Since the start of Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine, millions of mostly Ukrainian women and children have had to seek refuge in foreign countries. Despite their resilience, many of these individuals risk developing complex mental health illnesses. These illnesses include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and panic disorder. Symptoms of trauma are frequently not present immediately, but develop over time. It is not unusual for traumatized persons to begin displaying mental health issues only after their basic needs are met (such as housing, finances, etc). Furthermore, in addition to the trauma experienced in their home country, Ukrainian refugees face added challenges upon seeking asylum. Early intervention can offset these individuals developing negative coping skills as a result of their trauma.
Help & Hope 4 Ukraine (H&H4U) is a community-based program created to help all affected by the war in Ukraine. In addition to informing about the signs and symptoms of mental illness, H&H4U works toward breaking down the stigma associated with mental health diagnosis and treatment. H&H4U maintains a website that acts as a type of clearing house for information about trauma and maintains a list of resources (https://helpandhope4ukraine.org/). H&H4U also supports those who work with refugees, including educators, clergy/chaplains, and persons in healthcare.
As the full scale invasion of Ukraine enters its third year, healing the psychological wounds of war now also entails addressing chronic symptoms and complex trauma. It became evident that a training program was necessary, which continues to emphasize resiliency skills and psycho-education, but also focuses on processing grief within supportive community structures. In order to reach as many individuals as possible, our attention has shifted to training clergy/chaplains and volunteers who have direct engagement with Ukrainians in the community. We anticipate providing in person and video conference training.
