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.