A Workshop for Mentally.one Project Psychologists Took Place in Bukovel

On November 22–24, in Bukovel, representatives of the NGO “Ecomerezha Ukrainy” held a three-day workshop for psychologists working with marginalized youth within the Mentally.one project.

The workshop was facilitated by two experienced psychologists. In total, 26 participants took part, including 11 psychologists, 2 community-building partners from the Polish organization “Federation for Equality Signs,” 3 psychologist partners from the “Hungarian Psychological Association,” and 10 community representatives, including social work specialists.

A week earlier, experts from the Swedish Institute conducted a team-building session for the Mentally.one project psychologists. More details are available in the article at the link.

During the workshop, participants focused on issues related to trauma, anxiety, depressive states, emotional exhaustion, and the sense of danger that is typical for young people living through war. They discussed the specifics of individual and group work, approaches to interacting with vulnerable communities, and tools for creating a safe environment where young people can openly share their experiences, fears, and emotions. Significant attention was given to social isolation, stigma and self-stigma, as well as ways to rebuild social connections and communication skills.

A key part of the program included practical sessions. Working in small groups, participants modeled the structure of psychological support groups, practiced interaction scenarios, conducted role-plays, and learned to identify the needs of young people in complex life situations. These exercises helped consolidate knowledge and demonstrated group dynamics in practice. Experts from Poland and Hungary actively contributed to different stages of the discussions, offering practical recommendations on youth work and community development.

Another important block of the workshop focused on preventing burnout among psychologists working with youths affected by trauma. Participants discussed the “care for carers” concept, as well as supervision and internal support mechanisms that will be implemented within the project. This will help ensure the stability and quality of the work of specialists involved in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, and Zhytomyr.

As a result of the workshop, the structure of future support groups and community development groups was created, a list of topics for training cycles was prepared, criteria for selecting psychologists were agreed upon, and an approach to organizing supervisions was defined. Participants also developed recommendations for optimizing training modules to ensure their effectiveness and convenience for future implementation.

The workshop became an important step in building a system of youth support in wartime conditions. It not only brought together professionals from Ukraine and Visegrad countries but also allowed participants to recognize shared challenges, find ways for collaboration, and create tools that will help young people cope with stress, restore internal resources, and feel part of an active community. The results of the meeting will be used to launch support groups in 2026 and to further strengthen the team of psychologists working within the Mentally.one project.