NSU Became the Winner of the All-Russian Competition for the Best Programs of Psychology Week

Psychology Week Program Novosibirsk State University became the winner of the All-Russian competition for the best programs implementing Psychology Week and the work of psychological services in universities. The competition is held by the Russian Academy of Education with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. This year, 86 universities were represented at the event. The aim of the competition is to identify and disseminate effective psychological and educational practices in universities.

The NSU program was presented in the category “Student Initiatives.” Its distinctive feature is that the main authors and organizers of the events were the students themselves, with professional support from the University’s Student Psychological Support Department.

Roman Anisimov, head of the Student Psychological Support Department at NSU, explains that the work on the program grew out of the annual “Mental Health Week,” which the pre-psychological assistance service “You Are Not Alone” has been conducting since 2022. The events are timed to coincide with World Mental Health Day, observed on October 10.

— In 2025, we decided not just to hold a series of events, but to design it as a comprehensive program where the main authors and organizers are the students themselves. This is how the model was born, which we presented at the All-Russian competition for the best programs implementing Psychology Week. At its core is the principle of “equal teaches equal” and distributed responsibility: students create a support space, and psychologists act as curators and supervisors, — explains Roman.

Psychology Week at NSU

Psychology Week took place from October 6 to 10, 2025. For five days, students could participate in trainings, discussions, and other events focused on psychological well-being, self-support, and relationships with others.

The program began on October 6th with a film evening featuring psychological analysis. Students chose the film to watch themselves through voting on social networks, and after the screening, they discussed it with psychologists.

On October 7, the training “Self-Support: How to Be a Support for Yourself in Difficult Moments” took place. Participants discussed ways to support themselves in challenging situations and cope with emotional stress.

On October 8, an art training titled “Empathy in the Digital Age: How to Feel Yourself and Others Through the Noise?” was held. It was dedicated to developing empathy and live communication skills in the context of the constant presence of digital communications.

Another event was the training “Psychotherapy: Instructions for Use.” It helped to understand the differences between a psychologist, psychotherapist, and psychiatrist, and also addressed the issue of stigma associated with seeking psychological help.

Throughout the entire week, the “Write-Forget” campaign took place. Anonymous boxes were installed at the university where students could drop letters containing their worries, thoughts, or something they wanted to symbolically leave in the past.

In addition, an information campaign was held during the Week to recruit students for pre-psychological assistance courses.

Students as authors and organizers

During the preparation of the program, the students independently worked on developing the concept and schedule, SMM, booking rooms, and coordinating volunteers. They also participated in conducting trainings and other events.

The Psychological Support Department for Students at NSU provided methodological support for the initiative. Roman Anisimov and psychologist Tatyana Orlova participated in the work. The specialists conducted supervision of the facilitators, coordinated programs, and took part in certain events.

— This model allows maintaining high professional quality while not replacing student initiative, — emphasizes Roman Anisimov.

According to Roman, student involvement in creating the program was fundamental. The “student to student” format makes discussions about psychological well-being more understandable and lowers barriers to seeking help.

— Student initiative is a key feature of our program. The “student to student” model lowers barriers: when psychological support is discussed by a peer rather than only a specialist, the information is easier to accept, and seeking help becomes simpler, — Roman explains.

Students independently developed the program based on analyzing requests, chose a film for the movie night, designed trainings under the supervision of psychologists, managed social media, organized the “Write-Forget” campaign, and collected feedback from participants.

— Psychologists remained supervisors and did not replace students. It is precisely this distributed responsibility that makes the program sustainable and replicable, — Roman adds.

Victory in the contest

The contest results were announced during the Forum of Psychologists of Russia “Bridges of Support,” held at Saint Petersburg State University. The contest included programs aimed at developing psychological support and psycho-pedagogical practices in universities.

For the NSU team, the victory was an assessment of the work that students and staff of the department had been doing for several years.

— Of course, it is joy and pride for the team. We saw how much effort the students put into the preparation, how their skills grew, and how actively the audience responded, — shares his impressions, Roman.

The victory gives the program not only a diploma but also the opportunity for further dissemination of the practice. The best programs of the competition receive the label “Recommended by the Federal Resource Center of RAO,” are published on the website of the Russian Academy of Education with authorship indicated, and are included in the collection “Catalog of Practices for Implementing Psychology Week in the Higher Education System.”

Participation in the forum also allowed specialists and students to exchange experiences with representatives of psychological services from other universities and to discuss approaches to organizing psychological support in the university environment.

At NSU, they plan to continue developing Psychology Week and student participation in the work of the psychological service, maintaining the principle of collaborative work between students and specialists.