Psychosocial response to the Ukraine war
Through PallCHASE and personal connections in the palliative care community around the world, a group of health and mental health providers has come together to provide psychosocial support in Ukraine and the refugee areas. We envision these efforts as a pilot, developing models and response plans for future humanitarian needs in other settings. Focus will be on identifying immediate, shorter term and longer term needs and opportunities. Needs identified by the Ukrainian contacts we have identified so far include:
- Support for coping with the ongoing war stress as health and mental health practitioners strive to provide care in increasingly difficult circumstances
- Education and training in grief and loss, including “Just-in-Time” coaching, and especially in context of trauma
- Education and training for childhood grief and loss in context of trauma
- Funds for supplies, sustaining services, supporting practitioners
Current demands on practitioners make attending training a challenge so education materials will be developed for use as needed and as capacity grows. We have started with Circles of Support, providing health and mental health practitioners with peer support and consultation. Based on a successful model of peer support used during the pandemic, workers in the war and refugee zones will be paired with colleagues around the world for check-ins, focusing on safety and wellbeing.
If you are a psychosocial professional, and you would like to learn more or participate in the program, please use the link below to register to be part of the program.
https://forms.gle/McY4PoLkUo7cie8w7
Circle of support
