Veterans

Military men and women, veterans and their families have been deeply affected on a social and psychological level by the war in Ukraine. Thousands of Ukrainian officers and soldiers must contend with what combat and trauma have left in their wake, not to mention the toll of loss and sustained operational stress, all in addition to any bodily harm.

To address this, UICA has put together a psychosocial programme of substance that makes use of art therapy, military know-how, trauma-informed care and community resilience as well as support for the family unit. The intent is to be of direct assistance to those in the war's path and at the same time to build up the professional capacity in Ukraine for a more enduring recovery.

What UICA does

1. Psychological assessment and individual support

UICA begins by identifying the psychological and social needs of each beneficiary. Our teams conduct psychological screening, trauma assessments, assessment of PTSD symptoms, anxiety and depression, evaluation of resilience and social functioning, identification of individual therapeutic needs, referral to appropriate professional or medical services when required, and development of individual therapeutic pathways.

The objective is to ensure that each person receives support adapted to their specific experience.

2. Art therapy sessions

Art therapy is at the heart of UICA's programme. We use creative expression to help people communicate and process experiences that may be difficult to express through words alone.

Activities include painting and drawing (expressing emotions and experiences through guided artistic creation), sculpture and symbolic creation (giving a tangible form to traumatic experiences), music therapy (using sound and rhythm to support emotional regulation), expressive writing (helping participants reconstruct personal narratives and identity), photography and digital art (using visual storytelling as a means of processing trauma), and creative storytelling (transforming personal experiences into narratives that can support recovery).

These activities are conducted within a safe, trauma-informed therapeutic environment.

3. Creative narrative workshops

UICA organizes dedicated workshops where participants can explore their experiences through creative narratives. These workshops can help participants give meaning to traumatic experiences, reconstruct elements of personal identity, express emotions safely, develop new perspectives on their experiences, and reconnect with others through shared creative activities.

4. Family resilience programme

War trauma affects entire families. UICA therefore works not only with military personnel and veterans but also with their spouses, children and family caregivers.

Our activities include family counselling, family resilience sessions, communication workshops for couples, parenting support, psychosocial support for family members, and activities designed to prevent and reduce secondary trauma. The objective is to strengthen family relationships and create a supportive environment for recovery.

5. Training Ukrainian professionals

UICA does not intend to create a system that depends permanently on external professionals. A major part of our programme is therefore dedicated to strengthening Ukrainian expertise: we train psychologists, social workers, rehabilitation professionals, and community facilitators.

Training modules include trauma-informed care (understanding trauma and adapting professional support to people affected by war), art therapy tools (learning practical creative techniques that can be integrated into psychosocial interventions), military trauma (understanding the specific psychological experiences of soldiers, veterans and officers), family resilience (supporting families affected by combat-related trauma and secondary trauma), and professional supervision (providing continuing support to professionals working with highly traumatized populations).

6. Mobile and community-based support

UICA's model is designed to reach people where support is needed. Mobile and community-based approaches allow the programme to respond to changing circumstances, including displacement and security constraints. UICA works with local partners and institutions to develop accessible support networks and strengthen community resilience.

7. Peer-support and resilience networks

Recovery does not take place only in the therapy room. UICA supports the development of peer-support groups, family resilience networks, community activities, local facilitator networks, and connections between beneficiaries and professional support services. These networks help reduce isolation and encourage long-term social reintegration.

8. Monitoring and evaluation

UICA measures the impact of its interventions throughout the programme. Participants are assessed at the beginning of the programme and followed through mid-term and final evaluations, monitoring PTSD symptoms, anxiety and depression, emotional regulation, resilience, social functioning, family communication, social isolation, and beneficiary satisfaction.

The lessons learned are used to improve the programme and develop models that can be replicated elsewhere.

Our programme in action

Over the course of the programme, UICA's planned activities include assessing 1,500 military personnel, delivering 1,500 therapeutic sessions, 300 music therapy sessions and 240 creative narrative workshops, supporting 600 family members through 150 family workshops, training 120 Ukrainian professionals, and holding 24 community events.

These activities combine direct assistance with the development of sustainable Ukrainian capacity.

Building a sustainable model

UICA's objective is not simply to provide temporary assistance. We aim to leave behind trained Ukrainian professionals, practical therapeutic manuals, local facilitator networks, family and peer-support networks, institutional partnerships, and a validated model that can be expanded nationally and adapted to other post-conflict environments.

Our vision

Psychological recovery is an essential part of rebuilding Ukraine. By supporting military personnel and veterans, helping families, training Ukrainian professionals and strengthening local communities, UICA contributes to the long-term resilience of Ukrainian society.

Our mission is to help people transform trauma into resilience, rebuild relationships and regain their place within their families and communities.

How you can help

Do you feel concerned by this issue? Do you believe that Ukrainian soldiers, veterans and their families deserve to receive the psychological support they need to rebuild their lives? You can help UICA make this programme a reality.

Where your donation goes

Your donation helps UICA deliver concrete activities directly to people affected by the war, including psychological and trauma assessments to identify individual needs and provide appropriate support; art therapy and creative therapy sessions, including painting, drawing, sculpture, music, writing, photography and digital art; family support, including counselling, resilience sessions and workshops for couples and parents; training Ukrainian psychologists, social workers and rehabilitation professionals, so that local expertise can continue to grow; community and peer-support activities designed to reduce isolation and strengthen long-term resilience; mobile and local support, helping us reach beneficiaries in different locations and adapt our work to changing circumstances; and monitoring and evaluation, allowing us to measure the impact of our work and continuously improve our programmes.

Every donation helps transform our programme into concrete support for people whose lives have been affected by war. Whether you would like to donate, support our programme, become a partner or contribute your expertise, we would be very pleased to hear from you. Contact UICA to find out how you can support this initiative.