For a year employees of Metinvest Group and their families have been offered a unique service called "Metinvest Together". In the context of a full-scale war, they have the opportunity to receive free psychological support.
Ukrainians will remember the first day of the full-scale invasion for the rest of their lives. On February 24, 2022 we woke up to a new reality. Since then, almost everyone has experienced constant anxiety and fear for their own safety and the lives of their loved ones, the fate of the country and the uncertainty of the future. To help employees and their families cope with stress and overcome difficult emotions, exactly one year ago, the company launched a unique project called "Metinvest Together", implemented jointly with the Wellbeing Company.
Over this period, psychologists of the service have conducted almost 2,800 individual and group consultations. Professional specialists and coaches know how to work with any emotional state, so the demand for services has been consistently high throughout the year. People are primarily interested in overcoming anxiety, dealing with psychological trauma and PTSD, and experiencing grief and loss. Residents of Mariupol, who have been through the real hell of war, need special support.
ABOUT THE SPECIALISTS
All psychologists are high-level specialists. They have at least five years of practical counselling experience and are full members of the professional association of psychologists. At the same time, they are ordinary people - sensitive, cordial and open-minded.
The most frequent users of "Metinvest Together" service are women. That is more than 70% of the total number of unique users of the service, but in February the number of men slightly increased compared to the previous period.
In terms of age, people in the 31-40 category predominate. For most clients five to ten consultations are enough to stabilise their psychological state. However, there are also clients who go into long-term psychotherapy, so the number of meetings with a psychologist reaches over 30.
"My psychologist is an amazing specialist. She reads my state of mind by the way I breath and the emotions on my face. I start the consultation in one mood and end it in a completely different one - in balance, with clear thoughts,"
—says TETIANA, a client of the serviceThe service also offers a "Strong Together!" online group meetings with psychologists. Here you can speak out or listen to others, find like-minded people and answers to the most pressing mental health issues. In addition, we have recently launched a series of monthly webinars with leading experts in the field of psychology. It will be useful for anyone who wants to remain stress-resistant, learn how to adapt quickly in the face of uncertainty, and find effective tools to support yourself, your family, colleagues and friends.
How to get through the war anniversary syndrome?
Recently, more and more people have been experiencing the psychological strain caused by the war anniversary syndrome. This is a reliving of something that was once traumatic. We can replay in our memory and feel what happened again and again at all levels. In a healthy version, past distresses meet present strengths and achievements, and should be integrated into the experience. But right now, we may feel "flooded" by the past. Here are some tips from psychologist Svitlana ROIZ on how to help yourself in such moments
◾ Mark the dates - note the dynamics every day. February 24, 2022 has passed. It is 2023 now. Write the current date every day.
◾ Imagine that we are not returning to the same point, we have made a circle, as in a spiral. We pass ABOVE this "point". And we are already different. It is more correct and safer to look into the past from the contact with the present. We need conscious attention to our body. To our needs.
◾ Together with a psychologist, you can recall the day of February 24, the sequence of actions, and bodily reactions - this is important to make the experience conscious. What is conscious ceases to possess us. It is better to do this with a specialist.
◾ It's normal, when people around us start to recall what happened that day. Our memory takes us back to the "beginning". But with every new post with the memories we read, we may feel like we are falling into emotions and our memories. It is important for us to be attentive to ourselves.
If you feel that you cannot cope on your own, please contact the "Metinvest Together" psychologists. Every Metinvest employee and his or her family can call the helpline at 0 800 600 170 or send a message via messenger. You can get support seven days a week from 8:00 to 20:00.
For more information on the "Metinvest Together" service, please visit the company's intranet portal.
