For the fourth year now, Ukraine has been living in a state of full-scale war, which is changing not only the front line but also the daily lives of millions of people. Its consequences are increasingly penetrating communities, families and personal histories. In this reality, social roles are also changing: priests, pastors and chaplains are increasingly becoming the ones to whom people turn for support — not only spiritual support, but also support related to mental health.
According to a nationwide survey conducted as part of the “How Are You?” programme, as of early 2025, 83% of Ukrainians experience high levels of stress. In addition to losing their homes and livelihoods, millions of people face psychological trauma, prolonged emotional exhaustion and the destruction of social ties. In these circumstances, religious leaders become the first point of support for those who need not only material but also psychological and spiritual support. At the same time, ministers themselves do not always have sufficient knowledge and resources to do this. The increase in such requests, unfavourable external conditions, and stigma associated with working with specialists pose risks of burnout for the clergy themselves.
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One of those who works with the consequences of war on a daily basis is Hegumen Job Olshansky, a military chaplain of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and abbot of the Holy Resurrection Novo-Athon Monastery. For him, serving people is not only a calling but also a great responsibility. A special motivation for this work was the priest’s father, who is a military serviceman, participant in the Anti-Terrorist Operation, and veteran of a full-scale war. It was the desire to support his family and continue his father’s work that became an important impetus for working in the military. For Hegumen Job, it was essential that this mission be not only sincere but also professional. Therefore, he began to look for specialised training that would help him combine pastoral care with an understanding of the psychological states of people experiencing war.
“High-quality spiritual support can only be provided with a good understanding of human psychology, because together with spirituality, they have one beneficiary — the person,” says the chaplain. “When I found the ‘Balance of Your Ministry’ programme, it helped me systematise my knowledge and compare my own experience and approaches with modern working methods. We tend to think that psychology and spiritual life are different things. This project debunks these stereotypes, showing that psychological knowledge is an essential component of spiritual ministry.
Participation in the programme was a great impetus for new steps. Father decided to delve deeper into practical psychology and enrolled in a master’s programme at Mariupol State University, where he will study post-traumatic stress disorder in greater depth.
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Another example is Natalia Yemelyan. Over the past 10 years, she has been evacuated from her home twice — in 2015 from Donetsk and in 2022 from Sloviansk. She then moved with her family to Zaporizhzhia, where she is still settling into her new life. During this time, Natalia became a catechist and began serving at the local parish, conducting catechetical classes for children and adults. At that time, most of the region was already under occupation, and the tense situation had a significant impact on the community. Natalia sought to relieve some of the burden on churchgoers, as she constantly sensed their anxiety and tension.
This work also affected the woman herself. She is also the wife of a soldier and mother of two children, so fatigue and anxiety became part of her daily life. That is why Natalia began to look for support that would help her combine ministry, work, and personal life in a frontline city during the war. That is how she found the “Balance of Your Ministry” programme.
“The most important change after completing the programme was the restoration of my inner balance — between giving and receiving, action and silence, serving others and caring for myself and my loved ones. This project helped me regain depth, peace and clarity on my path. My service was filled with meaning again. The project restored me and gave me the strength to move forward,” says the programme participant.
After completing the project, Natalia finally took a break and focused on her own recovery, which she had been sorely lacking. Now, she is continuing her studies in community building and plans to develop further, maintaining inner balance and stability in the difficult conditions of war.
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Initiatives such as the Balance of Your Ministry training programme are a response to religious leaders’ requests for knowledge and practical tools in the field of mental health. A distinctive feature of this project is the combination of spirituality and psychology, which helps priests, pastors, and other ministers to work more confidently in crisis situations, supporting not only others but also their own resilience. Moreover, programme participants apply the knowledge they have gained in their communities, where they conduct psychoeducational meetings. This helps to reduce the stigma surrounding psychological help and create safe support centres for local residents.
It is also important that the Balance of Your Ministry programme is certified by the Ukrainian Catholic University, which enhances its professionalism and practical value for participants.
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