PRESERVING THE MENTAL HEALTH OF HELPING PROFESSIONALS UNDER CONDITIONS OF PROLONGED WAR-RELATED STRESS

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to substantiate contemporary approaches to preserving the mental health of helping professionals under conditions of prolonged war-related stress and to identify the most effective psychological preventive strategies for enhancing their professional resilience. The research methodology is based on the methods of theoretical analysis, synthesis, generalization, systematization, and comparative analysis of contemporary national and international studies in psychology of extreme and crisis situations, psychotraumatology, cognitive-behavioral therapy and psychology of professional activity. The study applies an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of psychological and psychophysiological mechanisms underlying professional adaptation. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the systematization of contemporary scientific approaches to preventing work-related mental health disorders among helping professionals and in substantiating the feasibility of an integrated application of psychophysiological selfregulation, expressive writing, psychological flexibility, and the integration of individual and organizational resources for maintaining mental health under conditions of prolonged war-related stress. Conclusions. Effective preservation of the mental health of helping professionals requires a comprehensive combination of psychological self-regulation skills, cognitive-emotional processing of professional experience, the development of psychological flexibility, and systematic organizational support. The integration of these components contributes to strengthening professional resilience, preventing emotional exhaustion, secondary traumatization, and occupational burnout, while maintaining professional performance under prolonged crisis conditions