For years, the woman had forbidden herself from grieving openly. Only after speaking with a psychologist from a mobile team was she able to give vent to her emotions and take the first steps toward healing.
Psychologists of the mobile medical teams of the "Light of Hope" BO, together with their colleagues, go to remote villages of the Sumy Oblast and Kharkiv Oblast every weekday. People are received in premises where there are usually no offices equipped for individual consultations. And communication time is limited.
"Most often, people come with somatic complaints—insomnia, blood pressure issues, or heart pain. But in most cases, what lies beneath this is a deep-seated trauma that has been 'frozen' for years," says Vitalina Pysarenko from the Krolevets community.
Therefore, the specialist’s task in such conditions is to focus on establishing a high-quality connection and on crisis response.
During one of the field visits, a local woman shared with the psychologist that she had lost a child many years ago.
"I often think about the fact that I would have a grown son by now. He would help me with everything..." recalled Maryna (name changed).
Vitalina discovered that the woman was living with a deep sense of guilt regarding her own life, apathy, and chronic sadness, while continuing to dwell on how things might have been. This was because, in the aftermath of the tragedy, everyone had advised her to "stay strong" and "live for the sake of others."
"She simply forbade herself from feeling and carried a hidden pain within her for years. We discussed the fact that there is no set timeframe for grieving a loss. Pain is a normal reaction to abnormal events. For the first time, she was given permission to cry and talk through her grief—without it being dismissed or being told to 'pull herself together,'" the psychologist noted.
The specialist also taught the woman breathing exercises and grounding techniques, providing her with tools for self-help. She supplied her with informational materials and contact details for a support hotline, and arranged for the possibility of remote support.
"I thought nothing would help me anymore, since so many years had passed. But for the first time in all this time, it’s become easier to breathe," said Maryna.
The woman did not forget her loss, but she finally gave herself permission to move on.
The success of the work of the psychologist of the mobile team is not months of therapy, but the ability to quickly and accurately determine the needs of the person who came for consultation. Thanks to the support of the German Government and the EU, these meetings are free of charge and take place regularly in communities.
The project is implemented by the Light of Hope NGO within the EMPOWER project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), co-financed by the European Union, and implemented by GIZ Ukraine.
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