On the World Mental Health Day, we spoke to a renown professional in the field, Prof. PhD Jelena Radosavljev Kirćanski, reflecting on this year’s theme: "Mental Health at the Workplace."

 As an IOM expert consultant in charge of providing professional psychological support to IOM field teams working in asylum and reception centers in Serbia, Professor Kircanski    conducted a training for IOM staff on ”Burnout, secondary trauma, emotional fatigue, stress and burnout prevention techniques.” This was an excellent occasion for discussing combating work induced stress, overwhelming workloads, extensive working hours, and security threats, as well as a variety of emotional reactions and the mechanisms to deal with them.

🔵Knowing that humanitarian workers, especially those in the field, who are in direct contact with beneficiaries, are often exposed to stressful events, including working with people who are suffering, what would you single out as the most common psychological difficulty humanitarian workers face in their daily work?

-Even during the relatively short time I spent in supervisory work with humanitarian workers in the field, it was evident how much the nature of their work, demands and working conditions are constantly changing. The challenges they face change accordingly. They are often required to be mobile, even to change their place of residence for extended periods of time, to quickly fit into a new environment, represents a kind of replication of the experience of the migrant population they work with. In those conditions, the theme of loss (home, family, friends) is constantly present. Therefore, humanitarian workers react most emotionally to situations of loss that migrants faced - sudden, unexpected relocations from one center to another, loss of personal belongings and documents of migrants, injuries that migrants sustained in traffic accidents caused by human traffickers, injuries that happened to them during the trip... These events trigger a feeling of helplessness, which humanitarian workers, accustomed to helping and solving problems, have a hard time bearing. They defend themselves against this by feeling angry at the system, the procedures and the administration.  As the most common difficulties, I would single out dealing with one's own and procedural limitations.

🔵Although from the beginning of the mixed migration flows the work environment and the context has changed in many ways, IOM continuously provides direct assistance and protection to migrants, among which are often victims of trafficking, migrants returning to their countries of origin, and other vulnerable migrants. Excesses and emergencies also continue to occur. Each of these changes and challenges presents new work demands to employees in the field of protection providing various types of assistance and support to vulnerable categories. What are the main internal and external strategies that humanitarian workers apply in dealing with changes, challenges, and difficulties in their work?

-I got the impression that teamwork is the main protective strength of humanitarian workers. For them, the feeling of belonging to a team, the loyalty and support they provide to each other is very important. It is not surprising that these relationships go beyond professional boundaries and that many of them are also close friends in private. Going out together, celebrating and being in a situation where they could relax helps them bond better. They often use humor as a healthy defense mechanism.

The group of humanitarian workers I worked with is heterogeneous in terms of nationality and religion. Cultural divergence and different religious beliefs were a significant resource, as they had opportunities to learn from each other strategies that proved useful in overcoming stress.

🔵 Supervision is an essential component of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) and is considered especially important for the well-being of employees. IOM field staff recognized this kind of support both concerning personal or team challenges and in responding to the needs of the beneficiaries, as well. From your recent experience, what are the main objectives and the purpose of conducting training sessions and professional psychological supervision activities?

-Although the IOM staff has its own continuous professional training, I think it is important to provide the possibility of supervisory work, with the aim of preventing burnout. This type of support should also be continuous, in a clearly defined and predictable setting. Predictability and consistency are important, because they provide us with security, the feeling that someone (supervisor) is there for us and will be available to us. In the beginning, it was necessary to gain trust that the content exchanged would remain within the group and the session. I understood supervision as an opportunity for them to express their raw emotions and to process them in the group. One of the key tasks is to practice emotional regulation, in order to help themself reduce the level of anxiety and stress.

On the other hand, supervision also served as a channel of communication with other organizational structures of IOM (primarily staff in the office) in order to convey the needs of workers in the field. It is important to have a regular exchange between employees in the office and the workers in the field, with clear and precisely defined requirements and expectations on both sides, so that the flow of information is faster and more efficient.

🔵From your point of view, to what extent the adopted prevention techniques and strategies and awareness of the importance of self-care can serve as a tool for humanitarian workers to avoid burnout and remain professionally effective?

-In order to be able to make a change, we must first become aware of what we currently have. In the supervision work, we primarily focused on recognizing and ventilating feelings. It was important for them to be able to think out loud and express their concerns, feelings and thoughts. Only then we could work on changing the strategies they use. The opportunity to talk about their strategies with other team members, and to learn from each other how to face difficult moments, was significant. I think it strengthened group cohesion and helped them overcome difficulties more easily.

🔵What would be some of the ways for people to protect their well-being and prevent or mitigate possible negative effects of stress?

It is important, whenever possible, to separate work time from personal life time. We all need a safe base. It is necessary to find time for the family, friends, dear people with whom we feel safe and accepted. To find time to relax. For some, this means going in the nature, walking, or playing sports, for others it is a hobby like painting or gardening. It is necessary to explore a little and allow ourselves to try new activities. Getting enough sleep, regular meals, taking care of your own health are also a priority.

In the end, I think the most important thing is to be aware of your needs and follow them. Allowing ourselves to be sad, angry, tired, but also happy, satisfied and relaxed, which is not always easy.

🔵What would be your message to humanitarian workers on this important day, especially to all those colleagues in the field who are often exposed to different types of stressors? 

-Humanitarian workers have both external and internal pressure that it is necessary to help, that they should know how to solve any situation, that they are responsible for the safety and sometimes even for the lives of the people they help. This pressure can result in feelings of omnipotence or feelings of helplessness. That is why it is important that they clearly know what their responsibilities are and the framework in which they operate. The role of the organization where they work is quite significant. On a personal level, it is important for them to know their strengths and weaknesses and to accept them. To know when it is time to act and when to withdraw. How to create a balance between their desires and possibilities. And finally, how to set healthy boundaries.

*Jelena Radosavljev Kirćanski is a clinical psychologist with vast experience in working with children, young people and families, especially those exposed to various types of violence and trauma. She works at the Institute for Mental Health in Belgrade and as an associate professor at the Faculty of Media and Communications of Singidunum University.