Psychological Help In HSE
Many people who experience suffering do not seek for psychological help because they are afraid to tell about themselves. And this means that they will have to take out from the inside out something that they have been hidden from everyone for many years.
However, sharing is something that brings us relief. Not immediately, and perhaps not even from the first month of working, as your resistance may try to further avoid sincerity and openness to a stranger. But step by step, drop by drop, a union of mutual understanding and trust will begin to take shape, which is called the therapeutic alliance between the client and the psychologist, and it is he who will allow you to create something new – you get to know yourself, and sometimes rediscover your true self. It may be scary to learn something about yourself that you don't want to know at all, but you already assume that you will have to hear it from a stranger. To begin with, please do understand a simple thing: your problems are not you, but they might keep you from being you. There is your personality that is struggling and there is an emotional disorder that requires a professional approach to help you.
Try to destigmatize this topic for yourself first. Try going through hashtag #TherapyIsCool, for example. The topic of mental health is surrounded by many myths. Mental health is worth talking about in the same way as physical. Having broken a leg, we do not wait passively for everything to heal by itself. No, we go to the doctor and trust them with the treatment process. It's the same with mental problems. You shouldn't sit back and wait for everything to work out. Many people think that such help is needed as the last resort, and admitting that such a moment has come is an act in itself. At the same time, asking for psychologist's help is merely a way to fix or at least qualitatively improve your life.
It is not a shame to seek psychological help. Although students often hear that student life is the best time, in reality we are subject to a huge amount of stress – admission, deadlines, team changes, moving from parents, foreign country, session, rating, scholarships, exams, discounts, etc. The most effective way to overcome emerging problems is to communicate with a professional psychologist. Quite often we are not able to cope with all our problems, and therefore HSE offers assistance to its students – a visit to the HSE Psychological Counseling Center, which has been operating since 2003. This is a great opportunity to speak out, look at the situation from a new angle and start changing your life for the better.
Who can contact the Center?
Any applicant, students, graduate students, teachers.
How much does this cost?
Nothing at all, if you are a student. Everything is absolutely free. However, it should be taken into account that teachers and staff can contact the Center free of charge only for psychological assistance to a student. If these are problems of the teacher or employee himself, then assistance is provided for a fee.
It is also worth mentioning that your appeal remains anonymous. The Center commits to the ethical code of a psychologist. Only in rare cases, when it comes to fear for a student's life, with their consent, employees can contact the faculty or the person's parents.
What is a Counseling Center and what help can you get there?
It is the place where you can anonymously address any of your problems and concerns. Those who study in Moscow campus can attend both individual talks and group therapy sessions, for everyone else an online consultation with a doctor is available around the clock. You can contact them for any question regarding your psychological state: lack of self-confidence, a feeling of loneliness, experiences associated with the loss of loved ones and loved ones, problems in school or communication, dissatisfaction with your life, and others.
How to get an appointment?
The Center's website has an online form that will take no more than a minute to fill out. After that, you will be assigned the exact time of a meeting with a specialist, taking into account your wishes, so this will not interfere with your studies. However, it must be borne in mind that the appointment is booked two weeks or even a month in advance. In case you feel that you need urgent help, inform the administrator of the Center, they will try to find a consultation as soon as possible. Do not forget to contact the round-the-clock hotlines and helplines of psychological services.
What is the appointment like?
I myself have already used the services of the Center and I can surely say that everything is going well and it is no worse than using expensive specialists. The specialist will invite you to a comfortable sofa, listen calmly and attentively in a comforting atmosphere and try to give good advice. It takes about an hour. However, you need to be prepared for the fact that your problems will not be magically solved in one go. A psychologist cannot fix another person, find a job, or get rid of problems. But together you can think about how to change your attitude to what is happening, change the influence of certain situations on your life, so that there is greater freedom to act, make decisions and enjoy life. The first method is an opportunity for you to speak out, open up to another person, and, unfortunately, it will be very difficult to get a clear answer right away.
What if the Center can't help me?
For more serious mental health problems when talking is not enough, you can still get help. The Psychological Counseling Center cooperates with a number of Moscow psychiatric clinics, where a referral from an HSE doctor will provide you with a discount or even a free appointment.
Can I get an internship?
In addition, the Center even provides with opportunities for those who are interested in psychology, for example, internships. The internship for people with a psychological degree includes written counseling, where interns learn to write responses to letters received by the Center, as well as full-time counseling, when interns consult with students applying to the Center and undergo paid supervision on this work.
Working hours:
Monday – Friday from 10:00 to 21:00
Address:
Leninsky prospect, st. Vavilova, 7, office. 1005
Website:
https://www.hse.ru/cpc/
Psychological conversations are a long and not always simple process that requires dedication and faith in the result. It is important not to be afraid, to tune in to work on your problems and be honest with yourself and with a specialist – this way you will be able to be helped more quickly.
Text by
Luiza Gashimova