PACE work in Ukraine, Europe

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, PACE has collaborated online with several analyst and psychotherapist groups, providing spaces for clinical reflection and professional support for mental health practitioners working under extremely challenging conditions.

Ukrainian Psychoanalytic Society (UPS)

PACE works with COCAP together with the Ukrainian Psychoanalytic Society (UPS) through four Clinical Supervision Groups. The analysts participating in these groups are providing psychotherapy and psychiatric care to children, adolescents, and adults while the war continues and while they themselves are living under the same conditions of threat and uncertainty as their patients. This work is an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of the psychic consequences of extreme violence, terror, and prolonged uncertainty, and of their impact on both individual psychic functioning and the wider fabric of social relationships.

APPU – Ukrainian Psychologists and Psychotherapists’ Group

PACE also collaborates with APPU, a group of Ukrainian psychotherapists who are not members of the IPA. Two Work Discussion Groups are conducted with these colleagues, focusing on clinical and institutional work carried out in community settings. Participants work in schools, emotional support centres for children, and other community initiatives developed in response to the psychological needs generated by the war. Particular attention is devoted to supporting children and adolescents.

Mental Health Professionals Working with Soldiers and Civilians

A third Work Discussion Group brings together professionals working directly with soldiers and civilians affected by the war. These practitioners assist individuals struggling with intense emotional states such as anger, depression, despair, and psychic withdrawal in cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhya.

Language and Format

Volunteer translators participate in the meetings, reflecting the importance of enabling professionals to express their clinical experience and emotional responses in their own language, particularly when working with highly complex material. Until 2025 the groups met weekly. From 2026 onward, meetings will take place fortnightly and last one hour and a half, ensuring continuity while adapting to the evolving needs of participants. The workshops are conducted in English.