PRI Central Asia hosts training on therapeutic responses to children in conflict with the law
This week, PRI’s Central Asia office is holding a training course in Almaty for the staff of closed institutions on therapeutic responses to address offending and anti-social behaviour by children and adolescents.
At the time of writing, there are 95 under-18s in correctional institutions and 167 in specialised schools for children in Kazakhstan.
“Amid the political and socio-economic changes taking place in today’s society, we can see a deterioration in the physical, mental and social health of children and minors. Deviant behaviour is defined as that which deviates from the norms of mental health or which violates social, cultural, legal and ethical norms. Psychological counselling can be an effective method of providing psychological help to children and minors, but its effectiveness depends on the consultant’s communication skills”, says Irina Nikolskaya, an international expert in child psychiatry, psychotherapy and medical psychology.
“Children who have committed an offence need longer periods of therapy to support their reintegration in the society, and this requires special training for staff working with them. Moreover, we also need to ensure that psychosocial support is provided upon their return to the family”, adds up Professor Nadezhda Veniaminovna, Director of the NGO, Credo, PRI’s partner in the project. “Therefore, as part of the training we offer more effective methods of working with children which are in compliance with human rights principles”.
The training will be delivered by international experts, Igor Dobryakov and Irina Nikolskaya, specialists in child psychiatry, psychotherapy and medical psychology, and Yuri Gusakov, a national human rights expert. The training is provided as part of PRI’s three-country programme to end violence against children in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan funded by the European Union.