Voices from Eastern Ukraine: Peace to Your

House!
(Slogan of Psychological Services in Lugansk)
By Elena Cherepanov, PhD

It is very sad to see how the once beautiful and peaceful Eastern
Ukraine has been plunged into the horrors of civil war. Lives
have been lost, families separated, communities destroyed.
Some people are struggling for basic survival under fire, while
other flee. Many of those in safety cannot sleep at night because
of worrying about their family members and friends. I looked at
the website of the Doneck Psychological Association, which
features pictures of Freud, Fromm and Jung, and thinking
These folks cannot help you now!
The recent developments in Eastern
Ukraine have led to multiple civilian
casualties, mass displacement and
collective trauma. The unrest in Eastern
Ukraine started in March 2014 when
some regions, including Doneck,
Lugansk, Slavyansk, Kharkov, Odessa
and others, declared independence from Ukraine and engaged
in heavy fighting with pro-governmental forces. The civilians
found themselves hostages of the armed conflict and
complicated international political struggle. The UN reports that
hundreds of adults and children have been killed and tens of
thousands have fled. The United Nations Refugee Agency
(UNHCR) estimates that more than 16,000 people fled their
homes in Eastern Ukraine during June alone, bringing the
number of displaced within the country to 54,000. Approximately
110,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Russia since the beginning
of 2014.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) characterize the

situation as a complex emergency, with heavy fighting and

artillery attacks, shortages of food and medications, limited
access to basic medical care, difficulties delivering humanitarian
assistance, and a lack of safety for the media. As in any civil war,
collective trauma carries the inherent potential for the
perpetuation of violence, tension, fears, desperation, anger, and
distrust. Communities are divided, thus isolating people and
limiting their access to scarce resources.
For example, rumors that the humanitarian aid had been
poisoned led to a distrust of assistance efforts. And there is
concern for the possibility of post-trauma radicalization (it is very
human to seek revenge), which may hinder efforts for
reconciliation and the bringing of peace to this war-torn country.
It is expected that the psychological aftermath will be long
lasting and the success of psychological recovery will, to a large
degree, be determined by the communitys resilience and
support.
With my expertise in global trauma, I have begun working with
the psychological fallout from the crisis in Eastern Ukraine. My
approach was based on the model I developed of CommunityBased Psychological Recovery in Complex Emergencies. The
main idea comes from the community mental health paradigm,
which proposes that most individuals and communities are able
to recover if there is support available. Whereas anrmed conflict
destroys the psychological infrastructure, crucial support
systems can be mobilized and strengthened by community
players who are willing to step up to make a difference in
restoring community capacity to support its members,
particularly focusing on special needs groups. This model was
piloted in Liberia in 2011 (with the NGO Last Mile Health) and in
other countries.
In Kiev and Eastern Ukraine more than 170 psychologists,
mental health workers, psychology students, social workers and
pedagogues, were trained via Skype. Many of them had already
started volunteering within the community. They all received
training in trauma and psychological first aid with particular
emphasis on the neutral role of trauma workers as a way to
provide impartial psychological support and contribute to deescalation of violence.
The plan is to continue providing remote supervision and
support. Training included a module on how to reach out to the
community and facilitate a sustainable and self-reliant recovery,

how to identify those willing and able to help and how to

educate, encourage and empower them and how to facilitate
mutual support in the community with particular attention to
children, disabled, persons with mental health problems and the
elderly.
The participants found these trainings helpful, not only
professionally but also therapeutic personally. After an initial
period of demoralization, they felt that they could do something
to make a difference and knew what to do in their professional
capacityhelping others is better than being a sitting duck
under the bombs. Some began organizing among themselves
to support each other, while others evacuated and continue
providing psychological support to fellow refugees in other
regions of Ukraine and Russia.
Even if a truce is reached soon, life will never be the same and
the psychological aftermath is expected to be long lasting. But
the community will recover! Teachers are teaching and students
are eager to return to school to work on their assignments.
There is hope that life will normalize by the fall, so people
continue with their lives. As one colleague wrote, Despite
everything, there is no panic. People try to go about their lives-when possible, find the occasion to celebrate, love, lough and
help each other. I am impressed by the resilience, kindness,
self-determination, self-reliance, desire to help and genuine
concern for the wellbeing of others among the people I was
fortunate to meet.
The Ukrainian community in the United States and Canada also
needs a lot of support. The psychological resources are limited
and the language barrier in accessing services is significant.
There are very few Ukrainian-speaking mental health providers
(many seniors speak Russian), and the current tension creates
challenges for forming the trust needed for therapeutic alliance.

About the Author

Elena Cherepanov, PhD, is a member of the faculty at
Cambridge College (School of Psychology and Counseling,
Trauma Program) and Massachusetts School of Professional
Psychology (Global Mental Health Program). She is a
recognized expert in global trauma who specializes in traumainformed and culturally competent community health care,

cultural trauma, violence prevention, crisis and risk management

and disaster behavioral health. She has developed programs
with a particular emphasis on the psychological recovery of
community systems in complex emergencies. Elena worked with
various NGOs in Armenia, Chechnya, Chernobyl, Russia,
Kosovo, Liberia and Ukraine. She serves on the board of the
Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists (ATSS) and is the
author of over 40 publications.

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