(Start your reading of this December newsletter by playing the short mood video by clicking on the image above – and don’t forget the sound!).
It has been a year in fast motion. Waves of reforms in municipalities and regions, new structures, new words, and new diagrams. Sometimes it feels as if everything is moving at once. And yet.
We mostly eat the same food. Wear the same clothes. Celebrate Christmas with the same people. Wish for many of the same things as last year. And lovingly complain about the same little things. Amid all these changes, there is also much that endures – daily routines, relationships, and familiar patterns. Perhaps precisely that which gives a sense of stability when the pace around us accelerates.
Looking back over the year, gratitude is what stands out first. Thank you for the many great meetings with thousands of engaged professionals – and for so many of you working with our digital courses. One feedback came from the leader of the Randers Substance Use Center, Louise Søndergaard, and read: “We have all completed the digital basic course in strain psychology and are VERY enthusiastic. It’s hard to match.” Words like these make us happy, proud, and humble – especially because they come from professionals who know what it means to be in a daily work life with high demands and great responsibility.
In this newsletter, you can meet a workplace that has worked with our digital basic course in psychological first aid, find links to articles about psychological first aid in schools, and meet our great colleague Atila Arianpour.
And of course, you’ll also get a small gift. This time, we’re sharing one of our favorite tools for preventing mental strain: the Support Pyramid, which you can find here in the newsletter.
Merry Christmas – and thank you for reading and being part of the community around strain psychology. And remember: lift together!
Best regards,
From all of us at the Institute for Strain Psychology
In the video, Service Manager Sannie Ransby shares experiences from the Social and Health Administration in Gladsaxe Municipality, where they have worked with our digital basic course in psychological work environment.
When strain hits – whether acutely or over time – we can easily act too quickly or alone. The Support Pyramid provides a simple overview showing how help can be organized in the workplace: from collegial support and leadership presence to more specialized help when necessary.
Uddannelsesbladet interviewed Mette Obelitz, Rikke Høgsted, and Thomas Middelboe from the institute about the importance of collective crisis management and using the Support Pyramid in situations where daily work breaks down. Two insightful articles resulted from these interviews:
>> The tool is right there – but we overlook it when the crisis hits
>> You have a high-risk job – how to prevent it from harming you
We must be careful not to medicalize our crises, thinking only a clinical psychologist can solve them. But when is a crisis actually serious enough to require a psychologist – and when is the community the most effective way to handle it? Our Development Director, Rikke Høgsted, provides expert answers in Brinkmanns briks. Listen or re-listen to the episode, released in spring 2025.
Atila studies Software Development at ITU and works as a student assistant at the institute. He is part of the team currently refining and finalizing MentiMove – our upcoming platform that makes it easy to work in a structured and engaging way with the psychological work environment.
A demo gives you the opportunity to explore the various digital group courses that are part of the PREVENTION HOUSE. .
So share this newsletter with them and let them know they can easily subscribe by clicking here.
Danish