Symposium “Resilience of Veterans and Their Families in the Context of Prolonged War”
On April 16, 2026, within the framework of the 11th Annual Conference of the Association of Psychiatrists of Ukraine with international participation, “Mental Health in Ukraine: Governance in Times of War, Planning for Peace,” an engaging symposium was held: “Resilience of Veterans and Their Families in the Context of Prolonged War.”
Moderators:
Nataliia Ratsyborinska-Poliakova, PhD (Medicine), Associate Professor of the Department of Psychiatry, Narcology and Psychotherapy with a Postgraduate Education Course at Vinnytsia National Medical University named after M. I. Pirogov;
Rachel Thibault, Professor Emerita, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa.
Speakers:
- Valentyna Kalenchuk, PhD, researcher at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Klaipėda University — “Emotional Intelligence as a Resource of Resilience and Prevention of Maladaptive States in Veterans in the Context of Prolonged War,”
- Iryna Perchuk, PhD (Medicine), Senior Researcher, Head of the Research Direction at the Veteran Mental Health Center of Excellence, Institute of Psychiatry, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv — “Psychological Resilience and Adaptation to Combat Stress,”
- Mariia Shuliakova, PhD student, Assistant at the Department of Psychiatry, Narcology and Psychotherapy with a Postgraduate Education Course, Vinnytsia National Medical University named after M. I. Pirogov — “The Role of Psychoeducation in the Formation and Strengthening of Resilience in Combatants,”
- Volodymyr Kosovskyi, PhD (Medicine), psychiatrist, psychotherapist, Head of the Department of Somatoform Disorders and Borderline States at Ternopil Regional Clinical Psychoneurological Hospital; Assistant at the Department of Psychiatry, Narcology and Medical Psychology, I. Ya. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University — “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Psychological Resilience in Military Personnel, Veterans, and Prisoners of War: Clinical Features and Treatment Challenges.”
The symposium addressed both scientific research in this field and clinical observations of active military personnel, prisoners of war, and veterans. Practical recommendations for therapeutic approaches were provided. Particular interest was expressed in research on resilience among military personnel in Ukraine by the distinguished guest from Canada, Rachel Thibault, who has been working on this topic for many years.
