Penitentiary System of Ukraine until 2026, as well as the recommendations of the Council of Europe regarding the preservation of staff mental health. It is substantiated that the professional activity of criminal-executive service personnel is carried out under conditions of constant psychological strain, high responsibility, risks to life and health, strict regulation of service duties, and prolonged emotional burden. These factors increase the likelihood of professional burnout, organisational stress, emotional exhaustion, and occupational maladjustment. The article emphasises the necessity of implementing systemic psychological interventions, particularly effective burnout prevention measures that integrate both individual and organisational support mechanisms. The conceptual model of the Burnout Management Programme for Ukrainian penitentiary personnel, its structure, and content are presented. The programme consists of five interconnected modules: understanding professional burnout; resilience and psychological recovery; psycho-emotional regulation and emotional intelligence; work–life balance as a self-preservation strategy; and organisational burnout prevention and psychological safety of personnel. A distinctive component of the programme is the intermodular work, which includes self-monitoring, reflective practices, individual assignments, and self-help tools aimed at reinforcing the competencies acquired during the training process. The potential of the programme is substantiated as a practical tool for supporting mental health, strengthening psychological resilience, reducing occupational exhaustion, enhancing psychological well-being, and fostering a culture of mental health promotion within the bodies and institutions of the State Criminal-Executive Service of Ukraine.

Working with sexuality through the body: a case study

Alexander Kocharyan — 2026-05-28

The majority of psychotherapeutic influences arise from the client's issues being articulated through words; thus, psychotherapy, in its entirety, is predominantly verbal and follows a "top-down" approach. The idea is that the client can understand his problem and, thanks to his own reflexivity, immerse himself in it, in his own experiences. As studies show, reflection is the most important factor in predicting the success of psychotherapy. The client's internal resources for self-change determine the level of the working alliance and, as is clear, are associated with a fairly high level of client functioning. In client-centered psychotherapy, there are two wings: one is associated with ensuring closeness, warmth, trust, and the other is aimed at exploring one's own experience (PCETS scale, Beth Freire, Robert Elliott). Deep psychopathology is associated with a decrease in reflective ability and the inability to create a therapeutic alliance, which reduces the effectiveness of self-exploration. From my point of view (this may cause objections), client-centered psychotherapy, first of all, works at the de-mentalization level, at the emotional level, restoring emotional attunement, reflection, closeness, and basic trust. The experiential direction of work is associated with self-exploration of internal experience, which is understood as a set of bodily, emotional, and cognitive impressions, beliefs, and predispositions. In such work, the client begins to emerge with impressions detached from him. The work presents a specific case of a complaint about insufficient softness, femininity, and work with him.

Working with Euphoric Memory in Addicts

Denys Starkov — 2026-05-28

The article conceptualises the phenomenon of addictive euphoric memory as stable, emotionally intense memories of psychoactive substance use with dissociative experiences and a deficit of symbolic meaning. Phenomenologically, two modules can be distinguished: (1) acute ‘euphoric intrusions’ with vegetative reactions and attraction; (2) latent ‘memory of paradise lost’ with a pronounced component of longing and narcissistic content. At the neurobiological level, a multisystem model of memory has been summarised (hippocampus-context/stimulus-stimulus, amygdala-stimulus-affect, dorsal striatum-stimulus-response) and the role of stress mediators and glutamate-dependent plasticity in the consolidation and maintenance of addictive memory traces, which makes it possible to reactivate cravings even after years of remission. The limitations of reconsolidation approaches (dependence of effects on the ‘strength’ and ‘age’ of memory, context, and duration of intervention) and the ambiguous results of exposure techniques in the treatment of addiction are critically analysed. An alternative therapeutic strategy of proconsolidation has been proposed, involving bringing the addictive experience to the level of a semanticised life narrative and strengthening cortico-cortical integration. The strategy consists of three consecutive modules: symbolisation/mentalisation of motivations for use (in particular, through drawings and imagery techniques) and narrativisation (constructing a third-person narrative with a redistribution of affects from a temporal perspective). The following indications are emphasised: stable remission (predominantly ≥2–3 years for chemical addictions); earlier use is possible for behavioural addictions. Illustrative clinical cases demonstrate the operationalisation of techniques and the potential for change from subjective “euphoric intrusion” to integrated experience.

What Every Psychologist Should Know About AI and the Turing Paradigm in Psychosocial Work

Salvatore Giacomuzzi — 2026-05-28

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are increasingly deployed in psychosocial contexts such as counseling, psychoeducation, and decision support. Through natural language interaction, these systems may appear to users as human-like conversational partners. This article revisits the Turing paradigm to clarify why AI can convincingly simulate human dialogue without possessing understanding, intentionality, or moral agency. Drawing on theoretical computer science, philosophy of mind, and psychological research, the paper distinguishes between conversational appearance and psychological agency, as well as between syntactic processing and semantic understanding. Particular attention is given to the risks of anthropomorphic misattribution in clinical and forensic contexts. The article outlines practical implications for psychosocial professionals and argues that an accurate understanding of the Turing paradigm is essential for maintaining ethical standards, professional responsibility, and conceptual clarity in AI-mediated psychosocial work.

Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Ukrainian Version of the Psychological Well-Being Post-Traumatic Changes Questionnaire (PWB-PTCQ)

Nataliia Barinova — 2026-05-28

The article presents the cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the Ukrainian version of the Psychological Well-Being Post-Traumatic Changes Questionnaire (PWB-PTCQ) in a sample of male military personnel and veterans with combat experience. The theoretical foundation of the instrument is based on S. Joseph and A. Linley’s organismic valuing theory of growth through adversity, as well as C. Ryff’s eudaimonic model of psychological well-being. The bipolar format allows for capturing both positive and negative directions of perceived changes. The study involved 224 respondents aged 19 to 58 years. The adaptation procedure included forward and back translation, expert reconciliation, and assessment of the semantic equivalence of the items. Psychometric evaluation was conducted using confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency assessment, measurement invariance testing, correlation analysis, hierarchical regression, and sensitivity analysis. Construct validity was tested using Ukrainian adaptations of the instruments: convergent associations were evaluated with the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory PTGI-UA, nomological associations with the Impact of Event Scale–Revised IES-R and the Continuous Traumatic Stress Response scale CTSR, and incremental validity using the Satisfaction with Life Scale SWLS. The results confirmed the unidimensional structure of the scale and a high level of model fit to the empirical data (CFI = .967; TLI = .963; RMSEA = .044; SRMR = .039). The robust maximum likelihood (MLR) estimation method was used to estimate the parameters of the unidimensional model, whereas alternative models (the six-factor correlated model, the second-order model, and the bifactor model) were rejected due to improper parameter estimates. The questionnaire demonstrated high internal consistency (α = .931; ω = .931), scalar invariance across age groups, and theoretically expected associations with post-traumatic growth, life satisfaction, post-traumatic stress, and continuous traumatic stress. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the stability of the factor structure and reliability parameters after excluding 44 respondents who reported an ongoing threat at the time of the survey. The obtained results indicate adequate psychometric properties of the Ukrainian version of the PWB-PTCQ and support its use for assessing subjectively perceived post-traumatic changes in psychological well-being in the studied sample.

Essential Self-Regulation as a Predictor of Personality Self-Actualization

I. Kocharian — 2026-05-28

The article presents the results of an empirical study of essential self-regulation as a predictor of personality self-actualization. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to clarify the psychological mechanisms that ensure the realization of personal potential, internal consistency of personality and the ability for self-realization. Within the framework of the study, self-actualization is considered as an integral characteristic of personality development, whereas essential self-regulation is defined as a system of emotional, communicative and behavioral mechanisms that facilitate or hinder the realization of the self-actualizing tendency of personality. The aim of the study was to identify the relationships between indicators of essential self-regulation and characteristics of personality self-actualization, as well as to determine self-regulatory predictors of the integral indicator of self-actualization. The theoretical basis of the study included humanistic approaches to personality development, self-determination theory and the author’s concept of essential self-regulation. The study employed the Questionnaire for Diagnosing Essential Self-Regulation, the Questionnaire for Diagnosing the Emotional Component of Essential Self-Regulation and Shostrom’s Self-Actualization Test. Statistical data processing included Kendall’s τ-b correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. The results demonstrated that optimal modes of essential self-regulation were positively associated with indicators of self-actualization, including time orientation, value orientation, behavioral flexibility, self-esteem, self-acceptance, contact and creativity. At the same time, affective, ambivalent, apathetic and disintegrated modes of self-regulation were predominantly associated with lower levels of self-actualization. Regression analysis revealed that the modes of essential self-regulation explained a statistically significant proportion of the variance in the integral indicator of self-actualization. Positive predictors of self-actualization included internal consistency of experience, constructive communicative patterns and adaptive behavioral ways of activity realization, whereas internal contradictions, emotional overstrain, apathy and disorganization of self-regulation were associated with lower levels of self-actualization. The obtained results make it possible to consider self-actualization not only as a consequence of motivational orientation, but also as a process associated with the quality of emotional, communicative and behavioral self-regulation. The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of applying the obtained results in psychodiagnostics, psychological counseling, psychotherapy and personality development programs.

Modes of Essential Self-Regulation as Predictors of Psychological Well-Being

I. Kocharian — 2026-05-28

The article presents the results of an empirical study of modes of essential self-regulation as predictors of psychological well-being. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to clarify the psychological mechanisms that ensure internal consistency of personality, adaptation, autonomy, constructive interpersonal interaction and maintenance of psychological well-being. Within the author’s concept, essential self-regulation is considered as a system of emotional, communicative and behavioral modes that facilitate or hinder internal integration and psychological functioning of personality. The aim of the study was to identify the relationships between modes of essential self-regulation and indicators of psychological well-being, as well as to determine self-regulatory predictors of the integral indicator of psychological well-being. The theoretical basis of the study included humanistic concepts of personality development, concepts of psychological well-being and the author’s concept of essential self-regulation. The study employed the Questionnaire for Diagnosing Essential Self-Regulation, the Questionnaire for Diagnosing the Emotional Component of Essential Self-Regulation and Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scales. Statistical data processing included Kendall’s τ-b correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. The results demonstrated that optimal modes of essential self-regulation were positively associated with indicators of psychological well-being, including autonomy, positive relations, environmental mastery, personal growth, purpose in life and self-acceptance. Dialogical and internally consistent modes of self-regulation were associated with higher levels of psychological well-being, whereas affective, ambivalent, apathetic and disintegrated modes demonstrated predominantly negative relationships with its indicators. Regression analysis revealed that modes of essential self-regulation explained a statistically significant proportion of the variance in the integral indicator of psychological well-being. Positive predictors of psychological well-being included internal consistency of experience, constructive communicative patterns and adaptive behavioral ways of activity realization, whereas emotional overstrain, internal contradictions, apathy and disorganization of self-regulation were associated with lower levels of psychological well-being. The obtained results make it possible to consider psychological well-being not only as a consequence of external adaptation or life satisfaction, but also as a state associated with the quality of emotional, communicative and behavioral self-regulation. The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of applying the obtained results in psychodiagnostics, psychological counseling, psychotherapy and psychological support programs.

Methodological Approaches to Providing Medical Care for Patients with Sexual Disorders

Garnik Kocharyan — 2026-05-28

There are different methodological approaches to the therapeutic support of patients with sexual dysfunctions (erection-centered, orgasm-centered, pleasure-centered). According to the first, the most important thing for sexual life is a good erection, according to the second – the presence of orgasm. In our opinion, the pleasure-centered approach to psychotherapeutic support for patients with sexual dysfunctions, proposed by us, is the most humanistic and has a pronounced psychoprotective potential. However, this approach does not in any way exclude measures to normalize sexual functions (including erection and orgasm) in cases where this is possible. The described approach is very useful in cases where, for one reason or another, erection, orgasm, as well as other sexual functions, can’t be fully or partially normalized. The approach of Masters and Johnson (1970) includes the mandatory need to involve a sexual partner in the examination and treatment of a patient with sexual dysfunctions. It should be remembered that any healthy idea can be taken to logical absurdity. It is quite natural that if we are talking about treatment in another system, it can be carried out without couples sexual training. It should be remembered that any healthy idea can be taken to logical absurdity. This can happen to a specialist who does not work according the Masters and Johnson approach but requires strict adherence to the principle of pairing during therapy. In our opinion, the couple approach consists in taking into account the interests of each specific couple and each of its members and can be carried out both with and without the involvement of the second partner. The requirement of mandatory involvement in all cases of the second partner is incorrect, stereotyped, sometimes discriminatory, discredits the couple approach and in a number of cases leads to a violation of human rights to receive medical care.