31/01/2026
*Meet the Ukraine team - Dr Nataliia Stupak 🇺🇦*
Dr Nataliia is from Kharkiv - a city near the eastern Russian frontline that is under constant bombardment. She is a highly experienced medical doctor with a specialization in clinical psychiatry. She has been working in the humanitarian sector for years, with a special interest in mental healthcare for people in conflict areas - especially children.
Dr Nataliia has been spearheading our mental health program in Ukraine since October 2025. Thanks to her and the team on the ground we have been providing critically needed mental health services to displaced individuals and families from the eastern frontline, many who have lost family members, homes and livelihoods, or who have been injured in the fighting.
A particular focus area of our interventions has been the thousand of children living in orphanages across Ukraine - many who have arrived from eastern frontline villages - especially the Donetsk region. As a therapist, Natalia is focused on creating a safe space where traumatised children can express their emotions, manage their complex thought processes and develop strategies to deal with trauma without pressure or re-traumatization. She uses individual and group therapy sessions to help them process emotions, reduce anxiety, and restore a sense of safety and stability through play and creative activities.
The war has had a significant toll on children in Ukraine. Studies have shown that around 44% of children demonstrate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as severe anxiety, depression and acute stress reactions.
We would like to thank her and the team on the ground for their devotion to this much much needed work, often at risk to their own safety. We hope to be able to expand this much needed health service to more vulnerable communities in Ukraine this year.
If you would like to help sponsor this work please visit our website at AdventRelief.org/donate.
