In response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, Common Threads Project has partnered with a Polish-based organization Humandoc, German-Swiss NGO Libereco Partnership for Human Rights, and three associated Ukrainian organizations: Mariupol Association of Women Bereginya, Bereginya Pawlopole, and Somatic Experiencing Support for Ukraine. Our program’s current focus is on supporting mental health care workers during this time of crisis and developing partnerships for future work in trauma recovery.

Background

In 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In the time since, nearly one-third of Ukraine’s population have been forced to flee their homes—the majority of whom are women.

Mental health workers have been called upon to respond to this crisis.

Our partners in the region serve those displaced by the war— both as refugees in Poland and internally displaced inside Ukraine. The staff are social care professionals, psychologists, lawyers and psychosocial workers who provide multidimensional support to survivors. Most of these specialists are refugees themselves.

Our Work

In June 2023, Common Threads Project began a series of virtual stress management and burnout prevention workshops.

Over the course of 8 sessions, staff at our partnering organizations learned creative methods for self care and managing trauma.

As the conflict in Ukraine continues, the trend seen in other conflicts will likely present itself to these professionals as well: survivors of sexual violence will emerge and they will need long-term trauma healing. 

In June 2025, a CTP facliitator training for 12-15 Ukrainian therapists will take place in a (relatively) safe location in the Carpethian mountains. The European team of CTP clinical experts includes Catherine Butterly, Elisabeth Janz Mayer-Reickh, and Edita Lintl. We expect that this training will yield approximately 6-7 healing circles in Ukraine in 2025.