On June 30, the presentation of the “Guide for veterans and their family members” took place (within the system of providing psychological, medical-psychological and psychiatric care in Ukraine).
The guide is available at the link: https://veteranfund.com.ua/doc/putivnik.pdf
The guide is a collection of work and adapted materials from the experience of the Crisis Support Hotline of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine.
It was prepared by expert psychologists who work at the UVF Hotline: 0 800 33 20 29. This project is implemented by the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine with the support of the IREX Ukrainian Rapid Response Fund and the US State Department.
Veterans and their family members can receive immediate emotional support, crisis assistance, and psychological first aid at the Hotline. Services are provided by professional psychologists and crisis psychologists.
“A few days ago, it was a year since we received the first call to the Crisis Support Hotline. This is a very powerful experience. Consulting on the phone without seeing your interlocutor requires true professionalism. It is difficult to replace such specialists. I thank our psychologists for their cooperation and for the way they work,” says Oleksandr Chamorsov, veteran, psychologist of the UVF Crisis Support Hotline, crisis psychologist, and trauma therapist.
Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, Svitlana Kashenets emphasized that the issue of mental health and emotional problems two years ago was not as relevant in Ukrainian. Currently, the state takes a responsible and professional approach to this issue, because veterans and their family members should receive high-quality and affordable services.
“The guide will be useful to everyone who interacts with veterans, who will work professionally in local authorities and all collectives and organizations, HR specialists who contact us regarding training on communication issues with veterans who are currently returning from the war. And we already have such experience, we already work with such organizations, both online and offline,” emphasized Svitlana Kashenets.
Nataliya Kalmykova, CEO of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, reported that during the operation of the UVF Hotline, 13,000 appeals have already been processed. And, it is important to note that 60% of applications came from men.
“And this number inspires and destroys existing stereotypes. Men understand that they need help, that it is worth asking and solving their problems in this way – and not in other, less ecological ways. 49% of men who appealed for assistance are 40-60 years old. These are mature people who understand that their unit needs them in adequate condition. One of the cases that confirms the need for the operation of our Crisis Support Hotline is that our specialists prevented a case of suicide. After all, when a person is in a critical state, there must be a place where he can turn, express his emotions, and describe his condition. Our specialists provide such tools.”
Veterans called the Hotline more frequently — 43.2%; we also received the most requests from families of Ukrainian Defenders — 18.1%, and members of veteran families — 16.3%.
Family members of fallen defenders continue to apply — 11.6%, and other victims of the war constitute another 10.8%.
The most common requests among families of defenders were psychological requests of various content, most often, these are psychological problems related to waiting for a loved one to return from the war, constant fear, not understanding how to deal with negative thoughts and emotions – 50.9%.
We continue to receive information requests – 24.5% and requests for legal advice – 11.5%. The request for missing persons also remain relevant — 4.9%. Requests related to acute conditions – stress, anxiety and panic attacks – 8.9%.
Yulia Mazur, an analyst at the Mental Health Coordination Center under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, emphasizes:
“The initiative to create a Hotline was timely, and it was supposed to provide a point of first contact, to solve the initial painful issues. The guide is also valuable because it contains a self-help alphabet for veterans, which we highly recommend. The guide should be only the initial stage in the formation of a network of providers of psychological care for veterans. While doing it, we should apply a universal and comprehensive approach. We must understand that these services must be readily available and, therefore, provided at the local community level. We have positive changes, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us.”
The guide presented by the UVF contains a “Road Map” in the system of providing psychological, medical and psychiatric care, as well as recommendations for veterans and their family members.
Olena Lashko, a psychologist of the UVF Crisis Support Hotline, stressed that the guide will be useful to everyone, regardless of age, gender, profession, or interests, in order to better understand Ukrainian society.
“A veteran after returning to civilian life is a person full of opportunities and new experiences. Due to crisis events, the highest capabilities of this person were actualized. That is why humanity is our highest creed. And we put all these ideas in the guidebook,” Olena Lashko emphasized.
