Bishkek, January 26, 2022 - Signs of stress include constant fatigue, insomnia, lack of time, inability to concentrate, make decisions, poor or excessive appetite, irritability, dissatisfaction with oneself, lack of self-respect, headaches, pressure surges, nervous tics, spinal pain. This was discussed by psychologist Mikhail Munkin during the two-day training "Stress Management" organized for members of the Coordinating Council for the development of state-guaranteed legal aid (CC of SGLA). The training was attended by representatives of more than 20 non-governmental organizations that are members of the CC of SGLA.  

When providing legal assistance to the population, skills to manage one's own state, prevent and neutralize stress reactions, and eliminate the negative effects of stress are critical. Often, people seeking help are themselves already in stressful situations, and in order to resolve their questions as effectively as possible, these skills are just as necessary as their professional competence.

According to participants, they often have to empathize with the client's situation as part of their work. The strong desire to help, to solve the client's problem, to change his life or to convince him to make some decision takes over and the person gets exhausted, stressed and then into depression or emotional burnout.

"In order to keep yourself, effectively and for a long time to perform professional duties, it is necessary to consciously apply stress management techniques" - said Mikhail Munkin.

"We need stress because there are positive aspects to stress. In many cases stress is an engine. Lawyers, especially those who work with vulnerable groups of people, are at risk - life expectancy is shorter. In the process of work (consulting, case management), lawyers often experience powerlessness, it means that we ourselves are stressed and we need to counteract this stress-impotence. Coach Munkin clearly stated that we ourselves need to learn to recognize our helplessness and accept our helplessness. We helped - we consulted, and then - it's the person's choice." - shared her opinion Aizhan Dzhumanalieva, a lawyer, the head of the CC for the development of SGLA.

"From the training I was able to systematize the knowledge and skills that I had. I was able to determine for myself that you can't bring your work home, you can't live the life of a client with a difficult life situation. It is necessary to be able to abstract away from work. You can't give up your own life force to solve a client's problem. If it happens and you cannot disconnect from a client's problem, you need to use certain techniques and "tips" to help you psychologically relieve yourself." said Chynraa Bakirova, Executive Director of the Anti-AIDS Association.

Also for the members of the CC of SGLA, sessions on mediation and information campaign strategy were organized. The trainer, head of public foundation "New Solutions" Aliya Kalybaeva told about mediation as a form of conflict resolution and a method of dispute resolution, about the tools and algorithm of mediation. Munara Beknazarova, head of public foundation "Open Line", shared her experience in implementing information companies. In this session, the participants got answers to the questions of why the members of the Coordinating Council should develop information campaigns and work with the external environment, where the strategies of information campaigns begin.

The training is conducted by the Coordinating Council for the development of State-Guaranteed Legal Aid with the support of the UNDP and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland project “Towards Sustainable Access to Justice for Legal Empowerment in the Kyrgyz Republic”.

Contacts for media: Nurzhan Alymkanova, communications specialist nurzhan.alymkanova@undp.org