Nikita Gukassov

Lancaster Nightline is a listening and information volunteering service run by students and mainly oriented at students, providing support by phone or instant messages.

• Completing specialist training and kept developing active listening skills, safe practice and peer support throughout my volunteering.
• Provided confidential, non-judgmental emotional peer support to callers during night shifts.
• Used active listening skills to help callers talk through their distress, anxiety, loneliness and other personal difficulties in a safe and supportive space.
• Observed strict protocols of confidentiality, non-judgement, non-directiveness, anonymity, helping callers process their feelings without telling them what to do.
• Supported the delivery of an out-of-hours student wellbeing service, available when other university services were closed.

• provided domiciliary care for the elderly or disabled customers with various physical and emotional needs.
• Assisted customers with varying physical and mental conditions such as severe arthritis, dementia cases of varying severity, Alzheimer's, ASD, Self-neglect, and other various impairments including a bed-bound older-adult with a severe communication impairment.
• Built rapport with my customers through genuine empathy, interpersonal communication skills and understanding of the customer's situation.
• Helped administer medicines and ensured the safety and wellbeing of my customers and their family members.
• Maintained a precise report after every session with a customer describing what I did and the customers' wellbeing and living conditions, reported any problems or suspected abuse.
• Learned to be non judgemental about individuals and to understand and respect their situations and their opinions.
• Perfected my teamwork when shadowing a more experienced colleague, operated the medical crane and a full-body clip sling when assisting a paralyzed customer.
• Looked out for and reported signs of emotional, physical and financial abuse.

• Studied how different fields of psychology work and practiced them in a team of other interns.
• Participated in a simulated court case where I advocated for the transfer of an inmate from prison to a secure hospital for them to continue the treatment and ensure the consistency of their progress in anger management.
• Took part in a simulated CBT session, where I created a treatment plan for a patient, while being under supervision and evaluative pressure in front of an audience.
• Observed use of sport psychology in Chelsea football club, particularly the techniques used to demoralize the opposing team and to encourage the allied team.