SOCIAL SUPPORT AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSISTANCE FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL AND THEIR FAMILIES THROUGH ONLINE COUNSELING

Abstract

The problem of improving mental health, ensuring psychological stability and readiness to perform assigned tasks is a priority in the system of moral and psychological support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and should aim to maintain a high level of combat readiness of units and subdivisions. A large proportion of servicemen in the combat zone have severe stress disorders, and sometimes they cannot and do not know how to cope with the states and feelings they experience. This has a direct impact on the military's immediate environment. The purpose of the article is to conduct a differential analysis of contemporary practices in consultative psychology, to obtain and scientifically interpret empirical data as a prerequisite for identifying the characteristics and determining the priorities of online counseling within the system of psychological rehabilitation and social support for military personnel and their families. This study employs a structured and systematic methodology to explore the potential and implementation of online counseling as a form of psychological and social support for military personnel and their families. The methodological framework integrates theoretical analysis, empirical research, and practical application to provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject. The study is based on the world experience of psychological counseling, as well as the results of an empirical study, which made it possible to identify and characterize the psychological needs of military personnel, to determine the priority steps to meet them with the tools of psychological practice. It is substantiated that psychological counseling of servicemen has a number of features, which are primarily related to the specifics of military service, conditions of stay, constant danger and threat to life. The necessity and expediency of developing and implementing the latest forms and programs of psychological counseling are proved. The article substantiates the need to organize online psychological counseling in view of the involvement of military personnel in performing tasks in combat areas and the remoteness from qualified psychological assistance - one of the few available.