... they volunteered group therapy to Ukrainian refugees.
Ukrainian Arkadiy Radolov (44) and Italian Maria Cerutti (also 44) are both psychologists. They have also both been living in the Netherlands for more than 15 years. They have been working for mental health organization Arkin for some time, but have known each other longer: from their time as colleagues at Regenboog walk-in centre AMOC. In 2022 and 2023 they volunteered for De Regenboog Groep, at the reception locations for Ukrainian refugees. Arkadiy: "From the first weeks of the war, I rotated with them. I translated and tried to reassure people a bit." Maria: "During that time, Arkadiy and I called each other. We had always been a good team. Could we maybe do something together as psychologists? Because we wanted to help as many people as possible, we decided not to give individual therapy, but group therapy. And so we started, on the shelter boat, with a club of about seven people, mostly women."
The depths
Arkadiy: "We met once a week. In the first months, we mainly offered a listening ear. It was a crisis situation, full of stress, grief and trauma. 'What is happening?' 'Where are we?' 'What will the future bring?' 'How long will the war last?'" Maria: "We also focused on the participants' resources and talents. What did they have and what could they use to get through the crisis situation?" Arkadiy: "As the war continued and it became clear that people would remain in the Netherlands for some time, the approach changed. We started to focus therapy on the war, missing Ukraine and integrating into the Netherlands. While doing so, we examined: 'What is happening in me?' This way we went deeper and deeper." Maria: "In the third and final phase, from January to July 2023, it became truly psychotherapeutic. That was the period when the participants found work and housing and the children went to school. Then there was room for more personal questions. Such as: 'How do I deal with my fears?' 'How do I learn to listen more to my needs, feel emotion?'"
Stable and happier
In those two years, between twenty-five and thirty people participated in the therapy. Because Maria does not speak Ukrainian, she and Arkadiy always did the sessions together. Arkadiy: "So I had two roles: translator and therapist. After a session, which -with a small break- lasted two hours, I was quite tired ... Of course feelings came up for me as a Ukrainian too. But I put myself in the background. It was about the importance of the group. What did the participants need?" In July 2023, the therapy was completed. Arkadiy: "The participants were less stressed, more stable and happier. They looked inward more and were able to communicate better with their children-often teenagers. The reactions at the closing were beautiful and emotional: 'We trust people more again.' 'We feel safe and not alone.' 'This is an experience that has changed us.' Those reactions matched exactly what Maria and I wanted to achieve: autonomy for the participants. Great!"
Text: Iris Stam | Photography: Bas Evers