On November 29 and 30, 2025, the Association of Understanding Psychotherapy held its XIII Scientific-Practical Conference, "Lifeworlds of Uncertainty."

In the section "Intercultural Communication in Conditions of Uncertainty," moderated by Natalya Vladimirovna Tkachenko, Associate Professor of the Department of Ethnopsychology, together with Anna Mikhailovna Fedoseeva, specialists in the field of psychological counseling discussed the effects arising in conditions of cross-cultural counseling:

• Olga Pavlova – Cand. of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Ethnopsychology and Psychological Problems of Multicultural Education at MSUPE – spoke about the resources of ethnic identity in conditions of uncertainty.
• Olga Titova – psychologist, graduate of the Master's program "Psychology of the East" – shared reflections on the "otherness" of cultural identity in encounters with others in a world of uncertainty.
• Nikolay Vasin – psychologist, graduate of the Master's program "Practical Ethnopsychology," member of the Association of Understanding Psychotherapy – discussed the phenomenon of "emigration of subjectivity".
• Natalya Tkachenko – Cand. of Psychological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Ethnopsychology and Psychological Problems of Multicultural Education at MSUPE, member of the Association of Understanding Psychotherapy – spoke about W. Gudykunst's Communication Anxiety/Uncertainty Management Theory in the context of F. Vasilyuk's typology of lifeworlds.

The focus of this section on developing Fyodor Efimovich Vasilyuk's ideas concerning the cross-cultural and culturally determined aspects of the psyche and consciousness is not accidental. He worked on this from the very beginning of developing the psychotechnical theory. The need to comprehend the understanding psychotherapy approach in the context of intercultural communication has long been ripe. The section "Intercultural Communication in Conditions of Uncertainty" continues the discussion started at the previous conference and furthered in the work of the Association's methodological seminar.

This year's section demonstrated the importance of integrating various directions and approaches in implementing and comprehending psychological practice in general, and the possibilities of Fyodor Efimovich Vasilyuk's understanding psychotherapy in particular. It clearly showed that approaches from social psychology, psycholinguistics, communication studies, and intercultural communication expand the predictive capabilities of a counseling psychologist.

Following the conference, a preliminary cooperation agreement was reached between the Department of Ethnopsychology and Psychological Problems of Multicultural Education at MSUPE and the Association of Understanding Psychotherapy, represented by its President, Alisa Kuznetsova.

We express our gratitude to the organizing committee and personally to the President of the Association of Understanding Psychotherapy, Alisa Kuznetsova, for the opportunity to organize a section on intercultural communication as part of the conference. We look forward to fruitful cooperation.

Interested in studying ethnopsychology?

For you, MSUPE offers the following programs:

• Master's program "Practical Ethnopsychology"
• Master's program "Cross-Cultural Technologies in Psychological Counseling"
• Professional development program "Family Counseling in a Multicultural Environment"
• Professional development program "Mass Culture as a Tool for Consulting Psychologists in a Multicultural Environment"
• Professional development program "Traditional Games of the Peoples of Russia as a Tool for Psychologists"

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