"This Is One of the Best Trainings I've Ever Attended": Father Anton on Learning to Support People Living with Trauma and PTSD
On July 30-31, the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy hosted a two-day training, "Working with Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)," led by Iryna Raspopina, psychologist and psychotherapist at the NGO “Free Choice”, which has been providing psychological support to Ukrainian service members and their families since 2015.
The training brought together priests, clergy spouses, seminarians, and active parishioners from dioceses across Ukraine to explore one of the most urgent challenges facing clergy today: understanding psychological trauma, recognizing PTSD, and knowing where pastoral care ends and professional mental health support begins.
According to the IREX study Veteran Reintegration Experience After 2022 (2025), 61% of veterans and 69% of active-duty service members have never sought psychological support. Moreover, 43% of discharged veterans and 46% of those still serving say they do not plan to consult a psychologist in the future. Many of them, however, turn to a priest.
That reality shaped the training's primary objective: not to turn clergy into psychotherapists, but to equip them with the knowledge to recognize trauma, understand its impact, and know when professional referral is needed.
The first day focused on the foundations of psychological trauma.
Participants explored:
- what psychological trauma is and how it affects the nervous system;
- the concept of the Window of Tolerance — the zone in which people can effectively regulate emotions and process experiences;
- what happens when someone moves outside that window, whether through hyperarousal (anxiety, anger, aggression) or hypoarousal (emotional numbness, withdrawal, or shutdown);
- the core symptoms of PTSD, including intrusive memories, flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance, hypervigilance, and persistent negative beliefs about oneself and the world.
The day concluded with a discussion of moral injury, a topic of particular importance when supporting military personnel and veterans.
The second day focused on applying this knowledge through practical case studies.
Participants learned how to:
- provide pastoral care while taking the Window of Tolerance into account;
- work with feelings of guilt and shame while distinguishing genuine responsibility from false guilt;
- recognize complicated grief;
- understand the professional boundaries between pastoral care and clinical treatment;
- prevent burnout while caring for others.
Among the participants was Father Anton Korostov, abbot of a religious community, priest, and practicing psychologist.
"This in-person training is one of the best I have ever attended. I have plenty of experience to compare it with," he says.
According to Father Anton, the atmosphere of trust and psychological safety allowed participants not only to acquire new knowledge but also to gain valuable personal insights.
"It's essential to understand what psychological trauma is, what I can and cannot do as a priest, where the limits of my professional competence lie, and how to make a thoughtful referral when someone needs specialized care. It's equally important to learn how to avoid burnout ourselves. We are used to giving everything we have and trying to solve every problem — but we are human beings too."
He also emphasized the unique value of face-to-face learning opportunities for clergy.
"Priests are deeply immersed in parish life and constantly busy. It's easy to miss important opportunities for professional development. Yet these are exactly the kinds of skills we desperately need in today's realities."
The project "Clergy and Communities in Support of Mental Health: Innovative Support Practices During the War in Ukraine" is implemented by Eleos-Ukraine in partnership with DanChurchAid and Norwegian Church Aid in Ukraine, with financial support from the Government of Norway (NORAD), in cooperation with the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy and the Lviv Orthodox Theological Academy.