Stories

Tag: MHPSS

  • Peer learning for Psychological First Aid: New ways to strengthen support for Ukrainian children

    Peer learning for Psychological First Aid: New ways to strengthen support for Ukrainian children

    This article is based on Reda Sadki’s presentation at the ChildHub “Webinar on Psychological First Aid for Children; Supporting the Most Vulnerable” on 6 March 2025. Learn more about the Certificate peer learning programme on Psychological First Aid (PFA) in support of children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Get insights from professionals who support Ukrainian children.

    “I understood that if we want to cry, we can cry,” reflected a practitioner in the Certificate peer learning programme on Psychological First Aid (PFA) in support of children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine – illustrating the kind of personal transformation that complements technical training.

    During the ChildHub “Webinar on Psychological First Aid for Children; Supporting the Most Vulnerable”, the Geneva Learning Foundation’s Reda Sadki explained how peer learning provides value that traditional training alone cannot deliver. The EU-funded program on Psychological First Aid (PFA) for children demonstrates that practitioners gain five specific benefits:

    First, peer learning reveals contextual wisdom missing from standardized guidance. While technical training provides general principles, practitioners encounter varied situations requiring adaptation. When Serhii Federov helped a frightened girl during rocket strikes by focusing on her teddy bear, he discovered an approach not found in manuals: “This exercise helped the girl switch her focus from the situation around her to caring for the bear.”

    Second, practitioners document pattern recognition across diverse cases. Sadki shared how analysis of practitioner experiences revealed that “PFA extends beyond emergency situations into everyday environments” and “children often invent their own therapeutic activities when given space.” These insights help practitioners recognize which approaches work in specific contexts.

    Third, peer learning validates experiential knowledge. One practitioner described how simple acknowledgment of feelings often produced visible relief in children, while another found that basic physical comforts had significant psychological impact. These observations, when shared and confirmed across multiple practitioners, build confidence in approaches that might otherwise seem too simple.

    Fourth, the network provides real-time problem-solving for urgent challenges. During fortnightly PFA Connect sessions, practitioners discuss immediate issues like “supporting children under three years” or “recognizing severe reactions requiring referrals.” As Sadki explained, these sessions produce concise “key learning points” summarizing practical solutions practitioners can immediately apply.

    Finally, peer learning builds professional identity and resilience. “There’s a lot of trust in our network,” Sadki quoted from a participant, demonstrating how sharing experiences reduces isolation and builds a supportive community where practitioners can acknowledge their own emotions and challenges.

    The webinar highlighted how this approach creates measurable impact, with practitioners developing case studies that transform tacit knowledge into documented evidence and structured feedback that helps discover blind spots in their practice.

    For practitioners interested in joining, Sadki outlined multiple entry points from microlearning modules completed in under an hour to more intensive peer learning exercises, all designed to strengthen support to children while building practitioners’ own professional capabilities.

    This project is funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of TGLF, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

    Illustration: The Geneva Learning Foundation Collection © 2025

  • Support of children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine: Bridging practice and learning through the sharing of experience

    Support of children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine: Bridging practice and learning through the sharing of experience

    Psychological First Aid in Support of Children Affected by the Humanitarian Crisis in Ukraine: the Experiences of Children, Caregivers and Helpers

    “Do you have an experience supporting children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine that you would like to share with colleagues? Tell us what happened and how it turned out. Be specific and detailed so that we can understand your story.”

    This was one of the questions that applicants to the Certificate peer learning programme on Psychological First Aid (PFA) in support of children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine could choose to answer.

    If you are reading this, you may be one of the education, health, or social work professionals who answered questions like these. You may also be a policy maker or organizational leader asking yourself how children from Ukraine and the people who work with them can be better supported.

    The Geneva Learning Foundation (TGLF), in collaboration with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and with support from the European Union’s EU4Health programme, is pleased to announce the publication of the first “Listening and Learning” report focused on the experiences of education, social work, and health professionals who support children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

    This new report, published in both Ukrainian and English editions, gives back the collected experiences of 873 volunteers and professionals who applied to this new programme in spring 2024.

    Readers will find short, thematic analyses. A comprehensive annex is also included to present the full compendium of experiences shared.

    To transform these rich experiences into actionable insights, the Foundation’s Insights Unit applied a rigorous analytical process. This included systematic consolidation of data, thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns, synthesis of key trends and effective practices, and careful curation of representative experiences. This methodology allows for the rapid sharing of on-the-ground knowledge and innovative practices tailored to the specific context of MHPSS in humanitarian crises. As with any qualitative analysis, these insights should be considered alongside other forms of evidence and expertise in the field.

    Experiences shared reflect the intrinsic motivation of helpers, their subtle attention to children, the magic of doing the right thing at the right moment. They also describe the personal and practical challenges helpers face when working with distressed individuals and communities, often with limited resources. 

    This programme, offered by The Geneva Learning Foundation (TGLF) in partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), employs an innovative peer learning-to-action model grounded in the most recent advances in the learning sciences.

    To complement existing top-down skills-based training in Psychological First Aid (PFA), we are working with IFRC to create structured opportunities for practitioners to learn directly from each other’s experiences while applying what they learn to their own work, aligning to the best guidance and norms for mental health and psychosocial support. For professionals working in crisis settings, this offers several key advantages:

    It leverages the collective expertise and tacit knowledge of practitioners on the ground.

    It creates a supportive community of action, connecting professionals across boundaries of geography, hierarchy, and job roles.

    It helps bridge gaps between theory and practice by positioning learning at the point of work.

    It fosters critical thinking and problem-solving skills through peer analysis and feedback.

    It is highly adaptable and can be implemented quickly in response to emerging crises.

    This process not only enhanced participants’ understanding of Psychological First Aid principles but also built their capacity to critically reflect on and improve their practice. By engaging professionals from across Europe and Ukraine in both English and Ukrainian cohorts, the exercise fostered cross-cultural exchange and mutual learning.

    As the humanitarian sector continues to grapple with how to effectively build capacity at scale, particularly in rapidly evolving crisis situations, we believe this peer learning-to-action model offers a promising pathway. It empowers practitioners as both learners and teachers, creating a dynamic and sustainable approach to professional development that can adapt to meet emerging needs.

    The Foundation would like to thank IFRC, the Psychosocial Support Centre (PSC), National Societies, as well as the network of governmental and non-governmental organizations across Europe that has engaged in this new approach, as a complement to their efforts on the ground. As the programme continues through to June 2025, this report will be followed by others to share what we learned from successive peer learning exercises, folllowed by the development and implementation of local projects guided by the collective intelligence of practitioners.

    We invite you to explore these insights, reflect on their implications for your own work, and consider how this approach might be applied to strengthen mental health and psychosocial support capacity in your own context.

    The Geneva Learning Foundation

    Image: The Geneva Learning Foundation Collection © 2024

  • Mental health and psychosocial support in Ukraine: insights from an interdisciplinary review

    Mental health and psychosocial support in Ukraine: insights from an interdisciplinary review

    A new interdisciplinary review from the ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre and VU Amsterdam provides an in-depth analysis of the mental health impacts, cultural and historical factors shaping coping and help-seeking, the evolving humanitarian response, and recommendations for strengthening mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in Ukraine.

    The report is an interdisciplinary literature review supplemented by key informant interviews.  It synthesizes academic publications, gray literature, media reports and policy documents in English, Ukrainian and Russian. The review team included Ukrainian practitioners and regional experts to identify additional Ukrainian-language sources.

    The review found that the war has led to high levels of acute psychological distress, increased risk of the development of future mental health problems, exacerbation of chronic mental health conditions, psychosocial problems, and an increase in substance use. Exposure to war-related trauma and violence, coupled with the loss of social support systems, poses lifelong risks for a range of mental health issues. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are particularly vulnerable, with previous research showing that “32% of IDPs in Ukraine experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 22% had depression.”  

    Children’s mental health is a critical concern, with “three out of four parents report[ing] signs of psychological trauma in their children” such as “impaired memory, inattention, and learning difficulties.” Over 1.2 million children are internally displaced, with approximately 91,000 separated from family care. These are “the most vulnerable children […] living outside their families, residential institutions for children without parental care or boarding schools, unaccompanied and separated children, and children with disabilities.” Displacement disrupts education, social networks and routines. Adolescents struggle most to adapt and connect with new peers. Older children are taking on caregiver roles for younger siblings. The review identifies a lack of policies and programs specifically targeting child and adolescent mental health as a key gap.

    Ukraine’s complex history has shaped current attitudes and practices around mental health. The review notes that “Ukraine’s historical memory is fragmented, with evaluations of events varying significantly among different population groups,” compounded by “Russia’s historic and contemporary efforts to rewrite Ukrainian history.” Soviet-era legacies of stigma, institutionalization, and the misuse of psychiatry have bred mistrust of formal mental health services, according to the review. Instead, “help seeking behaviour tends to be directed toward spiritual leaders (clergy) and practices.” Religious beliefs and leaders play an important role in mental health coping and support.

    High levels of societal stigma toward mental illness persist, rooted in cultural norms that view psychological distress as a personal weakness or moral failing. Many Ukrainians hide their struggles and avoid seeking professional help due to fears of being perceived as ‘weak,’ receiving a diagnosis that could jeopardize employment, or being involuntarily hospitalized. “Ukrainians still perceive psychiatrists as being highly likely to disclose information about mental health and psychosocial disorders with employers, and therefore, even a single visit to a psychiatric hospital may destroy the future […] There is a particular tendency to hide suicidal thoughts due to high levels of fear of involuntary hospitalisation”, says the report.

    Since 2014, conflict-affected areas in Eastern Ukraine have seen an influx of MHPSS services through humanitarian efforts, while recent national reforms have aimed to decentralize and deinstitutionalize mental healthcare. However, the current crisis has disrupted these reform efforts while dramatically increasing MHPSS needs. This presents both challenges and opportunities to “build on available resources” and integrate “successes of the emergency response into building more sustainable mental health care systems.”

    The review highlights the stark regional disparities in MHPSS needs and capacities due to variations in conflict exposure, displacement patterns, infrastructure damage, and pre-existing resources. Areas affected by armed conflict face acute challenges, including widespread mine contamination, community distrust, and decimated health services. Meanwhile, safer areas in Western Ukraine are straining to meet the needs of large displaced populations. However, they also have more MHPSS responders and opportunities for longer-term interventions.

    To address these complex challenges, the authors stress the importance of cross-sectoral coordination, building on local capacities and cultural resources, and strengthening partnerships between government, civil society, and faith-based organizations. Rigorous research on MHPSS interventions in conflict-affected Ukraine can inform evidence-based responses in the country and globally. 

    The review provides a roadmap for strengthening Ukraine’s MHPSS response through a focus on sustainable, locally-grounded, and trauma-informed approaches. While the needs are vast, there are also opportunities to transform mental healthcare and build resilience.

    Reference: Iryna Frankova, Megan Leigh Bahmad, Ganna Goloktionova, Orest Suvalo, Kateryna Khyzhniak, 2024. Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Ukraine: Coping, Help-seeking and Health Systems Strengthening in Times of War. ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre and VU Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

    Image: The Geneva Learning Foundation Collection © 2024

  • Learning about mental health and psychosocial needs in Ukraine and affected countries

    Learning about mental health and psychosocial needs in Ukraine and affected countries

    The report “Two years on: mental health and psychosocial needs in Ukraine and affected countries” is from the Psychosocial Support Centre, a specialized hub of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) with the mission to “enhance psychosocial support initiatives”.

    Key points from the report include:

    • Nearly “one in ten of those affected by war grapple with moderate to severe mental health issues.” This refers to the crisis having significant psychological impacts on those directly impacted or displaced by the conflict.
    • Over 1 million crisis-affected people have received psychosocial support (PSS) “thanks to specialist staff and more than 124,000 volunteers from 58 countries.” 
    • There are “increased psychological assistance requests…from women heading households” as Ukraine sees heightened risks to families and disruptions to support services due to the conflict. 
    • “Three out of four parents report signs of psychological trauma in their children” including impaired memory, inattention, and learning difficulties. Children are especially vulnerable to the stresses and trauma resulting from the conflict. 
    • Psychological First Aid (PFA) services are provided “at Humanitarian Service Points along refugee routes, through call centers, and at various contact points”.

    Overall, the report highlights the substantial scale and complex nature of MHPSS (mental health and psychosocial support) needs driven by the Ukraine conflict as well as the scale and scope of the Red Cross Red Crescent response mobilized so far including through delivery of PFA (Psychological First Aid) and PSS (psychosocial support).

    What are the challenges?

    The report on mental health and psychosocial needs in Ukraine highlights several key challenges, including:

    • The vast scale of needs driven by protracted conflict, with 14.6 million people requiring humanitarian assistance. Meeting mental health demands for crisis-affected populations often exceeds available capacity and resources.
    • Ensuring consistent, sustainable care and support with constrained funding and risk of donor fatigue as the crisis persists long-term. Services must have resilience even as attacks continue disrupting infrastructure.
    • Reaching vulnerable groups like the elderly and immobile with limited mobility to access care. Specialized outreach and home-based care is essential but demanding to deliver.
    • Preventing burnout, fatigue and declining wellbeing among staff and volunteers working under intense pressure in risky environments. Their mental health and capacity is vital but often overlooked.

    What can we learn about psychological first aid (PFA) for children from this report?

    First, we need to understand the specialized terminology used:

    • The term “MHPSS” (mental health and psychosocial support) refers to a continuum of support aimed at protecting and improving people’s mental health and wellbeing during and after crises. The report notes resourcing this immense and growing scale of MHPSS need remains an acute challenge.
    • Psychological First Aid (“PFA”) describes a humane, supportive response to a fellow human being who is suffering and who may need support.
    • Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) are a key element of the Red Cross Red Crescent psychosocial support response in Ukraine. They are “a service to increase children’s access to safe environments and promote their psychosocial well-being.”

    We learn that with support from the IFRC Psychosocial Centre, the Ukrainian Red Cross Society:

    • has provided recreational activities to almost 70,000 children in CFS inside Ukraine over the past year;
    • trained 319 staff and volunteers in managing CFS;
    • runs CFS to help children cope with issues like difficulties meeting new people, separation anxiety, and fear when air raid sirens sound.

    The report shares anecdotes from children, such as a child who came to a CFS in Kyiv after fleeing heavy shelling. His social anxiety has improved and he asks his mom if he can skip school to go to CFS activities instead.

    More data, supported by analysis on outcomes and effectiveness, could further strengthen the report.

    How can peer learning be useful?

    A peer learning model focused on improving health outcomes is likely to be relevant in addressing these multilayered challenges. It is specifically designed to foster reflection and unlock intrinsic motivation in practitioners to create change.

    • Peer learning methodologies could help meet capacity gaps by scaling support across affected areas rapidly through digital means.
    • Peer support networks could enable volunteers and staff caring for others to also care for themselves, preventing fatigue. 
    • By connecting practitioners across borders and sectors, peer learning could help to share innovative, context-appropriate solutions and accelerate their testing and refinement to meet needs.

    Reference: Two years on: mental health and psychosocial needs in Ukraine and affected countries. Psychosocial Support Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark.

    Image: Psychosocial Support Centre Report cover.