Dear EAP Board Members, dear Colleagues, dear friends,

This is a message to EAP Board Members about our response to the invasion of Ukraine.  We are all sad, anxious and grieving about the events which are happening, and this heart breaking conflict is indeed a challenge for us all.  I spoke to Alexander Filts on the phone yesterday.  He is in the western part of Ukraine and he said that he is safe.  He said the spirit of the people of Ukraine is very strong.  I sent greetings and a message of support to him on behalf of EAP, and he was very grateful for this.

The EAP Executive have produced a Statement to the Russian  Government.  This is based on the World Council for Psychotherapy Statement to the Russian Government and has an additional section in it because Russia and the Ukraine are both part of EAP.  With this Statement we can make a clear and united statement about our commitment to peaceful negotiation, dialogue and debate in conflict resolution and our condemnation of war and violence.  As Psychotherapists we are in a good position, even a privileged position, to remind people of the importance of resolving difficulties in a thoughtful and mutually respectful manner.  

The proposal to adopt this Statement will be made at our Board Meeting next week, and so please read it carefully.  As you will see the Statement is translated into Russian, and I am grateful to Eugenijus for his work on this.  I told Alexander Filts about the Statement and he was very pleased with this support.  He will translate the Statement into Ukrainian, and then I can add his translation to the document.

With warm wishes to you all, and I look forward to our meetings next week,

President Patricia Hunt
European Association for Psychotherapy
Chair of EAP 30th Anniversary Congress

One final point:
EAP Headoffice has received two request for help from organisations connected with Ukraine.  I am sending them on to you so that you can read them and decide whether you wish to take any action.  This is entirely your own decision.

Von: Кристина Принько <prinkokristina@gmail.com>
Betreff: Psychotherapists of Ukraine
Datum: 27. Februar 2022 um 19:15:17 MEZ
An: eap.admin@europsyche.org, eap.headoffice@europsyche.org, info@europsyche.org

Good evening! I am a psychotherapist from Ukraine. You know that war came to our home, so we want to help our country and ask for help from our colleagues and associations all over the world. We created a message and we will be very grateful if you could share it.
Thank you!

The video link:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Z9YsC10nI

The message:

Dear colleagues!
These days, my beloved country is suffering a lot! We do not sleep at night - we listen to shrill sirens warning of the bombing. Every time we hear this sound, we grab our children in our arms and run to shelters that are not enough to cover everyone. During these three days, monstrous things were done - they bombed an orphanage and the hospitals, rockets attacked our homes, shot civilians. Our hearts break with pain, especially when countries do not respond to our requests for help.
We ask you to contact all famous people, politicians, heads of large companies, opinion leaders, public organizations.
Also it’s really important to disconnect all Russian banks from SWIFT!
You can support Ukraine by urging your governments to:
Call your MP to urge strong economic sanctions!
Donate money to support the Ukrainian Army. You can transfer money to the following accounts:
https://bank.gov.ua/.../natsionalniy-bank-vidkriv...
https://savelife.in.ua/en/donate/
At this time is so important that people from the whole the world do not let it continue. Like we always say - trauma is not only about being abused, trauma is being alone with it! That is what we experience now here in Ukraine
Your support can save thousands of lives!!

Warmly,
Kristina Prinko


Von: Anna Svetchnikov <anna@longwoodcare.org>
Betreff: Becoming a Partner to support families in Ukraine
Datum: 27. Februar 2022 um 02:00:35 MEZ
An: eap.headoffice@europsyche.org

Good evening Sonja - My name is Anna Svetchnikov and I am an Executive Director of a mental health organization in the USA. Originally, I was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Our organization  started a fund to support the mental health needs of families in Ukraine.
In coordination with Longwood Care, the Voices of Children Foundation is seeking immediate and expanded support to the children and families immediately affected by the war and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

You can make a difference by donating today to the combined efforts and missions to provide mental health and humanitarian aid to the victims of war in Ukraine 2022. With your help, we can drastically increase on-the-ground efforts to provide psychological and psychosocial support to children and families suffering from war operations.

With the joint efforts of Longwood Care in the United States and direct coordination with The Voices of Children Foundation in Ukraine, we can help support millions of potential victims immediately with a long-term commitment.

OUR OBJECTIVE: Quickly mobilize and expand access and availability of mental health services. We are currently working in various cities and towns along the frontline in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

OUR COMMITMENT: Every child and family who has suffered from the war in Ukraine must get psychological help. We are also engaged in advocating for expanding the children's rights protection system in the country.
Thanks,
Anna

--
Anna Svetchnikov
Executive Director