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The experience of launching a psychological hotline across 21 countries to support Ukrainians in wartime

Valeriia Palii (National Psychological Association, Kyiv, Ukraine)
Mariana Velykodna (Department of Practical Psychology, Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University, Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine and Psychoanalytic Psychology and Psychotherapy Division, National Psychological Association, Kyiv, Ukraine)
Marcio Pereira (Administração Regional de Saúde do Algarve – ACES Sotavento, Lisbon, Portugal)
Rosaleen McElvaney (Children’s Health Ireland, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland)
Sam Bernard (PAR Foundation, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA)
Vitalii Klymchuk (Department of Social Sciences, Center of Childhood and Youth Research, Universite du Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Luxembourg and National Psychological Association of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine)
Oleg Burlachuk (National Psychological Association, Kyiv, Ukraine)
Alexander A. Lupis (Division 39, American Psychological Association, Washington, District of Columbia, USA)
Nadiia Diatel (Laboratory of Psychology of Mass Communication and Media Education, Institute of Social and Political Psychology, Kiev, Ukraine and National Psychological Association, Kyiv, Ukraine)
Jane L. Ireland (School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK)
Kimberley McNeill (School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK)
Janina L. Scarlet (Trauma and PTSD Healing Center, San Diego, California, USA)
Ana L. Jaramillo-Sierra (Department of Psychology, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia)
Bassam Khoury (Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada)
Diana Rocio Sánchez Munar (Department of Psychology, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia)
Sarah L. Hedlund (Department of Professional Psychology Program, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA)
Tara Flanagan (Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada)
Jeanne LeBlanc (Canadian Medical Assistance Team, Toronto, Canada)
Diana Maria Agudelo Velez (Department of Psychology, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia)
Yvonne Gómez-Maquet (Department of Psychology, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia)

Mental Health and Social Inclusion

ISSN: 2042-8308

Article publication date: 4 May 2023

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss current work and further steps of the psychological hotline launched by the National Psychological Association of Ukraine (NPA), along with a call for action to mental health professionals worldwide.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper describes the training and support of the NPA’s hotline staff as well as reflections on the hotline’s work from June 2022 to April 2023.

Findings

With broad international support, the NPA’s psychological hotline currently operates in 21 countries providing psychological assistance and referrals to other service providers within Ukraine and abroad. The authors propose further steps of its work, including international collaboration.

Originality/value

Providing citizens of Ukraine with broad public access to evidence-based remote psychological support through NPA’s hotlines is a high priority considering the war’s negative impact on mental health diverse and the limited capacity of the state mental health system.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

All authors declare no competing interests.

Funding. The abovementioned psychological hotline was funded by UNDP and the governments of Canada and Denmark, and received pro bono technical support from Amazon and Deloitte. Financial assistance was not used in any way for the preparation and publication of this paper.

Citation

Palii, V., Velykodna, M., Pereira, M., McElvaney, R., Bernard, S., Klymchuk, V., Burlachuk, O., Lupis, A.A., Diatel, N., Ireland, J.L., McNeill, K., Scarlet, J.L., Jaramillo-Sierra, A.L., Khoury, B., Sánchez Munar, D.R., Hedlund, S.L., Flanagan, T., LeBlanc, J., Agudelo Velez, D.M. and Gómez-Maquet, Y. (2023), "The experience of launching a psychological hotline across 21 countries to support Ukrainians in wartime", Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-04-2023-0040

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited

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