When villages become battlefields: supporting mental health in Ukraine

Above: Participants in a Self Help Group supported through AHP in Hoholiv, Ukraine. Photo: IMC

Hoholiv is a small village close to Brovary city in Ukraine, on the outskirts of Kyiv, that was occupied at the beginning of the full-scale invasion by Russian forces as they attempted to capture the capital.

Battles were fought in the village, the surrounding area is littered with mines and explosives, civilian lives were lost, and many houses and administrative buildings have been damaged.

Above: Participants in a Self Help Group for women supported through AHP in Hoholiv, Ukraine. Photo: IMC

For residents, life has changed dramatically since the war began, and many are carrying trauma and stress.

Above: Participants in a Self Help Group for women supported through AHP in Hoholiv, Ukraine. Photo: IMC

With the support of the Australian Humanitarian Partnership through Plan International, the International Medical Corps (IMC) has been actively supporting this community since the winter of 2022.

IMC’s mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) team has carried out training for local service providers (such as doctors, nurses, teachers, and social workers) and has also been conducting individual counselling sessions for those who need specialised support.

Earlier this year, the MHPSS team identified informal community leaders in Hoholiv and led psychoeducation sessions on stress and emotional regulation.

A Self-Help Plus group session was also held. The participants of the group were all women aged between 35 and 55 who had difficulties with sleeping, and felt anxious and uncertain about the future. They were experiencing apathy, and felt they couldn’t support other community members as they had done before, so were becoming disconnected and isolated.

After the sessions, participants reported improved sleep and decreased anxiety. Group support activities strengthened their links to the community and they started to get together outside of the group sessions, supporting each other and reminding each other about the importance of practicing stress-management techniques as a part of their daily life.

Since conducting the sessions, community leaders have reported that they are supporting and sharing these techniques with their relatives and neighbours. They also expressed willingness to be trained as Self-Help Plus facilitators to be able to conduct support groups with members of their community. IMC will provide this as the next step in supporting the residents of Hoholiv village as the uncertainty of war continues.