Psychologist Day in Ukraine: What It Means to Support Others During War – Reflections from East SOS Experts

On April 23, Ukraine marks National Psychologist Day.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to everyone who has chosen this path – to stand beside people during the most difficult moments of their lives. You help people live through fear, loss, emotional exhaustion, and uncertainty – and find the strength to keep moving forward.

Special thanks today go to the psychologists of East SOS, who every day support people affected by russian aggression.

We know that being a psychologist during war means being there for others not because circumstances are easy, but despite everything.

Despite exhaustion, personal troubles, and anxiety. Even when it is difficult for someone to trust, you find the words to gently ease resistance, dispel doubts, and support people on their way to recovery.

In frontline hromadas (communities), temporary shelters, transit centers, host hromadas, “Zatyshno space” hubs, and in the very first moments after enemy attacks – you are there so that no one is left alone with their pain and can gradually return to life.

Below are the reflections of our specialists, which best capture what this mission means in their daily work.

We are sincerely grateful to our team for their resilience, focus, and inner strength.

We wish you to be as attentive to yourselves as you are to those you support. To find time for recovery, replenish your energy, and feel support around you. May your lives always have space for peace, warmth, and simple joys.

What It Means to Be a Psychologist During War

• Being the coordinator of a psychological support program during war means carrying responsibility for the team, for your words, and for decisions that must give hope even in the darkest days.
  Yuliia Krat

• Being a psychologist during war means facing pain that cannot be fixed but can be endured together.
  Nataliia Natina

• Being a psychologist during war means listening to stories where there is no more “how it used to be” and helping people find at least a small sense of “how to move forward”.
  Olha Chukhno

• Being a psychologist during war means preserving calm within despite all worries so you can share that calm with those who need it.
  Anastasiia Titova

• Being a psychologist during war means talking about evacuation in a way that allows a person, despite fear, to feel at least a little calm and trust when making an important decision.
  Daria Astakhova

• Being a psychologist during war means mastering the art of holding back inner tears while offering a calm gaze and a steady anchor to others.
  Antonina Tur

• Being a psychologist during war means being the voice that keeps people from facing fear alone.
  Maryna Yunasheva

• Being a psychologist during war means sincerely believing that a person will make it through – even when they no longer believe it themselves.
  Yuliia Talapova

• Being a psychologist during war means holding the hand of a child who is afraid of loud sounds and helping them feel calm again.
  Svitlana Kopanytsia

• Being a psychologist during war means teaching people to put their emotions into words instead of burying them deeper inside.
  Maryna Dashko

• Being a psychologist during war means being constantly struck by how bright people end up in such dark circumstances.
  Anna Zaporozhchenko

• Being a psychologist during war means witnessing loss without losing compassion.
  Iryna Kasiian

• Being a psychologist during war means sharing people’s pain every day, learning together to see the light, and keeping hope alive in your heart.
  Anna Zelenova

• Being a psychologist during war means leaning on one another so that we can continue supporting others.
  Inna Hlazkova