Therapists for Ukraine is an initiative offering professional psychological support to individuals directly affected by the war in Ukraine. The project was initiated by the online therapy platform It's Complicated, which is on a mission to simplify the search for a therapist.
Since the beginning of the invasion, hundreds of psychological counsellors from across the world are assisting Ukranians at the front line and people who fled, with free psychological support through video sessions.
7th APRIL 2022, BERLIN
Online therapy platform It’s Complicated launched its Therapists for Ukraine initiative on the 28th of February as a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Eligible participants get psychological counselling free of charge, with a minimum of 4 sessions and room to extend at the discretion of the counsellor. Hundreds of individuals affected by the war have already started using the service.
“Since we already had the infrastructure in place for offering a safe and secure online space for psychological counselling, we could quickly extend our service to include free psychological support for people directly impacted by the war. The initial response to our call-to-action came from therapists all over the world who wanted to offer their support. In fact, we had more than 1,000 applicants in the first two weeks. And every day casualties of the crisis, both those who are in Ukraine and those who have fled, make use of the offer.”
Built for therapists, by therapists, It's Complicated is an online therapy platform making the search for a therapist easier. With the Therapists for Ukraine initiative, they extend this support, free of charge, to individuals directly impacted by the war. The initiative currently offers psychological support in English, Ukrainian, German, and Russian plus 41 other languages, from therapists situated in over 35 countries.
Not only Ukrainians but anyone directly impacted by the war is eligible for free sessions – this means all people regardless of race, religion, or nationality – who are directly suffering from the conflict are eligible. The counselling sessions take place online through a GDPR-compliant and encrypted video tool, and sessions are between 45 and 60 minutes. All counsellors listed at It’s Complicated are vetted by a psychologist to ensure that they have the credentials they list on the website.
“It’s important to acknowledge that a few sessions of psychological counselling is in no way enough for an individual to deal with the traumatic effects of a war. What it does though is give people a safe space to talk about their situation with a professional, and receive some emotional support while in the midst of the crisis.”
The service is also free of charge for the counsellors who register for the initiative. Costs for server maintenance, video calls, content, customer support, vetting of therapists and administration is paid privately by the mother company of It’s Complicated, Mittelweg 50 Berlin GmbH. Ukrainian therapists in private practice who wish to get clients and do therapy through the platform are eligible for 6 months of free membership and get a listing in the main directory.
“We as mental health care workers can’t fix these atrocious tragedies, but we can be there with a compassionate ear to offer comfort and mindful tools to help reduce their anxiety and guilt. I am extremely grateful for www.complicated.life and the initiative “Therapists for Ukraine” to help these Ukrainian refugees, even if it’s just one person at a time.”
The Therapists for Ukraine initiative is listed as an official resource by the Berlin Senate and mentioned by major German newspapers such as Der Tagesspiegel and Taz.de. The project was initiated in cooperation with Analysis & Activism with the patronage of IAAP (International Association for Analytical Psychology).
“From the start, the vision of It’s Complicated has been to help people find the right therapist. During this last month the project has been extended with a social dimension by also making therapy available to the most vulnerable individuals. Based on the response we’ve gotten from the many therapists who’ve joined the initiative, it looks like an added social dimension resonates with the wider mental health community. ”
For further information and interview opportunities,
contact: <press@complicated.life>