Training for PDO on Communication with Victims of Discrimination

On December 14 and 16, USAID/PROLoG organized online training by psychologist Maia Tsiramua for the staff members of Tbilisi and regional offices of Public Defender’s Office (PDO) on communication skills. Representatives of PDO’s equality department, gender department, department of child’s rights, and department of protection of persons with disabilities attended the first day, and staff members from different regions of Georgia participated in the second day of training, which was designed to improve the skills necessary for effective communication with various vulnerable groups and victims of discrimination.

The training sessions included exercises and mini-lectures, and covered topics such as predisposition phenomenon, explicit and implicit biases, characteristics of vulnerable groups, anatomy of discriminatory behavior, phenomenon of learned helplessness, scientific explanation of Stockholm syndrome, the phenomenon of minority stress, mental health (myths, stereotypes, and common issues), and suicide prevention. The expert described methods for effective communication:  active listening techniques, “I” message technique, “Sandwich feedback technique,” verbal de-escalation technique, and dealing with challenges of working online. She also reviewed and together with participants discussed practical cases.