A veteran’s return to civilian life is a journey their family takes alongside them. After experiencing combat, a person may need time to readjust to everyday routines, home life and close relationships.
To support Ukrainian defenders’ families through this transition, Future for Ukraine has launched Mental Health, a psychological support programme for veterans and their loved ones. The programme began with an introductory retreat at Shelest, a countryside resort, bringing together the project’s specialists and veterans from the NGO All-Ukrainian Association “Veteran Corps”. Participants included veterans, their wives and the widows of fallen defenders.
Over three days at the welcoming resort nestled in a forest, families had an opportunity to recharge, spend time with people who understood their experiences and take part in meaningful activities. Participants were introduced to the free psychological support programme, which offers 16 individual and three family counselling sessions online for veterans and their wives, as well as 12 individual online sessions for the wives of fallen defenders. The retreat aimed to introduce participants to the programme and its team of psychologists, allowing them to choose a specialist to continue working with online.
Anna Hrubaia, Mental Health Programme Lead“We work with both the veteran and someone close to them. A family is a system: changes affecting one person have an impact on everyone. Introducing the programme in such an informal setting helps people open up and take the first step towards recovery with professional guidance”
After meeting the psychologists, participants split into small groups: veterans and their wives in one group, and the wives of fallen defenders in another. Each group received an introduction to the support available to them and took part in their first activities with the psychologists.
Among the participants were Ivan, a veteran of the Third Army Corps, and his wife, Inna.
An optimist by nature, Ivan is used to handling life’s challenges on his own. He attended the retreat for his wife’s sake. “I’m here mainly for my wife. She needs this psychological support. While I was undergoing treatment and surgery, she did everything she could to give me peace of mind,” Ivan says.
For Inna, support from a community and professionals is essential. “It’s frightening to wait alone in silence, with no one to talk to. Waiting for weeks for that ‘+’ in a message or a call from him when he came back from the front line was the hardest part. I’m glad to be among people who understand what I’ve been through,” she shares.
Between sessions with the psychologists, participants took part in creative activities, attended a tea ceremony and enjoyed time outdoors with their families. In the evening, everyone gathered for dinner, followed by conversations around a bonfire.
For Serhii, a veteran who defended Azovstal in 2022 and spent four years in Russian captivity, events like this are an important part of reconnecting with others. Here, he can be among people who share an understanding of wartime experiences and recognise the need for support after captivity. The informal setting helped Serhii take the first step towards further work with a psychologist.
Sisters’ Aroma beauty brand also joined the effort to support veterans and their families, providing participants with gifts of beauty products. Shelest provided comfortable accommodation.
Support That Continues Beyond the Retreat
After the retreat, all 24 participants will continue working with psychologists online, free of charge. For veterans and their wives, the programme offers individual sessions and family counselling to help them understand one another and adjust together to life after returning from the front line.
The wives of fallen defenders will receive individual support as they navigate grief and adjust to life after loss. The specialists will tailor their work to each person’s experiences, current needs and pace.
Ivanna Babii, Head of the “Rodyny” Family Support Centre project at the NGO All-Ukrainian Association “Veteran Corps”“Psychological support helps strengthen relationships and deepen our understanding of one another’s needs. It is about addressing the effects of war, but also about keeping families together, as they are an important source of support for veterans. Supporting the mental health of veterans and their loved ones is an investment in the resilience of Ukrainian families, veterans’ successful reintegration into civilian life and the country’s future”
For the Ukrainian families who attended, the retreat marked the first step towards sustained psychological recovery and support.
The psychological support programme for veterans’ families is implemented with support from the Pfizer Foundation.
Future for Ukraine previously signed a memorandum of cooperation with the NGO All-Ukrainian Association “Veteran Corps” as part of the charitable programme “Mental Health”, to jointly develop and implement effective ways to support veterans and their families.
