Vilnius. International Organization for Migration (IOM Lithuania) organised a two-day training on how to provide psychosocial support to people in war conditions for fifty psychologists and psychiatrists from Ukraine. The training was led by Jana Javakhishvili, a professor of psychology and psychotherapist from  Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia, who has almost 20 years of experience working with people traumatised by military conflicts. The focus was on strengthening the emotional state and resilience of children and displaced persons.
,,During training, I met highly motivated people who now have a unique opportunity to gain very important experience in psychosocial support during war. In psychology, the most common work is with people who have experienced military conflicts in the past. Specialists in Ukraine encounter and counsel patients who are now experiencing war, loss of loved ones, loss of homes – it is a whole complex of stressors. These are extremely painful experiences, and psychologists themselves need help to avoid professional burnout," says Jana Javakhishvili. The psychologist stressed that innocent people have been suffering from Russian aggression for a very long time, civilian infrastructure has been destroyed, and this is probably the longest war on European territory since the Second World War. She also compared the war in Georgia and Ukraine. ,,In both countries, Russia has invaded, occupied territories but in Ukraine it is full-scale war. Each new day of war in Ukraine means new attempts on civilian lives, new losses of civilians and soldiers, it is a pain for all of us, and it must be stopped! Moreover, Russia is waging a continuous, decades-long hybrid war in both countries, using informational and psychological methods, along with other subversive activities, to undermine national security," says Javakhishvili. 
"The aim of our training was to bring together specialists in a safe environment where they could share their experience and gain new knowledge about the specifics of working in a war environment. In peacetime, a psychologist has the luxury of working with a person for a longer period of time. This is not possible in wartime. That is why we learned together what a professional can do to emotionally strengthen a person in one or two meetings", says Mantas Jeršovas, psychologist at IOM Lithuania. 
One of the participants, psychologist Olha Lychko - Parubocha from Lviv, says that she had to volunteer a lot at the beginning of the war, working with people who had to leave their homes and move to other cities. It was very difficult for these people, they could not believe what was happening to their homes, their families, and finally to their lives. The people of Lviv were also in considerable shock
Lviv residents were also suprised when they had to welcome Ukrainians arriving in their city. "First of all, at the beginning of the war, people needed crisis psychology to help them to understand what had happened and in order to understand what to do next. This was the main goal at the beginning of the war. Nowadays, everything is different, and I think that psychologists will have to deal with the consequences of the war for years to come, and to help people who have experienced the horrors of war now as children. However, Ukrainians are trying very hard to support each other. The war has not broken us and although we did not want it, it has made us stronger," says Olha.
 She says that in a military conflict it is more difficult for older people to adapt, it is not easy to accept change, and when the change is war and forced displacement, the loss of one's normal life, the emotions and denial of the situation are even very understandable. Meanwhile, children react to the situation by taking their cue from parents. If parents are scared or worried, children will usually have the same reaction.  Of course, a lot depends on the age of the child, on the conditions in which he or she has lived, but to a large extent they take on the feelings of their parents. 
As for Ukrainians who live abroad, Olha says that, first of all, they should not think that they are doing something wrong or shameful. "It is very normal and human to take care of your own safety, the safety of your family and loved ones. It's very normal to come out of a place where it is dangerous. So I would say that Ukrainians who are now building a life in foreign countries should not think that leaving their homeland was shameful. Also, it is important to dose up on information. You have to follow news, but it is not worth living it. Especially as information warfare maybe harmful", says Olha. She also encourages people to seek professional help and talk to them about the emotions they are experiencing. 
A psychological support hotline is also available to those fleeing from the war in Ukraine to Lithuania. The helpline is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day and offers counselling in Ukrainian and Russian (tel.: 8-800-00-474).  In addition, IOM Lithuania cooperates with institutions and centres that provide psychological counselling. The aim is to ensure that as many Ukrainians as possible in Lithuania receive  help they need.  
"We strongly encourage Ukrainians in Lithuania to contact psychologists if they feel that they or their relatives are in need of such help. Help is available free of charge, both by phone and by appointment. It is easier to survive the horrors of war and its aftermath with professional help," says Eitvydas Bingelis, Head of IOM Lithuania