A Rokada psychologist taught people in Valky how to provide emotional support to someone who has experienced gender-based violence

Rokada psychologist Inna Kisil introduced women at the Valky Resilience Centre in Kharkiv region to the principles of basic psychosocial support. The key principles of emotional support are safety, dignity, confidentiality and respect for the survivor’s needs.

“Together with the participants, we practised the skills of establishing safe contact with a person who has experienced gender-based violence. First and foremost, this means following the ‘do no harm’ principle. At the same time, the skills of active listening, empathetic communication, emotional support and identifying needs and resources without pressure or re-traumatisation are important,” notes Inna Kisil, adding that special attention was paid to timely referral to psychological, social, medical and legal services.

The project is implemented by the Rokada Charitable Foundation with the support of Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo (AICS) in partnership with the Bukovinian Agency for Initiatives and Development (BAID) and Un Ponte Per ETS (UPP).