Our Work

Heal Ukraine Trauma is the first initiative of Heal Traumas International, Inc., a mental health 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2022.

Our goal is to help Ukrainian adults and children heal from conflict-related trauma so that they can live fulfilling, productive lives. We work with international trauma experts and Ukrainian partners to scale existing evidence-based programs and pilot innovative solutions for:

1) Veterans

Supporting the introduction of novel therapies to improve outcomes for those with severe mental health conditions.

2) Children

Implementing effective programs to address traumatic stress and reduce the risk of long-term mental health conditions.

Our Approach

Heal Ukraine Trauma brings unique value – we focus on areas of great need, build collaborative partnerships, and lead project teams. Our global network of experts helps us achieve maximum impact.

Please reach out if you would like to collaborate with us!

Veterans Programs

  • There are currently over 500,000 people in the Ukrainian military. Data in Ukraine from 2012-2021 shows that military hospital admissions for mental health increased 6.97 times during periods of active hostility. Another study found that 57% of Ukrainian veterans needed psychological support. The end of the war could lead to a wave of severe mental health disorders among veterans and first responders.

  • In 2023, Heal Ukraine Trauma sponsored the first medical conference on psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) in Ukraine for the treatment of PTSD. This event was organized by the Ukraine Psychedelics Research Association (UPRA) and hosted by the Forest Glade military rehabilitation hospital. International experts presented scientific and clinical data on the use of PAT, and veterans shared their personal experiences and insights. The conference was viewed online by over 12,000 people.

    The conference opened the door to discussions about potential legalization of PAT in Ukraine.

    It built awareness of PAT as a breakthrough therapy to heal those impacted by trauma-related mental health conditions.

    It led to a government roundtable to discuss the pathway for approval of PAT in Ukraine

    Working groups involving key stakeholders have been established to work through the requirements.

  • HUT has partnered with Fluence, a leader in psychedelic therapy training, and the Ukrainian Psychedlic Research Association to make Fluence’s introductory course on psychedelic-assisted therapy available for free in Ukrainian language for psychologists and medical doctors addressing war-related trauma.

  • Program under development

    Our pilot program aims to develop a comprehensive group ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) curriculum and initially train 8 psychotherapists in Kyiv to facilitate group sessions. Due to the scale of the mental health crisis in Ukraine, 11 million people are projected to need psychosocial support, making solutions that maximize resources and go beyond a 1-to-1 model between patient and provider essential. With immediate applicability due to ketamine’s effectiveness and legal status, this training will have a real impact now. In the long term, the KAP group model can serve as a framework for psychedelic-assisted group therapy if psychedelic medicines become legally available in Ukraine. Following the initial pilot, the program will be scaled to more therapists, building their capacity to ultimately reach thousands with KAP.

Children’s Programs

  • Since 2022, Ukrainian children have had their lives upended because of the war. Many have experienced traumatic events – loss of loved ones, separation from family and friends, destruction of homes, and ongoing Russian missile strikes.

  • Teaching Recovery Techniques (TRT) is an evidence-based program that helps children in conflict and disaster areas process traumatic stress. The program was developed by the nonprofit Children & War and has been actively used in Ukraine since 2014.

    TRT addresses the early stages of trauma, preventing mental health issues from intensifying. In 2023, Heal Ukraine Trauma partnered with the “All Ukrainian NGO <Volunteers>” to deliver the program to 648 children. The 6-week, two-hour sessions teach mind-body techniques to help with stress management and trauma processing. Children who participated reported that the program was useful (91%) and showed improvement on standard mental health assessments at the end of the program.

  • Heal Ukraine Trauma is providing support for an ongoing randomized controlled trial in Ukraine to assess the effectiveness of adding a parenting module to the Teaching Recovery Techniques program. The program partners for this study are Queen Mary University, Ternopil University, UNICEF, “All Ukrainian NGO Volunteers”, Children and War Foundation, and the Department of Education in Ternopil. The study will enroll 226 children. The program has so far screened 4500 children ages 8-13 and found that 40% have above-threshold PTSD symptoms.

  • Program under development

    This program aims to adapt the TRT program manual and evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed adaptations for children with disabilities in Ukraine. Currently, there is no provision in the TRT manual and associated learning materials for children with disabilities. There are around 700,000 children with disabilities in Ukraine and over 40 million children with disabilities living in war zones globally. Children with disabilities are particularly impacted by war and were an underserved population before the conflict in Ukraine. Together with our partners at Children & War and the Yarmachenko Institute of Special Education and Psychology of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine, this program will pilot the adapted program among a group of 60 children.