PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC METHODS APPLICATION IN FOLLOW-UP OF EMOTIONALLY DEPRIVED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

Hardships experienced many times in the family and outside it in the past, have a negative impact on formation of children's personality. Emotional deprivation is one of such factors. Long-term stay of elementary school children under emotional deprivation conditions results in a whole number of adverse effects. Being directly dependent on environment adverse changes and impacts emotional sphere is most vulnerable in this respect. The range of emotional deprivation adverse effects on elementary school children is quite wide: from mild emotional disorders that can be corrected with the help of correctional and developmental activities to severe mental disorders and diseases that require long-term treatment. Thus, the situation of emotional deprivation requires the use of prophylactic, corrective and rehabilitative actions. The purpose of the article is to reveal the features of psychotherapeutic methods application in arranging psychological follow-up of emotionally deprived elementary school children. To achieve the determined purpose we've applied a mix of speculative (analysis, synthesis, comparison and generalization) and empiric (observation, survey, talk, expert evaluations, testing, quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the results obtained) research methods. The results of the literature sources analysis let us sum up by saying that such methods as adaptation, socialization, learning, development, correction, counseling, psychotherapy, follow-up and rehabilitation may be applied to cope with children's emotional deprivation. We consider follow-up to be the most effective and comprehensive method. The psychological follow-up model developed and tested by us includes support provided to foster families in the course of coping with children's emotional deprivation adverse effects and is based on the system of working with foster children and parents, as well as on conducting joint classes involving parents and children. We've applied various psychological correction and development methods (talk, games, exercises, drawing, fantasizing and relaxation) in combination with psychotherapeutic methods (symbol drama, art therapy and positive psychotherapy) to conduct psychological follow-up of children. Effectiveness and efficiency of the emotionally deprived elementary school children psychological follow-up model developed by us has been tested on the ground of repetitive psychodiagnostic testing and comparing its results of control and experimental groups. The application of remedial methods in combination with psychotherapeutic methods has made it possible to obtain constant and long-lasting results in emotional deprivation evidences reducing and elementary school children emotional intelligence level raising.