War in Ukraine

Recorded Tuesday, March 29, 2022

This webinar recording highlights opportunities and challenges for traumatic stress professionals assisting those affected by the war in Ukraine. Dr. Frankova discusses current needs of forcibly displaced people and digital interventions developed for people under stress. Next, Dr. Sijbrandij focuses on scalable psychological strategies to prevent or address common mental health problems of people affected by the war in Ukraine. Finally, Dr. Ventevogel presents an overview of how mental health and psychosocial support is integrated in the humanitarian response for Ukrainian refugees. 

Resources from webinar:

• ​Mental Health and Pscyhosocial Support, Humanitarian Responsed in Ukraine and Neighboring Countries - as mentioned during webinar
• For more information about Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), as mentioned during the webinar, please reach out to [email protected]
• Webinar presentation slides - Pieter Ventevogel, MD, PhD 
• Webinar presentation slides - Iryna Frankova, MD, PhD
• Webinar presentation slides - Marit Sijbrandij, PhD

Speakers

Moderator:

Ananda Amstadter, PhD
Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

Ananda Amstadter, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Human & Molecular Genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Her program of research focuses on understanding biologic and psychosocial factors that affect the trajectory of symptoms among individuals exposed to trauma (e.g., combat, disasters, interpersonal violence) with a focus on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol-related phenotypes. She is currently serving as President of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

Panelists:

Iryna Frankova, MD, PhD
Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine

Iryna Frankova, MD, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor at the Department of Medical Psychology, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine. She was a Co-Director of the Advanced Research Workshop "Risk Management of Terrorism Induced Stress - Guidelines for the Golden Hours (Who, What and When)" (Odesa, Ukraine), supported by NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme. Currently Dr. Frankova serves as Chair of the Traumatic Stress Network, European College of Neuropsychopharmacology. 

Marit Sijbrandij, PhD
Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Marit Sijbrandij, PhD, is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Department of Clinical, Neuro- and Developmental Psychology at VU University [Vrije Universiteit], Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Director of the WHO Collaborating Center at VU University. Her areas of research are prevention, (early) interventions and public mental health interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems in populations exposed to trauma and adversities, including refugee populations and populations in low- and middle-income countries.
 

Peter Ventevogel, MD, PhD
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Geneva, Switzerland

Peter Ventevogel, MD, PhD, is a psychiatrist and a medical anthropologist. He serves as Senior Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Officer with UNHCR, the refugee agency of the United Nations. In this role he supports country operations of UNHCR with technical guidance around mental health and psychosocial support for refugees and other forcibly displaced populations.