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 Partners
The mission of the HumanDOC Foundation is to create positive change in people's lives, to build resilience in people and communities. To give a chance for a better life to those who need it and the assurance that they are not alone - or lonely - in the face of the challenges they face.
Libereco – Partnership for Human Rights is an independent German-Swiss non-governmental organization dedicated to the protection of human rights in Belarus and Ukraine.
Mariupol Women's Association Bereginya was created from among displaced women and volunteers, united by a common desire to help those who needed help and a sense of responsibility for people. Multi-specialist teams consisting of a case manager, a lawyer and a psychologist are still working in Mariupol.
SE Support for Ukraine is the part of the SE Committee for Humanitarian Response. This joint project of Somatic Experincing® International and the European Association Somatic Experiencing® serves as a platform to connect people within the global SE community who are engaged in humanitarian action, both prevention and response, and to foster the exchange of best practices, SE-based resources, and mutual support.
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.