ACHF Mental Health Seminar: Diagnosing and Treating PTSD

Through grant funding from the United Methodist Committee on Relief, ACHF hosted a four-day training in Kyiv, Ukraine. 19 psychologists and psychiatrists attended the PTSD-centered training in May of 2024. Topics at our Seminar included training on pharmacological treatment of PTSD – discussing the benefits of various types of drugs for clinicians to utilize with their patients. In addition, training was provided on the diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, such as prolonged exposure. Furthermore, clinicians were also trained on implementational science and acute interventions.

Over the course of the next six months, from August 2024 through February 2025, we will have the clinicians receive supervision regarding the training they received in May. This means that clinicians will bring their patient’s circumstances to Dr. Greg Muller of the University of Texas at Austin, who will then provide guidance on the best interventions. Dr. Muller will be implementing what is known as prolonged exposure therapy oversight.

We have requested that over the next two years, all the clinicians who trained with ACHF submit monthly reports regarding their consultations with their patients. Five clinicians in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, will be submitting far more thorough reports and are participating in our pilot program that will pay them for providing data on how the patient’s symptoms are being mitigated using the techniques provided in training.