The Centre for Psychological Service at UNEC: “This is the result of trust in us”
Since 2022, the Centre for Psychological Service has started operating at UNEC. Shafahat Abdullayeva, the director of the center, gave an interview to UNEC News about the work done, services provided, as well as innovations since the center began its activity.
– Ms. Abdullayeva, the Psychological Service Center has been operating at UNEC for more than a year. What kind of work have you done during this time?
– During this period, we have been operating at full strength, currently 3 psychologists are working in the center. We provide services and hold sessions in all educational buildings of UNEC. We have provided both individual consultations and conducted trainings on pre-exam stress and ways to overcome it, domestic violence, social intelligence, fight against drug addiction, and leadership psychology in all faculties and colleges operating under UNEC. I would also like to mention the gratifying fact that already some faculties and departments are taking the initiative of holding meetings and trainings for them by our center. Of course, this is the result of trust in us.
– Who are more among those who apply to the center – teachers, students or employees?
– There are more students. However, the number of employees has also increased this year. We operate on three principles: volunteerism, non-payment and privacy protection.
– What do applicants complain about the most?
– The spectrum of most problems is different. If we group, it is related to certain characteristics arising from the age of the students. For example, there are applicants with problems such as communication difficulties, love issues, establishing friendships, as well as lack of attention, poor memory, and indecisiveness. Some are also caused by problems in society.
– How many people have you provided psychological support to so far?
– To date, there have been about 260 applications and we have held more than 950 sessions. This year, the number of applications has increased significantly. Of course, this is the result of trust in us.
– How many times can a person receive a session?
– Until the problem is solved. It can last a week or even a year. We usually schedule an appointment and have a session once a week. There are problems that can be solved in a short time, while others require long-term sessions. Long-term senas require continuity, and we have such students now.
– Recently, we have observed cases of suicide among young people. Is it possible to prevent this in advance?
– Unfortunately, such cases happen. It is very important to hold individual sessions with those people so that they do not reach the point of suicide. Young people who experience stress, depression, and family problems often cannot deal with these problems on their own. They avoid talking about their problems to the people around them and their relatives. From that point of view, psychological centers can provide professional support to those people. In general, we divide psychological problems into two groups: psychological problems arising from the characteristics of the nervous system and psychological problems arising from personal qualities, that is, from the environment in which it is formed.
– What do you think is a common, similar problem in the psychological state of young people?
– Mainly, problems related to their age, change of environment, love issues, personal qualities.
– Have there been people whose problem you had difficulty in determining?
– We look for the causes of problems and determine ways to work with them. Those who apply to the center know that they are not looking for the cause of the problem in the right place. We show him the real cause of the problem and start the solution from there. This also requires a certain time.
– Now it is the exam session period and the excitement of the students is more during the exam. What would you recommend to them?
– Each of us has experienced the excitement of the exam and it is a familiar feeling. Our first advice to students is to prepare well for the exams. At this time, emotions of excitement decrease by 90 percent. Excitement mainly arises when the exam begins, that is, during familiarization with the questions. We also use proper breathing, not focusing on other things, etc. as ways to overcome this. we teach students such techniques.