Ukrainian war refugees have started seeking more mental help in Lithuania, says Mantas Jersovas, a psychologist at the Vilnius Office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM Lithuania).
“What we notice is that they are much more active in asking for help. We have various types of therapy, they are continuous and involve seven to ten meetings. Before, they used to come, drop out without even informing, and now we have a certain stability,” the psychologist told BNS.
In his words, when the organisation started providing help in 2022, there was one therapy group, and about 10–12 people could register for it. Now, the number of groups has grown to five.
“We had, for example, a children’s camp and it was filled up right away. We have therapy with dogs, and it was also full on the first day,” Jersovas said, adding that the number of people signing up for individual counselling has also increased.
The organisation has a growing need for therapists, and more of them are being hired.
Mostly Ukrainian women aged between 30 and 50 are turning to the organisation for help, Jersovas said, and people talk about war, loss, and guilt during the counselling sessions.
“The topic of war remains as these people are living through the war,” the psychologist said.
Almost 60,000 Ukrainians live in Lithuania right now.
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