Yevhen Pityk MD, PGY5

Ottawa Ukrainian Mental Health Administrator

We created this group not only to provide Mental Health-related services, but also to give the arriving Ukrainians a sense of support and community in a new country. Knowing first-hand how hard it is to acclimatize to a completely different culture, language and environment, we felt that creating connections among newcomers was paramount to maintaining their psychological wellbeing. However, war is criminal and unnatural, and affects even those not directly exposed to it. Many feelings we are not used to in our day-to-day life, such as rage, despair and survivor's guilt, are expected responses.

It is our aim to help people deal with these in a manner that will strengthen their resolve and improve their relationships. My name is Yevhen, I am a 4th-year Psychiatry resident with the University of Ottawa. I have been living in Canada for almost 20 years, 6 of which I spent as an army reservist. I left around the time when the Donbass war started, because I was going to Poland to study Medicine. Though I was disappointed that I didn't get a chance to train Ukrainian troops back then, as many of my colleagues did, I believe that what we do here will help those fleeing the war recover and lead happy and fulfilling lives.