On November 27, we officially turned six years old. These are 6 years of support, development, mutual trust, and work for the psychosocial well-being of military personnel, veterans, their families, and the professionals who accompany them.
📌 OUR WAY
The YARMIZ Center was founded in 2019. The first years were a period of active growth: we organized sports and cultural events, language courses, educational trainings, support groups, art therapy activities - all of this became the foundation for forming our community and gaining valuable experience.
In 2021 we joined the Veterans Spaces Coalition. With the onset of a full-scale invasion, part of the team and visitors to the space stood up to defend Ukraine. At the same time, we launched humanitarian activities and focused on training and improving the skills of psychologists.
In 2024 "YARMIZ" has renewed its activities. Today, the Center provides psychological support to military personnel, veterans and their families, organizes thematic events, creates information materials with practical advice, and conducts training for specialists who work with families of military personnel and veterans. We attach particular importance to the development of partnerships, strengthen cooperation with state institutions, military structures and the media in order to provide families of defenders with stable, accessible and effective support.
Our team uses modern approaches to psychological assistance, including crisis counseling and scientifically sound methods based on evidence-based psychology.
YARMIS works with a family-centered and salutogenic approach: programs are aimed at strengthening relationships within and outside the family, as one of the key resources for overcoming difficult experiences and facilitating the adaptation of Defenders in everyday life outside of service. The center focuses on developing internal strengths, supporting the senses and strengthening the psychosocial well-being of the country.
📌 Our achievements in the psychological field:
3500+ hours of individual and couple consultations
500+ hours of support groups
200+ hours of art therapy activities
500 participants of psychoeducational groups
500 military personnel underwent peer-to-peer training
130 psychologists have been trained
313 professionals have improved their competence in trauma-sensitive communication
11 created methodological materials and manuals
📌 PROJECTS OF 2025
🟢 "Resilience. Strength. Support"
With the support of the EU and the International Renaissance Foundation, the following were conducted: 3 online trainings on trauma-informed communication for 46 social service professionals, peer-to-peer training for 54 military personnel, 6 hours of classes under the "Recovery through Creativity" program, 73 individual and 38 pair consultations for families of military personnel.
🟢 "Together through trials"
With the support of the EU and the International Renaissance Foundation training "Communication through distance" on the features of pair counseling of families of military personnel and veterans for 22 civilian and military psychologists, 9 hours of classes under the "Recovery through creativity" program, training under the "peer-to-peer" program for military personnel working with personnel. Currently, individual, pair counseling and supervisory support are being conducted for trained psychologists.
🟢 "Space of family support"
With the support of Dan Church Aid and Norwegian Church Aid in Ukraine, funded by the Government of Norway, Norad, we conduct 5 online support groups under the program "5 Steps to Resilience. For Those Who Wait" - for women whose partners are in the service. Participants also receive the opportunity for individual consultations, and specialists provide supervisory support.
🟢 "Support Language"
With the support of Switzerland and the Ukrainian-Swiss project "Mental Health for Ukraine", the Center's specialists are conducting a series of trainings on trauma-sensitive communication for employees of ASCs and veteran support specialists in the Kyiv region.
An information brochure was developed as part of the project "The conversation that opens the door: how a first-line specialist can support referrals to specialists" and poster ""BEING TOGETHER AGAIN: SPECIFIC FEATURES OF RELATIONSHIPS AFTER RETURNING FROM WAR".
📌 EXPERT WEBINARS THIS YEAR
Thank you to the experts who shared valuable resilience and recovery practices:
- Viacheslav Oliynyk, military psychologist, expert suicidologist – topic “Promoting post-experienced growth of military personnel in the recovery process as a guarantee of sustainability”
- Oksana Sharovara, psychologist, leader of support groups for children, parents and educators in the project "Nearby". Leader of the women's support group under the program "5 Steps to Resilience. For those who are waiting" – topic “Parenthood in time of war”
- Olga Yevlanova, psychologist, EFT therapist, mindfulness teacher (MBSR/MBCT), author and project leader School of Healthy Adults Napovneni /Napovneni – topic “Awareness as a resource of invincibility”
- Maria Oliynyk, psychologist, psychotherapist, trainer and author of mental health programs – topic "Realistic recovery at our pace of life"
- Alyona Sydorenko, Lieutenant Colonel, Senior Officer of the Psychological Support Department of the Psychological Support Department of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – topic "ON THE BORDER"
📌 Checklist for frontline workers created by Olga Kuharuk and Maryna Syritsa in collaboration with "Space of Opportunities".
📌 THANK YOU TO PARTNERS 🤝
We sincerely thank every partner and everyone who joins our mission:
European Union, International Renaissance Foundation, Dan Church Aid and Norwegian Church Aid, the Norwegian government, Norad, the Swiss government and the Ukrainian-Swiss project "Mental Health for Ukraine" (MH4U), Kyiv Regional State Administration, Coalition of Veteran Spaces, Training Center "Space of Opportunities", 210th Separate Assault Regiment, Separate Presidential Brigade named after Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky, NGO "Free Choice", CF We Choose the Future Together, Public Movement "Women's Power of Ukraine", Center for Mental Health and Rehabilitation "Lisova Polyana" of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, VO "Vesta", Scientific Research Center for Humanitarian Problems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, United Humanitarian Front, Public Service Platform for Recovery "Nazovne Tek", National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, Bila Tserkva District State Administration, Public Library of the Buchanan Community, Boryspil City Veterans Center, Project HOPE Representative Office, Obolonskyi district social services center in the city of Kyiv, Irina Mikhailova, Olena Sitchenko.
📌 THANKS TO THE TEAM ❤️
– to people who create a space of support and recovery every day: Marina Syritsa, Maria Oliynyk, Olga Kuharuk, Martirosova Natalia, Gonyailo Oksana, Manondiz Olena, Smirnova Tatyana, Ponomarenko Tatyana, Ryazanova Oleksandra, Demina Olena, Maria Bodylova, Kateryna Tyshchenko, Hanna Chernyavska, Oksana Sharovara, Yulia Ruda, Nadiya Lodkina, Lesya Doskuch, Sek Olena, Beleninnik Oleksandra, Ruda Tatyana, Viktoria Sydorkina, Olga Pronych, Svitlana Boyko, Zlata Goncharenko, Daria Bura, Iryna Fedchenko.
⚡❗ Every day, our defenders and their family members contact us in need of individual psychological support and couples counseling. Compared to the number of requests, we receive almost no funding for counseling for active military personnel. Therefore, we would be grateful for your support through charitable contributions.
📌 Details UAH
Name of recipient: BO "BF "CRR "YARMIZ"
Recipient code: 43370024
IBAN: UA123052990000026008035014679
Bank name: JSC CB "PRIVATBANK"
MFO: 305299 Kyiv
Purpose of payment: charitable assistance
Thank you to everyone who creates "YARMIZ" with us. Together, we help those who defend Ukraine return to life with a sense of support, strength, and meaning.