A full one-year professional training program for psychologists and psychotherapists. Learn to create a safe therapeutic space and to work by international standards.
Insight NGO and the Professional League of Trauma Therapists invite psychologists and psychotherapists who work with people from LGBTQI+ communities, people with disabilities, people living with HIV, sex workers, members of the Roma community, internally displaced people, and other people who belong to socially vulnerable groups to take part in this training.
10+
years of hands-on experience of the Insight NGO psychological service
200+
certified specialists in our database of friendly professionals
9
years of successfully running this training program
10 000+
consultations provided for the LGBTQI+ community and their families
The affirmativeapproach
Psychological help begins with a safe space.
For people from socially vulnerable groups, reaching out for help often comes with a fear of discrimination or of being traumatized all over again. Building trust takes more than ethics alone — it takes deep knowledge about the impact of stigma and of the social context.
What is the affirmative approach?
It is a professional “lens” that can be integrated into any therapeutic modality. It makes it possible to see a person in the context of their life experience and to provide the help they need without prejudice, with respect for their dignity and for diversity.
Insight NGO and the Professional League of Trauma Therapists invite psychologists and psychotherapists who work with people from LGBTQI+ communities, people with disabilities, people living with HIV, sex workers, members of the Roma community, internally displaced people, and other people who belong to socially vulnerable groups to take part in this training.
Who this course is for
Practicingprofessionals
Psychologists and psychotherapists who work or plan to work with LGBTQI+ people, people with disabilities, people living with HIV, sex workers, internally displaced people, and other vulnerable groups.
Universitystudents
Final-year students of higher education in “Psychology” and “Psychotherapy”.
Professionalsin the helping occupations
Social workers, doctors, and teachers who want to interact ethically with vulnerable groups.
Formats and cost of the training
Step 1.Introductory module
4 000 ₴
Who it is for: doctors, educators, social workers, psychologists
Duration: 1 day (8 hours)
What is included: basic theory, answers to your questions, a test on the fundamentals
Step 2.Main course (3 modules)
4 000 ₴/module
Who it is for: psychologists with a degree and a regular practice (1–2 clients a week)
Duration: 3 modules of 2 days each (14 hours each)
What is included: in-depth theory and practicing hands-on skills
Step 3.Practice under supervision
900 ₴/session
Who it is for: participants of the main course
Duration: 8 sessions between the modules
What is included: analysis of your own cases, feedback, preparation for certification
A detailed program of the modules
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- Sexual orientation and gender identity: a scientific perspective.
- Intersectionality and the sociocultural context.
- Queer theory, stereotypes, and equality.
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- The diversity of relationship forms (including non-monogamous ones).
- Violence in LGBTQI+ families: aspects of providing help.
- Working with LGBTQI+ children and teenagers and with their parents.
- Intervision practicum (3 hours).
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- Crisis counseling and working with internalized homophobia.
- The formation of sexuality and coming out.
- The legal nuances of this work.
- Intervision practicum (3 hours).
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- Body dysphoria, eating disorders, and body dysmorphia in the context of being transgender.
- Dissociative symptoms and gender identity.
- Being trauma-informed in your work.
- Intervision practicum (3 hours).
What you getafter the course
- A certificate from Insight NGO and the Professional League of Trauma Therapists (after you present your cases).
- A place in the Insight NGO database of friendly specialists — a direct flow of new clients.
- Access to a closed community of graduates for sharing experience, advice, and intervision.
Course instructors and supervisors
OlhaSemenova
A clinical psychologist and psychotherapist, a supervisor and instructor in trauma-oriented therapy. Approaches used in her work: EMDR, ACT, CBT.
She counsels adults and couples. She does individual, group, and educational work. Co-founder of the Insight NGO psychological service.
KseniiaVittenberg
A psychotherapist, trauma therapist, supervisor, and instructor in trauma-oriented therapy. Approaches used in her work: EMDR, MBT. PhD in pedagogy. A lecturer at the International Institute of Postgraduate Education.
She counsels adults and couples. She does individual, group, and educational work.
MykytaKarimov
A psychologist, psychotherapist, and supervisor in the Gestalt approach, a trauma therapist. Head of the Insight NGO psychological service. Member of WPATH/EPATH.
Within Insight NGO he focuses on working with transgender people, teenagers, and families. He does individual, group, and educational work.
What our graduates say
I am very grateful to Insight and to the course instructors — Kseniia Vittenberg, Olha Semenova, and Mykyta Karimov — for their attentiveness and professionalism. And a separate, enormous “thank you” for the fact that our last spring module took place at all. It was a ray of stability in unstable times.
— Dana Yakovenko
I got certified as an LGBTQI+ friendly psychologist. Thank you to Mykyta Karimov for the wonderful supervision and to the whole team. This course is about filling the gaps in my education with current research, international guidelines, and Ukraine’s own experience. It is great to fill in a black-and-white world with your own people.
— Yulia Kos
It happened! I got certified at Insight NGO as a psychologist who can work with LGBTQI+ clients. This training mattered a lot to me, and I took a great deal from it for my practical work. This training changes the way you see the world and the people around you. Thank you to the trainers and supervisors for an incredible amount of interesting and necessary information, and for such a high level of professionalism.
— Anastasiia Bilozor
The world does not stand still, and neither do I. With certification, I completed the development program for psychologists on working with vulnerable groups of the population and with LGBTQI+ clients that I took at Insight NGO. My deep thanks to the trainers and supervisors for your experience, professionalism, collegiality, and support.
— Yuliia Hordiienkova
Ready to integratethe affirmative approachinto your practice?
Fill out the form to reserve your place in the 2026–2027 intake. The number of places in the groups is limited.