A couple of Russian political emigrants and a team of Ukrainian psychologists opened the year 2025 with another psychological seminar-training for Ukrainian women in Germany.

In Hamburg 25 - 26 January 2025 on the basis of the Foundation ‘Workers-Samaritans’ of Germany ASB, the eighth seminar-training ‘Psychological assistance to victims of war in Ukraine’ was held.

The seminar was attended by Ukrainian women from Vinnytsia, Odessa, Kiev, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Zaporozhye, Mykolayiv regions, who because of the war unleashed by Putin's Russia found themselves in Germany.

They are all experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and difficulties in adapting to another country.

 The project is implemented by Russian doctors and political emigrants: Alexander and Galina Goncharenko.

            Alla Danilich-Skakun, a professional psychologist from Kharkiv, played the role of a speaker at the event.

During two days the participants of the seminar-training got acquainted with the psychological concepts of anxiety and individual characteristics of anxiety, with the approaches to relieve anxiety, with the influence of thoughts on reality, with step-by-step actions in case of negative emotional state, with the formation of the ability to live in contact and harmony of body and mind, with other symptoms and conditions accompanying PTSD.

Alla Danilich-Skakun skilfully combined theory and psychological practices to help overcome PTSD.

At the end of the event the project organisers and the participants of the training seminar summed up the results.

 A lot of warm and heartfelt words were said by the participants to the project organisers, the psychologist, and to the ASB, the sponsoring organisation of the seminar.

Alexander Goncharenko, the project manager, said that ninety five Ukrainian refugee women had received psychological help during eight training seminars and informed that five more similar events are planned for this year.

All participants of the seminar joined the WhatsApp group ‘Psychological assistance to victims of war in Ukraine’, where communication will be continued.

The project team would like to thank the staff and manager of ASB, Günter Arndt, and the managing director of the Hamburg Foundation for the Politically Persecuted Persons, Martina Baeurle, for their assistance to the project.  

Photo 1. Collective photo at the eighth seminar-training;

Photo 2. Alexander Goncharenko with an introductory speech before the beginning of the seminar;

Photo 3. Psychologist Alla Danilich-Skakun at work;

Photo 4. German cuisine for lunch on the first day;

Photo 5. On the second day of the event, DIA cooks pampered the participants with stuffed cabbage (a Ukrainian dish);

Photo 6. Group photo of the project team: from left to right: Galina Goncharenko, Alexander Goncharenko and Alla Danilich-Skakun;

 Photo 7. Psychological technique with a ball;

Photo 8. Another technique for fighting PTSD;

Photo 9. A new collective technique; Photo

10. Working in pairs;

Photo 11. This is how the emotional results of the training workshop look like.

Last weekend (2 - 3 November 2024) on the outskirts of Hamburg, when golden autumn is still in no hurry to hand over its rights to winter, the seventh seminar-training ‘Psychological support for victims of war in Ukraine’ was held at the ‘Samaritan Workers’ Foundation of Germany ASB.

The seminar was attended by Ukrainian women from Odessa, Kiev, Kherson, Dnipro, Zhitomir and Zaporozhye, Donetsk and Mykolayiv regions, who by fate, fleeing the Russian military aggression found themselves in Germany.

The project is implemented by a married couple of doctors, political emigrants from Russia, Alexander and Galina Goncharenko.

Natalia Stepanenko from Chernihiv participated in this seminar as a psychologist.

She managed to master most of the theoretical and practical skills of psychological self-help with the participants of the seminar and to create a friendly team.

The friendly atmosphere and Ukrainian cuisine contributed to the positive result at the end of the seminar.

According to the tradition, at the end of the seminar the project team and the participants of the seminar-training summarised the results.

A lot of warm words were said by women to the project organisers, psychologist and cooks of ASB.

Recommendations and comments were made to improve the training process at the seminar.

Project manager Alexander Goncharenko noted that seventy nine Ukrainian refugees received psychological assistance during seven training seminars and promised to take into account the recommendations during the next similar events.

Communication with the women was not limited to the seminar. All of them became participants of the WhatsApp group: ‘Psychological help to victims of war in Ukraine’.

The project manager, on behalf of the team and the participants of the workshop, expresses her gratitude to the sponsors of the workshop, the Toepfer Foundation from Hamburg, the team and the head of ASB, Günter Arndt, and the managing director of Hamburg Foundation for Politically Persecuted Persons, Martina Baeurle, for their support to the project.

Photo 1 Collective photo is already a tradition;

Photo 2 Alexander Goncharenko tells about the project;

Photo 3 Psychologist Natalia Stepanenko;

Photo 4. On the first day for lunch cutlets with mashed potatoes;

Photo 5 Outsiders do not enter, there is a seminar;

Photo 6 Training in active psychological methods;

Photo 7. At the dinner table on the second day of the seminar;

Photo 8. Ukrainian dumplings.

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