On April 23, on the All-Ukrainian Psychologist’s Day, an open roundtable discussion was held in the capital on the topic: “Psychologist, Serviceman, Veteran: New Roles, New Practices, and Professional Mutual Support.”
The event was organized by the European Psychological Association in cooperation with the Department of Psychology of the Academy of Labour, Social Relations and Tourism. The discussion was moderated by Doctor of Psychological Sciences, Professor, and Head of the APSVT Department of Psychology, Liudmyla Beheza.
Deputy Head of the All-Ukrainian Trade Union of Defenders of Ukraine, Sofia Cherepanova, joined the open discussion as a speaker. She directly oversees the area of psychological support and rehabilitation for servicemen and their family members. Sofia emphasized the need to establish a unified, mandatory state-level system of psychological rehabilitation for military personnel returning from the front line to civilian life.
“Psychologist’s Day is not only a professional holiday, but also a reminder that human resilience has its limits. The All-Ukrainian Trade Union of Defenders of Ukraine is systematically developing the field of psychological support — both for military personnel and their families. We are convinced that the adaptation of defenders should begin within the family, and rehabilitation should take place in the family circle, because servicemen first return to their families, and only then to society.
Today, we have a network of specialists working throughout Ukraine who help people affected by the war and train professionals to work with traumatized individuals. A mentally healthy society is our shared responsibility and the foundation of national resilience.
“We thank psychologists for their extremely important work, and our defenders for their courage. Together, we take action and seek solutions!” Sofia emphasized.
Deputy Head of the Kyiv Regional Organization of the All-Ukrainian Trade Union of Defenders of Ukraine and veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Oleksandr Kashperskyi, was also present at the event.
“The importance of psycho-emotional well-being is something I know from my own experience and from the experience of my brothers-in-arms. Since people from completely different walks of life are now serving in the military, each with their own perspectives, this sometimes leads to conflicts and unauthorized leave. It is extremely important to have a competent specialist, at least at the battalion level, who could guide servicemen in the right direction. In my opinion, many problems in the military could be avoided if there were a professional psychologist available,” Oleksandr commented.
