We conducted a four-hour online event organised in collaboration with AHALAR, Institute for Social and Political Psychology (ISPP), Solidarity Hub, Institute of Psychology at the University of Oslo, International Forum for Understanding, and Mental Health and Human Rights Info (MHHRI).
This second webinar focused on the concrete ways veterans and their families navigate life after traumatic experiences, ranging from frontline exposure to the severe and long-lasting effects of ill-treatment and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Russian captivity. We will also explore ways we can support this process. These experiences shape veterans’ emotional worlds, their sense of safety, and their relationships with partners, children and communities. Understanding these impacts is essential for building effective, dignified and sustainable support systems.
Purpose
The webinar addresses the central question:
How do veterans and their families move beyond survival, and what does “choosing life” look like after profound trauma?
We will explore:
- how trauma affects veterans’ reactions, coping strategies, identity and daily functioning
- how families experience and respond to these changes, including secondary trauma and disrupted relationships
- how SGBV and other forms of severe abuse in captivity complicate reintegration and help-seeking
- what veterans’ organisations have learned about resilience, recovery, and the small, practical steps that help people rebuild meaning
- how communities and service systems can better recognise warning signs, reduce stigma, and offer timely psychosocial support
This platform brings together veteran services, practitioners, researchers, NGOs, and funders to exchange knowledge, identify priorities, and strengthen coordinated efforts. The event includes simultaneous translation between English and Ukrainian.
More information about the past webinar here.
Program
| Time UKR | Time NOR | Presenter, Organisation – Title |
| 11:00-11:10 | 10.00-10.10 | Intro to Session 1: Trauma and Rehabilitation. Moderator: Iryna Hubeladze, ISPP of NAES Ukraine |
| 11:10-11:40 | 10.10-10.40 | Yuryi Trokhymenko, AHALAR - What helps veterans choose life? Experiences of what works and what does not work with veterans. |
| 11:40-12:10 | 10.40-11.10 | Vasyl Humeniuk, All survivors project - Senior National Health Advisor |
| 12:10-12:40 | 11.10-11.40 | Doris Drews, MHHRI - The manual for helping male survivors of sexual gender-based violence |
| 12:40-13:10 | 11.40-12.10 | Break |
| 13:10-13:15 | 12.10-12.15 | Intro to Session 2. Moderator: Beate Seibt, Solidarity Hub, University of Oslo |
| 13:15-13:45 | 12.15-12.45 | Olena Kasprovych - Hardened by War — Reborn by Life |
| 13:45-14:15 | 12.45-13.15 | Oleksandr Batalov, Ambassador of Life. Veterans and Families Support Foundation - Rebuilding Life: Psychological Resilience, Relationships, and Intimacy |
| 14:15-14:45 | 13.15-13.45 | Nataliia Lishchyshena, Veteran Women`s Movement VETERANKA - From Frontline to Civilian Life: Ukrainian Women Veterans Fighting for Systemic Change |
| 14:45-15:00 | 13.45-14.00 | Wrap up & next steps Les Simm |
Information on the speakers
Iryna Hubeladze
- Head, Department of Mass and Communities Psychology, Institute for Social and Political Psychology (ISPP), National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine (NAES)
- Acting Deputy Director, ISPP NAES Ukraine
- Academic Director, Kyiv School of Economics
- President, Association of Political Psychologists of Ukraine
- Doctor of Psychology
- Research focus: community psychology; social and political psychology; psychological effects of war; IDP support and integration; stigma; sense of belonging and ownership
Yuriy Trokhymenko
- Development Director of AHALAR Center for Humanistic Technologies.
- Trainer, psychotherapist, and retreat facilitator with 30 years of experience.
- Developer of revitalization programs for veterans and military families.
- Expert in Somatic Experiencing–based approaches and Consonance Therapy.
- Creator of integrative recovery retreats focused on restoring the physiology of life.
Vasyl Humeniuk
- Health and Humanitarian Advisor (Ukraine), All Survivors Project
- Psychologist and case manager supporting war-affected populations since 2022, including survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
- WHO “Self-Help+” trainer implementing scaled psychological interventions across Ukraine.
- Former freelance psychologist for the Prosecutor General’s Office, working with individuals released from Russian captivity.
- Previously Director of the Kyiv Regional Center for Social and Psychological Assistance, where he established two shelters for women and children affected by domestic violence.
- Background in psychotherapy and medical psychology, with clinical training from the National Medical University in Kyiv.
Doris Drews
- Specialist in Psychiatry
- Chief physician and team leader at a psychiatric emergency outpatient clinic in Oslo, Norway.
- Therapist with long experience supporting severely traumatised clients.
- Expert in trauma stabilisation and teaching on trauma-informed practice.
- Co-author of Mental Health and Gender Based Violence: Helping Survivors of Sexual Violence in Conflict.
- Co-author of Sexual violence against boys and men in war, conflict, and migration A mental health manual for helpers
Nora Sveaass
- Clinical Psychologist and Professor Emeritus
- Chair of Mental Health & Human Rights Info (MHHRI).
- Leading expert on refugees, human rights violations, and treatment of survivors of torture and violence.
- Former member of the UN Committee against Torture; current member of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture.
- Author and co-author of extensive publications, including key mental health manuals on supporting survivors of sexual violence in conflict.
Beate Seibt
- Social and community psychologist and professor
- Leader of Solidarity Hub (University of Oslo), a network of professionals supporting mental health under war and conflict
- Researcher, trainer, and speaker on mental health in crisis and war
Olena Kasprovych
- Reserve Officer of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
- Combat veteran, participant in operations in the Kharkiv direction.
- Member of the Veterans Council of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Military Administration.
- Participant of the Veteran Leadership Program.
- Facilitator of recovery programs for women veterans and military families.
- Speaker on recovery, transition to civilian life, and women’s veteran leadership.
Oleksandr Batalov
- Veteran with a titanium prosthetic leg.
- Ambassador of Life.
- Director of the Veterans and Families Support Foundation "Unconquered".
- Curator and Instructor of Military Studies in the project “Changemakers”.
- Lecturer of the course “Recovery and Sexual Life”
Natalia Lishchyshena
- Veteran (served in the Air Assault Forces).
- Specialist in support for veterans and demobilized service members.
- Military law lawyer.
- Member of the Women Veterans Movement “Veteranka”.
- Participant of the project “Tribe” by Amnesty International Ukraine.
The organizing committee
Yuriy Usovich, Yuriy Trofimenko (AHALAR, Chernihiv)
Les Simm (International Forum for Understanding, (IFOUND), Cambridge)
Elisabeth Langdal & Nora Sveaass (Mental Health and Human Rights Info (MHHRI), Oslo)
Beate Seibt (Solidarity Hub, University of Oslo)
Iryna Hubeladze (Institute for Social and Political Psychology (ISPP), National Academy of Educational Sciences, Ukraine)