Today we started a course of group classes “Self-Help Plus” (SH+) for veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war, under the guidance of the facilitator, psychologist Serhiy Usenko.
“Self-Help Plus” was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a group stress management course consisting of five sessions.
“Self-help Plus” is an ideal proof-of-concept method when there are population groups affected by extremely unfavorable conditions. It is commonly used to manage stress in adults, regardless of whether they have been diagnosed with a mental illness, or to prevent the onset of mental disorders in adults.
A central theme of the SH+ course is the concept from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy that attempts to drive away (suppress) unwanted thoughts and feelings can exacerbate these problems. The course is designed on the basis of five basic skills. Each skill is a key part of learning how to manage stress. A new skill is revealed at each session.
Today, the course participants learned skill 1 – grounding, which means returning our attention to the here-and-now moment, instead of being in a whirlwind of emotions.
11 veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war will take part in the class.
This project was created by the NGO “Wives of ATO Veterans” with the support of ISAR Unity within the framework of the project “Initiative of sectorial support of civil society”, implemented by ISAR Unity in a consortium with the Ukrainian Independent Center for Political Research and the Center for Democracy and the Rule of Law thanks to the sincere support of the American people, provided through The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and within the framework of the “WORTH: UNITY” competition program, which is financed from the state budget through the Ukrainian Veterans’ Fund of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine.
With support GO “Wives of Veterans”
