“We need to take care of ourselves and each other”: psychologists of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation help local residents, IDPs, teachers, and doctors in Ukraine

Mobile teams of psychologists from the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation have been providing psychological assistance to local residents and IDPs in different parts of Ukraine for two years in a row now. This year, the list of those who have attended free psychological consultations on the topic “How to overcome stress during the war” also included teachers and medical workers — those who carry an increased emotional burden in challenging times.

How has people’s state changed after 16 months of the full-scale war? Lesia Zalanovska, the Foundation’s psychologist, gave an answer to this question:

“People do not notice any special change in their psycho-emotional state and physical conditions. However, after discussions and based on the information they receive at our events, they note that there are significant changes that manifest themselves through the deterioration of sleep: disturbed sleep, inability to fall asleep immediately, and lack of the feeling of rest after sleep. Increased emotionality, irritability, tearfulness, fatigue, and desire for solitude. All this gives grounds to talk about the exhaustion of Ukrainians and the tendency towards deterioration of their condition.”

The Foundation’s psychologists help the participants of their consultations “here and now”, provide techniques and means that people can use themselves to stabilize their psychological state, and contribute to increasing stress resistance. Lesia Zalanovska commented on the reaction of teachers and doctors to such meetings:

“We are very grateful to the teachers and doctors who invited us again. We especially remember clinics in Kherson, Pokrovsk, Dobropillya, and teachers in Zaporizhzhia and other places. I think that this is the best answer to the question of how people react to our events. Is it possible to continue doing your work and ignore your condition? Can you still be effective? Experience shows that it is, but for how long? So now, in order to continue teaching, treating patients, and giving help, we all need to take care of ourselves and each other.”

Since 2014, more than 145,000 Ukrainians have received psychological assistance from the Foundation. To that end, the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation trained 250 psychologists in the War Trauma course.