“The history of the soldier was published on the page of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in civil life, he managed a small business and was a public activist. He has economic and technical education, and now he gets …”, – WRITE ON: Armyinform.com.ua
Read for: 3 min. February 5 2025, 21:58
In a survival war, the role of a psychologist is difficult to overestimate. Not only the body but also the souls of the warriors are injured. Lieutenant Sergey Rostikov heads the control group of combat stress in 21 separate mechanized brigade. The history of the fighter was published on the page of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
In his civilian life, he managed a small business and was a public activist. He has economic and technical education, and now gets psychological. He has been training in the UK. He has experience in conscript and contract service, in particular in the Ukrainian Peacekeeping Contingent in Iraq. In the first days of a full -scale invasion, then a sergeant, Rostikov returned to the army.
“I was a deputy platoon commander, commanded people, saw how differently they react differently to the circumstances and how some need support. At the end of 2022, I was offered officer courses in the direction of military psychology, and I immediately agreed. Even in civil life, psychology was always interested, and during the war I saw in my own experience how it is important for its understanding to effectively manage the unit, ”says Sergei.
It is the officer who considers the most interesting aspect of his work with people. He says there are such human stories, next to which cinema seems uninteresting. “The power of the spirit of some people is captivated, despite the great fatigue and sometimes inhumane loads on the battlefield, they still retain the peace of mind and a sense of humor,” says Sergei.
When he comes to positions, landfill or medical institution, the psychologist helps the military to find peace of mind, accept the circumstances of the war and teaches the fighters to provide first psychological aid to each other.
In the General Directorate of Psychological Support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine carefully study the work of psychologists on the ground, summarize the best practices and spread among colleagues. But they see problems, looking for ways to solve them.
Today, there is a need for qualified military psychologists in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Civilian psychologists who call for military service do not always have experience in working with combat psychotrauma, which causes them confusion and uncertainty about providing psychological assistance to military personnel. At the same time, civil experience and fresh look are sometimes a significant factor in developing effective changes in the preparation and work of military psychologists.
The Main Directorate has introduced advanced training courses at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Military Institute of Military Institute, where officers-psychologists of psychological support of staff gain the necessary knowledge, exchange experience and develop creative ideas in the military psychology sector.
In the face of lack of psychologists specialists in the units, the psychologist himself and an adequate understanding of his work in the war becomes special in the units. In the unit you can’t say, “I will listen to six and others – next time.” Sometimes you have to work as much as circumstances require.
Of course, such a load is difficult to compare with the constant standing in positions during shelling, however, the work of psychologists in the war is quite difficult and exhausting.
Stress, like common fatigue, has the ability to accumulate, and many people simply do not know what to do with everything. Additionally, stereotypes are pressed: they say that men do not have to complain, men do not ask for help, crying is a manifestation of weakness, and much more.
The task of a military psychologist is not only to stabilize the psycho -emotional state of a serviceman, but also to help in finding his internal and external resources necessary for qualitative restoration, finding his own goal of being in the war, understanding the foundations of communication with his family, with his family, etc.
Every new day carries new challenges for the military psychologist, and he must be ready for them. For some people, a psychologist is a bad hope that he is listened to that he is not alone with his problems, which can always be found, even in the most difficult situations of life. This is how Sergei Rostikov sees his work. And people trust him.
According to the Armyinform, Viking is a fighter of the International Legion of the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces, which has been fighting for Ukraine for three years against the Russian invaders. He passed a heavy battle path, destroying many enemies, and became a real professional.
