East SOS Psychologists Deliver Burnout Prevention Training for Humanitarian Staff Working in Transit Center in Lozova

On May 22, 2026, East SOS psychologists delivered the training “Resilience in Flow: Burnout Prevention for Humanitarian Workers” for teams working at the transit center in Lozova (Kharkiv Oblast).

The training brought together 20 representatives from five humanitarian organizations: Charitable Organization “Relief Coordination Center”, the Kharkiv Regional Organization of the Ukrainian Red Cross, Charitable Foundation “Right to Protection”, the Charitable Organization “Caritas”, and the Charitable Foundation “Lumos Ukraine”.

Every day, the transit center team meets more than 200 people who have experienced shelling, loss of housing, or difficult evacuation journeys. These experiences often manifest in a wide range of emotions – from despair and anxiety to irritation or aggression. For humanitarian teams, it is therefore essential not only to respond appropriately to people in different emotional states but also to maintain their own resilience to continue providing quality support.

East SOS psychologists Antonina Tur and Maryna Yunasheva developed the training based on their own experience supporting evacuees.

“I work at registration, and every day I face the emotions of people who have gone through many traumatic events. Sometimes they struggle to cope and project anger, irritation, or aggression onto me. During the training, it felt like I was seeing myself from the outside, and I realized that I have a choice in how I respond. We cannot always change the situation, but we can choose how we interact with it,” said Liliia, a representative of the Relief Coordination Center.

The event created a space where participants learned to better recognize their own emotional state, find resources for recovery, and apply self-regulation techniques while coping with a constant workload. Through exercises, role plays, and group work, they also strengthened teamwork and mutual support skills.

“The pencil exercise particularly stood out to me. It was a powerful metaphor for our work. You literally feel that when someone becomes exhausted or can no longer carry the load, others should step in to support them. It does not matter whether it is a colleague or someone from another organization. We all work side by side for people and can support one another,” said Oksana, a representative of Lumos Ukraine.

For East SOS psychologists, it was important to support colleagues working in the transit center and to share practices that help maintain resilience and strengthen professional skills. Through such mutual support, we can continue to be a reliable source of assistance for people affected by the war.

The training was delivered within the project “Accessible Accommodation and Tailored Support Services for Vulnerable Displaced Persons in Kharkiv Oblast”, implemented with financial support from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (UHF).