The main task of a psychologist working with children at the 7fields rehabilitation centre is to:
– Building a safe and secure space, with simple yet crucial temporal and spatial boundaries. It is the psychological boundaries that stabilise children, and the daily routine that reduces anxiety, given the chaos that prevails in the world. The knowledge of the beginning and end of any action reassures and restores hope.
– To teach children the skills of non-violent communication, through which they develop the expression of feelings and voice their own needs and desires, as each member of the 7fields team becomes a listener to each child. After all, it is extremely important for children to be heard and accepted by older figures. The elders show that it is normal to be afraid, it is not normal to shame, blame, intimidate.
– To focus children’s attention on the fact that everyone is in control of their actions, thoughts, emotions, and statements.
– Develop the skills to ask for help in a friendly manner, if necessary. Show that it is acceptable to ask.
– To develop skills of self-control, cognition, cognitive strategy and emotional self-regulation using therapeutic techniques.
– To show children that a psychologist is someone who helps and does not harm, does not conduct experiments solely through tests. First and foremost, it is a person, a specialist who supports and adjusts in the right direction in accordance with the child’s needs.
During my work in the project, I have come across the fact that most children needed a listener. Who will share everything the child has been through. The children saw how difficult it was for their parents and did not want to “burden them with their own problems”.
Sometimes children asked for a conversation with their parents, so that I, as a professional, could explain to them what was happening to their child. Or I asked the parents to seek help from a psychiatrist, because the parents were ashamed and did not want to admit that their child had a disease. It was difficult and painful for the children….
It is an interesting job on the verge of authority and being your own among children. Because if you are too weak, the child will immediately fall into your points of weakness, and if you are suddenly too authoritative, you have no contact with children, they do not accept you into their circles.
Competence, sincerity and sensitivity are the key to successful and efficient work.