WHY SUPPORT PSYCHOTHERAPY IN RUSSIA? 

Life in Russia is hard, for both children and adults. The social upheavals of the last decade have brought widespread stress and uncertainty. Housing is often cramped and crowded, offering little privacy. Alcohol and violence lead to severe problems for families. Quite commonly, fathers are either absent or drinking so heavily that they cannot contribute to the family income or well-being. So a great deal falls to mothers, and often grandmothers.  Children may end up in hard-pressed orphanages, either because the family rejects them or because it just can’t cope. Even in more stable situations, they can be under intense pressure to strive for a more prosperous future than their parents have known. They are often burdened with premature responsibility for ‘making things better’ for the family, or for bearing the brunt of adult problems.  Without the encouragement and support of settled social institutions and values, young adults find it hard to establish their own lives and settle to the study and work that will enable them to build for the future. 

The need for responsive mental health services is urgent. But resources are few.  The World Health Organisation has found that the Russian health care system in general ranks 130th out of the 191 it surveyed, and mental health services are the worst deprived. There is a shortage of State provision, of resources and of skilled professionals. Mental and emotional distress still attracts considerable social stigma, and there is great suspicion of private practice in psychotherapy.

The psychotherapists who are working with The Russian Revival Project know well what all this can mean to individuals. More details at case studies.