We would like to share with you that the fourth cohort of students has been admitted into our short-term program in Initial Crisis Counseling, which we opened for lay counselors, relief ministers and volunteers almost a year ago.
This is the first out of the several short-term programs we have launched in addition to our traditional bachelor’s and master’s programs with the view to raising relevant competences of Christian ministers who are trying to meet immediate needs of Ukrainian churches and society at the wartime.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that, considering the scale of the war raging in Ukraine, the level of traumatization of the population (both servicemen and civilians) is overwhelming. Shock, tremendous stress, evacuation, losses, disability or death of loved ones cause a vast array of mental problems ranging from witness trauma to PTSD.
As a matter of fact, there are church ministers, lay counselors and volunteers who, being actively involved into relief ministry, evacuation, work with the IDP and refugees, are often the first to help and listen to war victims.
It is also known that, in order to prevent negative mental health consequences, the best moment when the most impactful help could be given is right at the start after the exposure to trauma. For this very reason, psychological care and support is an indispensable part of any war emergency response along with relief and humanitarian efforts.
Therefore, we are grateful to God for this opportunity to contribute to helping Ukrainians whose mental health has been affected by the war.