UCU’s Innovations Office together with the Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy of the Health Sciences Faculty (HSF) of Ukrainian Catholic University and the Oleksandr Halchynskyi Center for Family Psychotherapy has developed a certificate program “Basics of psychological consulting and accompanying veterans and the peer to peer system.” Veterans who take the courses will be able to provide qualified help to their comrades who were in captivity or demobilized.
The program was developed by Maryana Mykolaychuk, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy of UCU’s HSF, and Oleksandra Halchynskyi, an accredited psychotherapist and an experienced soldier in the Israeli Defense Forces. He has actively helped the Ukrainian Army since the start of the full-scale invasion. In particular, he provides consultation to military psychologists.
Maryana Mykolaychuk
“Various departments have invited me to share my knowledge. Mostly this has been tactical psychology: how to get by on the field of war, to help comrades stabilize during military actions, how to protect personnel. In parallel, I have conducted training for civilian psychologists who work with the military,” explained Oleksandr Halchynskyi. “A number of civil organizations and educational centers invite me to share techniques, protocol for work with the military to provide them with psychological assistance. This is not only direct psychological assistance but about consulting, accompaniment, and psychotherapy in fairly critical conditions.”
He added that the program in conjunction with UCU’s Health Sciences Faculty prepares specialists for direct contact with veterans: “Participants in our program are themselves veterans. Each of them has some combat experience, some have experience of captivity. We prepare them so that they can effectively provide psychological assistance.”
“This type of education is a method of healing and self-help: when developing their skills in psychological consultation, veterans help themselves. They use psychological techniques and instruments also for themselves,” added Maryana Mykolaychuk.
A class in the program “Basics of psychological consulting and accompanying veterans and the peer to peer system”
She explained why they chose the peer to peer system: “According to research, a soldier or veteran more readily turns to someone with similar, traumatic combat experience, who already knows how, in an expert way, to use instruments and techniques of psychological help, rather than turning to someone who does not have similar experience.”
Participating in the program are specialists who already have experience in consulting, knowledge of psychology, appropriate medical education, or are leaders and founders of civic organizations that help veterans.
A class in the program “Basics of psychological consulting and accompanying veterans and the peer to peer system”
Andriy Farmuha from Ivano-Frankivsk has experience working in the peer to peer system. He served in the ATO, and, when he returned, he went through rehabilitation courses, after which they proposed that the veteran lead groups of support and training for veterans’ organizations and civil groups which work in veterans’ affairs and also for social service organizations.
“What I knew was ‘snatched’ from various sources. I wanted systematization, to find out about new instruments and methods, and also to get acquainted with comrades who also work in similar areas,” explained Andriy Farmuha. “I really like these classes, because I can learn about psychology, which I was lacking. I’m glad that the professors take account of our dynamics. It’s noticeable in their work.”
A class in the program “Basics of psychological consulting and accompanying veterans and the peer to peer system”
Since 2014, Olena Zhyvko has headed the veterans’ organization Volunteers’ League. She is a lawyer by training, so she helps veterans resolve legal problems. In 2022, Zhyvko went to the frontlines as a volunteer. Upon her return, with a grant from the Ukrainian veterans’ fund she opened small “one to one” spaces in the Lviv Region based on the peer to peer principle.
“When I saw that UCU was organizing classes, I decided to go. Because UCU is at a high level. Automatically, the lecturers will be qualified. I also like the fact that the program lasted a while [three months – editor]. Because you can’t consider such important questions in an hour of training. I’m glad to have the opportunity to study in a classroom and ask the questions that trouble each of us,” admitted Olena Zhyvko.
The academic program on the basics of psychological consulting for veterans in the peer to peer system is composed of three modules. During the first module, held in the last week of September at UCU, students gained basic knowledge in various psychological disciplines: the psychology of personality, psychology of emotions, psychology of cognitive processes in the work of the brain, and the basics of neurobiology.
“Of course, when teaching the theoretical foundations, we use examples familiar to our students, from their lives and the lives of comrades. We also recalled the influence of trauma and its consequences: depression, anxiety disorders,” stated Maryana Mykolaychuk.
The second module will form in the students skills in psychological consulting, so-called low intensity skills or skills for non-specialists: how to be a first responder, how not to do harm, what are the ethical boundaries, what are the rules of conducting psychological discussions or interviews.
A class in the program “Basics of psychological consulting and accompanying veterans and the peer to peer system”
The third module will involve deeper knowledge. For example, how to work on the theme of loss and complications of grief, physical injuries, boundaries, how to counsel comrades who are struggling with substance abuse, how to work with families, and how to counsel married couples.
