Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Lost in the stream of problems? Don't know who to turn to for help? We answer: Politekhnicheskaya Street 29, lit. O (Polytech Tower). The SPbPU "Tochka Opory" Psychological Support Center (PSC) operates here. A team of psychologists works to ensure that you can always get support in a difficult situation.
Why do universities need psychologists?
Firstly, it is supposed to be that way. In 2022, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and the Russian Academy of Education developed a concept for developing a network of psychological services in universities. According to the departments' recommendations, psychologists should carry out educational, psychocorrectional, diagnostic and advisory work with all participants in the educational process. Psychological and social well-being is part of the youth policy in the country and, in particular, in universities.
Secondly, life inside the university is not a vacuum, there are enough tense situations, challenges and problems. Some students have difficulties with adaptation, some are overly nervous before exams, somewhere there are conflicts in the team, someone has difficulty making decisions, and there are also overloads from combining work and study, and much more.
Finally, psychology is becoming more accessible through self-help books and materials, and the demand for them is growing.
What questions do people ask the Center’s psychologists?
"Tochka Opory" has been operating for three and a half years now within the structure of the Polytechnic Youth Policy Department. Its audience is students, employees and teachers, approximately 40-50 thousand people.
In 2024, the Center's psychologists conducted 931 individual consultations. In just over half of 2025, specialists have already conducted more than 670 consultations. The Center notes that the overwhelming majority (97%) of those who applied are students and postgraduates, while employees and teachers make up about 3%.
What worries people the most?
Relationships with others — 37%. Polytechnic students most often come to psychologists to sort out their relationships with partners, parents, and to establish communication with peers, friends, or work colleagues. A large number of social groups and regular contacts are inevitable in the university environment (and in life), which is why the ability to build relationships is a necessary skill for every person.
Anxiety and fears — 26%. The Center's specialists note experiences due to loneliness, changes, illnesses, studies, personal development and much more. Working with these difficulties is not the easiest and fastest process, but the result significantly increases overall well-being. To help those who have applied, the Center's specialists use elements of cognitive behavioral therapy: consultative work involves working through states, thoughts and feelings both at a meeting with a specialist and in the form of homework and practices.
Self-esteem and self-confidence – 12%.
In 2025, issues of emotional state and stress, personal identity and relationships, and studies occupied men and women approximately equally. At the same time, men addressed questions on “Productivity and self-management” three times more often, while women with exactly the same proportion prevailed in the category “Psychological trauma, loss, grief”. However, psychologists perceive these facts with caution.
In fact, although men and women have a number of unique features, they are in many ways equally susceptible to common crisis situations and experiences. It is possible to talk about the specificity of appeals depending on gender with a number of reservations, since such conclusions require a more thorough analysis, – says psychologist of the TsPS "Tochka Opory" Andrey Kuzmin.
Psychologists remind us that difficulties and experiences are a natural part of our lives, they can occur in anyone and at any age, regardless of status, gender and other characteristics. If you are unable to cope with the difficulties on your own, it makes sense to contact a specialist who will be able to clarify the causes, alleviate the symptoms and work out new behavior patterns together with you. If the difficulties go beyond the scope of psychological practice, then experts will recommend seeking help from specialized specialists: cardiologists, neurologists, psychotherapists and psychiatrists.
Not just consultations
If you think that a psychologist's work is limited to the walls of a consultation room, you will be only partly right. In addition, our specialists conduct discussion clubs, support groups, thematic trainings and much more.
Individual consultations are an opportunity to support a person during an acute period or to start a process of fundamental changes, starting a targeted work from the deepest layers of the psyche. However, at a certain point, it makes sense to supplement such work with group formats, in which a person learns to see himself from the outside, practices interaction skills and plays out different situations in a safe environment, says Daria Popova, a psychologist at the TsPS Tochka Opory.
In addition, psychologists participate in university events. For example, on May 17 in the Polytechnic Park during the family festival "Beauty-day" The Center's staff held a "Plasticine Date" class for parents and children.
Recently, we have noted a growing interest in art therapy practices. For example, the event “Plasticine Date” has become a successful format for joint creativity of children and parents. In addition, I managed to open a workshop on neurographics – this is a space where participants can reveal their emotions and experiences through drawings, abstractions and free lines, – shared Veronika Sudakova, a psychologist at the TsPS “Tochka Opory”.
The Center's specialists are also experimenting with new types of activities. This year, psychologist Anastasia Markevich launched the online marathon "Anxiety under control" on the Telegram channel for the first time.
"This is a unique opportunity to bring useful self-help practices to a wider audience," said Anastasia. "The idea was to share practical developments on the topic of growing anxiety in a remote format. We have not had such a practice before and, judging by the coverage and feedback from the participants, we successfully managed to implement such a mini-project, which I am very happy about!"
In the same format, in August, psychologist Daria Popova launched a 24-day online intensive course “Fight Back from Stress” with elements of gamification.
The Center's psychologists regularly improve their qualifications and attend specialized events, such as the All-Russian conference "Personnel work and labor protection in scientific and educational organizations of higher education", the All-Russian seminar-meeting of psychologists of educational organizations of the higher education system.
In 2025, the employees of the CPS became members of the St. Petersburg Psychological Society (SPbPO) and received membership cards at the Faculty of Psychology of St. Petersburg State University. Membership provides an opportunity to participate in events to keep abreast of current trends in psychological science and practice, have affiliation and the status of a specialist.
Communication with representatives of psychological services of other universities is also part of the activities of the Center's employees: this summer, the Polytechnic University hosted a supervision for psychologists from St. Petersburg universities, during which the Center's employees, together with their colleagues, discussed the most difficult therapeutic cases and shared their experiences.
Attending conferences, supporting the specialized community and sharing experiences with colleagues are extremely important for us, since the work of a psychologist implies regular contact with the difficult states of those who seek help. At events and meetings, we can discuss our practice, debate, learn new things and spend time in the company of like-minded people, restoring our own resources, – notes Anna Filimonova, a psychologist at the TsPS "Tochka Opory".
The Center’s specialists are currently planning to search for new ideas in working with different groups of applicants.
During the existence of our service, we have accumulated rich experience in consulting and working with various categories of requests. Having started with a small team of psychologists, by now the Center has developed into a full-fledged team of specialists and has all the necessary resources to provide support to everyone who feels the need for it. Our mission is to promote the well-being of our beloved Polytechnic University and the entire society as a whole, – says Anna Kalugina, Director of the Center for Social Support "Tochka Opory".
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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