From May 13 to May 18, 2024, a training on intensive group therapy, "You Are Not Alone. Support is Nearby," was held for military psychologists in Velyatyno (Zakarpattia region). The training was organized by the NGO "Community Self-Help" with financial support from the Ukrainian diaspora organization "Friends of Chervonohrad" and in partnership with the Military Institute of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (MIKNU) and the NGO Rotary Club "Kyiv Pectoral."
Under the memorandum signed between the Military Institute of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (MIKNU) and the NGO "Community Self-Help," a training program for military psychologists was developed. The "Intensive Group Therapy" program provides the necessary training to address mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other emotional states resulting from the war.
"Intensive group therapy focuses on overcoming trauma, finding hope, and love to move forward. When I heard these words from the trainers, I realized that this is the program Ukrainian psychologists need to be effective in situations of distress," said Vitaliy Kharechko, chairman of the board of the NGO "Community Self-Help." "And although the preparation and organization of the training required significant efforts from both our organization and our partners, today we can confidently say that the military psychologists have restored their resources, gained new knowledge and skills, and joined the best global psychotherapeutic practices."
American specialists of Ukrainian descent, Maria Martynenko and Olena Avramenko, conducted an advanced training course for military psychologists who directly provide psychological support to servicemen. The training format combined three approaches:
Lecture-based professional training: Topics included psychophysiology of trauma, trauma treatment, development of internal resources, mindfulness, and art workshops.
Participation as both a patient and facilitator of intensive group therapy.
Group supervision and case work: Participants had the opportunity to conduct supervision for their colleagues and present cases (incidents).
"This program aims to provide Ukrainian mental health practitioners with effective skills and methods so that they can develop their own effective stress management strategies and feel stable while helping others," said project trainer Olena Avramenko, PhD, LPC, who has thirty years of professional experience in psychology in the USA.
Marta Pyvovarenko, Head of the Department of Quality Assurance of Psychological and Psychosocial Support Services (PZPSP) at the NGO "Community Self-Help," emphasized, "The intensive group therapy program involves comprehensive measures, which may include symptom severity screening; consideration of medical assistance if physical symptoms include sleep and eating disorders; and the maximum use of non-verbal means such as T-shirt painting, masks, neurographics, music, dance, movement, visual boards, and cooking."
Intensive group therapy provides the necessary training to address mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other emotional states resulting from the war. This model of psychological support can be used for servicemen, war veterans, their families, people who have lost loved ones due to the war, children, volunteers, and men and women who have been victims of sexual, physical, and emotional violence. "The group dynamics were very positive; it was evident that this knowledge is highly needed. Participants were extremely active, asking practical questions and clarifying details to immediately apply the acquired experience in practice," shared program trainer Maria Martynenko.
The meeting with American pilot and flight instructor Robert Hadow, "How to Cope with Stress in a Critical Situation," was like a master class in applying theoretical knowledge," said one of the training participants.
Many words of gratitude were expressed towards the "Friends of Chervonohrad," who successfully conducted a fundraising campaign and financed the training program. As one of the participants aptly noted, "We would like to have more such Friends of Chervonohrad because, in Ukraine, fundraising for weapons or prosthetics is still effective, but it is nearly impossible to raise funds for psychological assistance. Psychological well-being is just as important as physical well-being. Psychological trauma hurts just as much as physical trauma. It is good that our American friends understand this!"
The well-organized leisure activities greatly helped the military psychologists in their effective learning. The excursion included visits to ancient wooden churches, a felt product factory/museum, a buffalo farm, the village of Iza (the "capital of wickerwork"), and the Baranovo cheese factory, which included a tour of the production facility and museum, with the option to taste the cheeses.
To conclude, I would like to recreate the atmosphere of the training with a post from one of the participants: “I feel like I am leaving my family, my home, and it hurts. I am trying to use the knowledge I gained, observing where this pain is in my body—it’s in my heart. It’s hard to grasp that I didn’t know any of you a week ago. It feels like I’ve known you all my life, and we just haven’t seen each other in a long time. This is a strange feeling of soul kinship. From now on, you are my big family, and if I can be of any help, please write to me anytime. I will do everything possible and even more. Take care of yourselves, and ahead of us is the celebration of our Victory by candlelight (Robert knows how to arrange this). Embracing you with my heart.”
For Reference:
The Intensive Group Therapy (IGT) training program in Ukraine was created at the request of the Military Institute of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (VIKNU, Kyiv) to understand new methods and improve the provision of psychological support in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. American specialists of Ukrainian descent, Maria Martynenko and Olena Avramenko, conducted a qualification enhancement training course for military psychologists who provide direct psychological support to servicemen.
Based on post-war experience in the USA, methods to overcome mental health problems for citizens affected by war have been developed and tested. Psychotherapists, psychologists, and counselors face the same traumatic factors as everyone else but must be able to provide support to others as well. Before helping others, it is crucial for specialists to feel well themselves. This program aims to provide Ukrainian mental health practitioners with effective skills and methods so they can develop their own effective stress management strategies and, while helping others, feel stable themselves.
Intensive Group Therapy provides the necessary training to address mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other emotional states resulting from war. This model of psychological support can be used for servicemen, war veterans, their families, those who lost loved ones due to war, children, volunteers, women and men who have been victims of sexual, physical, and emotional violence.
The Intensive Group Therapy program also includes:
Screening the severity of symptoms;
Considering the need for medical help if physical symptoms include sleep and eating disorders;
Maximizing the use of non-verbal means: t-shirt painting, masks, neurographics, music, dancing, movement, visual boards, and cooking.
About the Trainers:
Maria Martynenko, LPC is a licensed professional psychotherapist in New Jersey (USA). She obtained her Master's degree in Psychology from Kharkiv University. She began her career by facilitating programs for training psychologists. She has won grants from the European University and the Soros Foundation three times for projects in the development of school psychology and for a published book on conflict resolution. After moving to the USA, Martynenko obtained her professional counselor license. She acquired her knowledge and skills in psychotherapy through 8 years of training at the Academy of Applied Psychoanalysis (Livingston, NJ). For the past 20 years, she has worked at the Center for Restorative Psychiatry (Hackensack, NJ), providing individual and family therapy, a continuous women's group, as well as intensive outpatient group therapy (IOP). Maria Martynenko also has a successful private practice specializing in treating anxiety, depression, and trauma. Since 2014, she has worked with the Development Foundation NGO, conducting seminars on psychophysiology of anxiety and depression, first psychological aid counseling, home visit strategies for volunteers, psychologists, and teachers working with internally displaced persons. Since February 2022, she has been collaborating with the Self-Help Communities NGO in Lviv, Ukraine, providing medical supplies to hospitals, food, and personal hygiene materials through Friends of Chervonohrad.
Olena Avramenko, PhD, LPC obtained her education and degree in Ukraine and received a professional counselor license after moving to the USA. She has over thirty years of professional experience in psychology, conducting research, teaching, training master’s and doctoral students, and providing psychotherapeutic services, including assessment and treatment. For the last 20 years, Olena has worked at the Jewish Family Service of Colorado as a psychotherapist and supervisor. She develops curricula and conducts seminars on the psychophysiology of trauma and trauma therapy. In her psychotherapeutic practice, Avramenko emphasizes client collaboration, a client-centered approach to therapy, integrating the truth of approaches (including EMDR) to facilitate change. Since 2014, Olena has been working with the Development Foundation NGO, conducting seminars on the psychophysiology of trauma, acute stress disorder, and PTSD treatment for volunteers, psychologists, and the National Guard. In May 2022, with the support of the Self-Help Communities NGO, Olena traveled to Ukraine as a volunteer, providing psychological services to internally displaced persons and volunteers working in shelters.
Thanks to the financial support of the Ukrainian diaspora organization Friends of Chervonohrad, this training program took place from May 13-18, 2024, in sunny Zakarpattia. The costs of accommodation, meals, and training for military psychologists were covered. The program ensured the resilience of military psychologists of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and expanded their competencies in providing psychological support to servicemen.
The activities of the Self-Help Communities NGO are supported by ISAR Ednannia as part of the Civil Society Sectoral Support Initiative project, funded by USAID.
