The international scientific-practical conference “Modern educational psychology in the training of specialists in helping professions: actual problems of the theory and practice of helping others” on November 20 was held at the Mogilev State A. Kuleshov University. The problem field of the conference included the following issues: methodological aspects of training specialists for helping professions, interdepartmental interaction of specialists, family in focus of helping professions, environmental and technological problems of helping activity, psychological and legal aspects of conflictology, mediation, deviantology, etc.
The rector of the Mogilev State A. Kuleshov University, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Denis Duk addressed the speakers and participants of the conference with a welcoming speech. During the plenary session, topical issues of continuing education for young people and older people, inclusive education in Sweden and the Republic of Belarus, rehabilitation practices in working with juvenile offenders in the UK, Russia, Belarus, practical applicability of mediation in helping activities in the United States and the Republic of Belarus were discussed. Also discussed were the problems of the personality psychology of a professional in the field of helping activities. The conference program included workshops and breakout sessions. Their practical experience in master classes presented:
Frank Laney, professor at North Carolina State University, certified mediator, member of the Academy of Family Mediators in the USA (Raleigh, USA) — “Mediation develops mediator — brain function, decision making and mental health” (on-line);
Dierdre Leask, certified practitioner mediator of the United Kingdom Restorative Justice Council, manager of the Restorative Justice Service for juvenile offenders in South London (Youth Offending Team in South London), qualified social worker (London, UK) — “Restorative practice — When can we use it and how does it work?”;
Elena Fedosenko, Candidate of Psychology, Associate Professor, Vice-Rector for Scientific, Organizational and Educational Work, Associate Professor at the Department of General Psychology, Baltic Humanitarian Institute (St. Petersburg, Russia) — “The system of working with adolescents prone to deviant behavior”.
About 80 participants from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Sweden, Great Britain, and the USA worked in section sessions. The most pressing issues of the sectional sessions were issues of innovation in inclusive work, rehabilitation practices in educational institutions, mediation and practical conflictology, social work with the family, education of specialists of helping professions, psychological safety in education. At plenary sessions, master classes, and breakout sessions, the priority directions of the theory, methodology, and practice of helping professions were discussed. The conference participants came to the general opinion that helping professions are the space for building a new methodology of interdepartmental and intersectoral cooperation in the field of continuous, inclusive education, practical conflictology and mediation, psychological safety in education. At the same time, the problem field of the conference has become a space for establishing new interesting professional and personal contacts, opening new perspectives in theory and practice. The staff of the Department of Psychology is grateful to the chairman, members of the organizing committee and all participants of the conference.