Like the rest of the world, we are watching the war in Ukraine with horror and condemn the invasion in the strongest possible terms.
We are thinking of and support the Ukrainian people – those who are engaged in armed conflict and those who are displaced from their homes and country.
We also stand in support of our service members, their families and those of our NATO allies who face the stressors of deployment and the anticipation of conflict.
Now is the time to remember and refresh our mental health skills to help those who are victims and responders and their families.
An act as inhumane and unjustified as this is an attack on humanity and democracy.
RESOURCES
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (https://www.nctsn.org/) offers these resources for children and families who need support:
Talking to Children About War (https://www.nctsn.org/resources/talking-to-children-about-war)
Age-Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event (https://www.nctsn.org/resources/age-related-reactions-traumatic-event)
Psychological First Aid for Displaced Children and Families (https://www.nctsn.org/resources/pfa-for-displaced-children-and-families)
Traumatic Separation and Refugee and Immigrant Children: Tips for Current Caregivers (https://www.nctsn.org/resources/traumatic-separation-and-refugee-and-immigrant-children-tips-current-caregivers)
The Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (https://www.cstsonline.org/) at the Uniformed Services University also offers resources for psychiatrists and other healthcare professionals, humanitarian responders, and community leaders helping support those impacted:
Managing the Stress of Children after a Crisis (https://www.cstsonline.org/assets/media/documents/CSTS_FS_Managing_Stress_of_Children_After_Crisis.pdf)
Post Disaster Stress Management for Parents (https://www.cstsonline.org/assets/media/documents/CSTS_FS_Post_Disaster_Stress_Management_Parents.pdf)
Advancing the Health of the Family Left Behind (https://www.cstsonline.org/assets/media/documents/CSTS_CTC_Advancing_the_Health_of_the_Family_Left_Behind_Provider.pdf)
Helping Communities and Families Recover after a Disaster (https://www.cstsonline.org/assets/media/documents/CSTS_FS_Safety,%20Recovery%20and%20Hope%20after%20Disaster%20Helping%20Communities%20and%20Families%20Recover.pdf)
Information for Responders on Emotional Reactions to Human Remains (https://www.cstsonline.org/assets/media/documents/CSTS_FS_Information_for_1st_Responders_Emotional_Reactions_Human_Bodies_Mass_Death.pdf)
Leadership Communication for Anticipating and Responding to Stressful Events (https://www.cstsonline.org/assets/media/documents/CSTS_FS_Leadership_Communication_Anticipating_Responding_to_Stressful_Events.pdf)
Leadership Stress Management (https://www.cstsonline.org/assets/media/documents/CSTS_FS_Leadership_Stress_Management.pdf)
HOW TO HELP
The following are a few of the organizations supporting Ukrainian citizens and others affected by the war through volunteer work or charitable donations:
United Help Ukraine (https://unitedhelpukraine.org/)
Voices of Children Foundation (https://voices.org.ua/en/)
International Medical Corps (https://internationalmedicalcorps.org/)
UNICEF (https://www.unicefusa.org/)
The ICRC (https://www.icrc.org/en/where-we-work/europe-central-asia/ukraine)