«Люди в небезпеці допомагають своїм, навіть якщо вони їх не люблять», — психолог

We talk to psychologist, journalist, TV presenter Larysa Voloshyna, and Chief Psychologist of the agency of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Ternopil Region, Natalya Hesyuk, on how to be an efficient witness, how not to harm oneself and other people, and how to provide necessary help.

The guests of the broadcast speak about standard reactions of people who become witnesses to violence, traffic accidents, or other accidents. According to them, people most often sympathize with and are prepared to help their near and dear. Levels of empathy towards people who we don’t know is, in practice, extremely low. Several mechanisms begin to work, like the blurring of responsibility (“Someone had probably called the police already, so I won’t”). So, people in need of help should address a person specifically.  

A package by Kateryna Kader on bullying was aired within the broadcast. Alyona Kryvulyak, Director of the department of national “hot lines” of “La Strada-Ukraine” NGO, spoke on how to protect yourself from bullying: “You should not be silent about this. If people are abused psychologically, in the form of verbal abuse, denigration, or abused physically, this should be voiced. It is important to tell people who you trust about this. Very often you can hear from adults: ‘Don’t pay attention, ignore’. This is not an option as the child agressor expects that there will be no reaction to bullying.”