The event was held by the Department of Psychology, Sociology, and Pedagogy on the occasion of Lawyer’s Day for cadets of the Faculty for Training Specialists for Criminal Police Units of the National Police of Ukraine
Cadets had the opportunity to realize that emotional literacy is not a weakness but a professional strength. In a world where a police officer faces stress, conflicts, and tension daily, the ability to understand oneself and others becomes the key to effective communication, composure, and professional resilience.
In the first part of the class, Head of the Department Nataliia Komyk introduced participants to the theoretical foundations of emotional intelligence — a concept that combines the ability to be aware of one’s own emotions, manage them, and understand the emotional states of others. The influence of emotions on decision-making, behavior, and teamwork was discussed.
Cadets also took part in the game “Dixit” — a simulator for developing empathy and attentiveness. Using associative cards, participants tried to guess the emotions hidden in the stories, learned to “read” nonverbal signals, and recognize a person’s psychological state through symbols and the mood of images.
The final stage was the exercise “Emotional Compass.” Each cadet recalled a real situation from their studies that evoked strong emotions: irritation, fear, pride, or joy. Then they determined where this emotion “was located” on their internal compass — whether it helped or hindered, strengthened or exhausted them. The task was to find a resourceful response — a way to maintain inner balance in similar circumstances.
Such practices develop cadets’ psycho-emotional flexibility, ability to control reactions, overcome stress, and avoid emotional burnout, since work in criminal police units requires not only knowledge and determination but also humanity, emotional balance, and the ability to remain resilient.
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