FEATURES OF SOCIAL COUNSELING FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN TIMES OF CRISIS

Abstract

The article highlights social counseling as one of the key forms of support for persons with disabilities within the modern social work system. Counseling is considered a professional activity aimed at helping individuals overcome life difficulties, adapt to their social environment, realize their rights and opportunities, and improve their quality of life. It is emphasized that persons with disabilities require an individual approach that takes into account their specific needs related to access to education, employment, medical care, domestic adaptation, social integration, and the establishment of meaningful interpersonal relationships.

The article analyzes the main areas of social counseling: psychosocial support, legal counseling, navigation in the social services system, career guidance, and counseling for parents of children with disabilities. The role of the social counselor as a guide in the world of social assistance is highlighted, as well as that of an emotional supporter who possesses active listening and crisis counseling techniques and is able to adapt communication to the client's characteristics.

Special attention is paid to the classification of theoretical approaches in social counseling, such as psychosocial, cognitive-behavioral, client-centered, existential-humanistic, systemic, empowerment, and integrated approaches.

A detailed description of each approach is provided, revealing their purpose, methods, areas of application, and features of working with different categories of persons with disabilities. It is emphasized that the choice of approach depends on the type of disability, the client's age, life experience, psycho-emotional state, and social context.

The article also provides an analytical overview of the state of social counseling in Ukraine. It is noted that the domestic system is still in its infancy, although it has significant scientific and methodological potential. Key problems are identified: a shortage of qualified personnel, the lack of a unified methodology, fragmented legislative regulation, and limited access to services in rural areas. Domestic practice is compared with the international experience of the European Union, the United States, and Canada, where social counseling is viewed as a systematic and comprehensive activity, integrated into the social protection system and guaranteed at the level of state policy.

The institutional, ethical, and practical foundations of effective counseling are also considered, in particular the principles of confidentiality, non-discrimination, respect for dignity, and personal autonomy. The importance of implementing a multidisciplinary approach, developing partnerships between state and public institutions, and expanding the role of the non-governmental sector is emphasized.

The materials in this article may be useful for social workers, psychologists, educators, human rights defenders, representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations working with persons with disabilities, as well as for students and researchers interested in the development of inclusive social policy.