The Ukrainian Red Cross has trained 17 additional trainers in Psychological First Aid for work in the regions

A five-day Training of Trainers (ToT) course on Psychological First Aid (PFA) for complex reactions and difficult situations has recently been completed. The training brought together 17 specialists and trainers from the Ukrainian Red Cross representing different regions of the country — from Kharkiv and Sumy to Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Ivano-Frankivsk.

The programme covered work with a range of crisis reactions and psychological states, including fight–flight–freeze responses, freezing, dissociation, panic attacks, grief, as well as providing PFA to people experiencing suicidal thoughts and to children in distress.

A particular focus was placed on developing facilitation skills. Participants delivered training sessions, worked with feedback, practised structuring training delivery, and explored approaches to supervisory support.

Following the training, participants will be engaged in delivering PFA courses for emergency responders, including Ukrainian Red Cross emergency response teams and units of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the regions.

We continue to strengthen training capacity and expand access to Psychological First Aid skills across the country.

The training was conducted with U.S. support.