In wartime, medical professionals are increasingly encountering patients who are experiencing acute stress, loss, or symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. For many primary care physicians, this is a new challenge, as the system has not traditionally prepared them to work with such conditions. That is why the public association “League of the Strong” held a mental health training in Ivano-Frankivsk, which brought together primary care physicians.
«It is important to practice practical skills in real life»
The training was conducted by Olga Turyanska, a family doctor, psychologist, mhGAP master trainer, and problem management consultant. She emphasized that medical professionals still lack practical tools for working with patients in states of grief or PTSD.
«Healthcare workers have few skills for working with people who are grieving or experiencing acute stress or PTSD. This is natural, as there was no emphasis on this in the past. Today, the need is extremely high, and it is simply impossible to cover everything. Therefore, it is very important to conduct as many practical live training sessions as possible so that participants can practice these skills, understand the structure of counseling, and at the same time learn how not to burn out while helping people,» said Olga Turyanska.
According to her, such training is especially necessary in the context of war, as the number of people with symptoms of stress and post-traumatic disorders will, unfortunately, only increase.
Participants’ experiences: from patients with anxiety to self-help
The practical value of the training is also confirmed by feedback from doctors. Maria Grygorenko, head of the general practice family medicine clinic, noted that such knowledge is needed every day.
«We very often see mental disorders in the form of sleep disturbances and anxiety. They manifest themselves as somatic symptoms—patients complain that they sleep poorly, lose or gain weight. This is especially true for young women who various specialists are constantly examining, but the cause of their condition is stress related to the war.»
Therapist Tetyana Kavchuk emphasized that self-help skills were particularly valuable to her:
«My most painful area is self-help. How to distance myself from the patient, set my boundaries, and not burn out with them. We examined specific situations and practiced how to properly reflect patients’ emotions so that they do not overwhelm our own. This is something I will definitely take with me into my practice.»
The training was based on materials from the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), a global WHO programme aimed at improving access to psychiatric and psychosocial care by involving primary care physicians.
The event was held as part of the Empower Ukraine project, implemented by the public association “League of Strong”. The project aims to improve the living conditions of people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups in the Ternopil, Cherkasy, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions.
The training was conducted with the financial support of the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO), CBM, and the European Disability Forum. The views expressed in this material belong to the League of Strong and do not reflect the official position of the donors.