Beyond Band-Aids: Why Ukraine's Veterans Need More Than Just Therapy

Imagine offering a drowning person swimming lessons whilst they're still underwater. This is what traditional PTSD treatment often feels like to veterans struggling not just with trauma symptoms, but with unemployment, poverty, social isolation, and a world that seems to have moved on whilst they remain trapped in moments of terror from years past.

In Bosnia, three decades after the guns fell silent, researchers made a discovery that should fundamentally change how we think about supporting Ukrainian veterans: therapy alone isn't enough. Even with access to specialised PTSD treatment centres, recovery rates remained heartbreakingly low. But when communities began addressing the whole person—not just their symptoms—transformation became possible.

The Limits of Traditional Treatment

The sobering truth from Bosnia is that clinical treatment, whilst essential, often falls short of creating lasting healing. In specialised PTSD centres across the former Yugoslavia, even after a full year of professional therapy, 86% of patients still met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. These weren't failed treatments or incompetent therapists—they were well-intentioned programmes bumping up against a fundamental misunderstanding of what recovery really requires.

Meanwhile, amongst those who never received any formal treatment, 83.7% still struggled with PTSD more than a decade after the war ended. Their quality of life remained devastatingly low, and the costs—both financial and emotional—continued to mount for individuals, families, and communities.

These statistics tell us something crucial: trauma doesn't exist in a vacuum, and neither can its treatment.

What Veterans Really Need: Voices from Bosnia

When researchers finally asked Bosnian survivors what they needed to heal, the answers weren't what the medical establishment expected. Yes, they wanted access to professional mental health services—but they wanted them to be non-coercive and respectful of their autonomy. More importantly, they emphasised needs that went far beyond the therapist's office.

They needed safety at home—not just physical safety, but economic security that meant they wouldn't lose their housing or be unable to feed their families whilst focusing on healing.

They needed supportive relationships—not just with family, but with peers who understood their experiences and communities that valued their contributions rather than viewing them as broken.

They needed opportunities for meaningful engagement—jobs that provided purpose and dignity, not just income; activities that connected them to their communities; ways to contribute rather than simply receive help.

Perhaps most importantly, they needed agency and self-determination—the power to make choices about their own recovery rather than having treatment imposed upon them.

One survivor put it simply: "You can't heal a mind whilst the body is hungry and the spirit is crushed by hopelessness."

The Bosnian Revolution: Community-Centered Healing

Learning from these voices, Bosnia began a quiet revolution in mental health care. Instead of focusing solely on individual therapy sessions, they built an integrated network of 72 community mental health centres that understood a simple truth: healing happens in communities, not just in clinical settings.

These centres did something remarkable—they stepped outside the traditional boundaries of mental health care. Teams of psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, and social workers worked together, but they also partnered with schools, employers, police, and community organisations. They didn't just treat symptoms; they addressed the social conditions that perpetuate trauma.

The results were transformative. Hospital admissions for mental health conditions dropped by 30%. Stigma declined as communities became educated about trauma and mental health. Most importantly, people began reintegrating into society—not just managing their symptoms, but reclaiming their lives.

What This Means for Ukrainian Veterans

For Ukrainian veterans, Bosnia's experience offers both a warning and a roadmap. The warning is clear: if we focus only on clinical treatment whilst ignoring the broader context of veterans' lives, we'll achieve limited success and condemn many heroes to decades of struggle.

The roadmap, however, is hopeful. It shows us that when communities commit to holistic support, remarkable healing becomes possible.

Economic stability is mental health stability. A veteran struggling to pay rent or feed their family cannot fully engage in trauma therapy. Effective support must include job training programmes that understand the unique challenges veterans face, employment assistance that helps them find meaningful work, and financial support during the transition back to civilian life.

Housing security is emotional security. Veterans need safe, stable places to live—not just shelters or temporary accommodation, but homes where they can begin to rebuild their sense of safety and belonging.

Community connection combats isolation. Peer support groups led by veterans themselves create understanding that no professional therapist can replicate. When veterans support each other, they don't just share coping strategies—they rebuild their sense of belonging and purpose.

Family healing enables individual healing. Trauma affects entire households, and recovery must too. Programmes that support spouses and children, that teach families how to navigate PTSD together, that provide respite care for exhausted caregivers—these aren't add-ons to treatment, they're essential components.

The Power of Survivor-Led Solutions

One of the most important lessons from Bosnia is that the best solutions often come from survivors themselves. When veterans have agency in their own recovery—when they help design programmes, lead support groups, and advocate for their needs—outcomes improve dramatically.

Ukrainian veterans are already demonstrating this. Across the country, veteran-led organisations are emerging, creating peer support networks, advocating for policy changes, and developing innovative approaches to healing. These grassroots initiatives aren't competing with professional services—they're essential partners in a comprehensive approach to recovery.

Building the Infrastructure for Healing

Bosnia's success came from understanding that healing requires infrastructure—not just hospitals and clinics, but entire communities equipped to support recovery. This means:

Training beyond healthcare workers. Teachers, employers, police officers, and community leaders all need basic training in trauma awareness. When an entire community understands PTSD, veterans don't have to choose between hiding their struggles and facing discrimination.

Anti-stigma campaigns that actually work. Bosnia's public education efforts didn't just tell people to be more understanding—they provided concrete information about what trauma looks like, how it affects people, and what everyone could do to help.

Legal and advocacy services. Many veterans struggle with bureaucratic systems, benefit applications, and legal issues related to their service. Having advocates who understand both trauma and systems can make the difference between a veteran getting the support they need and falling through the cracks.

Flexible, long-term funding. Bosnia's transformation took years, not months. Donors and policymakers must understand that effective mental health support requires sustained commitment, not just emergency response.

The Ukrainian Opportunity

Ukraine has a unique opportunity to learn from Bosnia's experience and build something even better. The international attention on Ukraine's recovery, the technological advances in mental health care, and the extraordinary resilience of Ukrainian communities create conditions for innovation that Bosnia didn't have.

Moreover, Ukraine's veterans are returning to a society that has been transformed by shared resistance to aggression. Unlike Bosnia, where communities were often divided by the conflict, Ukraine's experience has created unprecedented unity and appreciation for those who defended the nation.

This social cohesion is a powerful foundation for healing—if it's properly supported and channelled.

A Call to Action: Think Bigger

The lesson from Bosnia is clear: we must think bigger than individual therapy sessions.

Supporting Ukrainian veterans means:

• Creating employment programmes that understand trauma's impact on work

• Building housing initiatives that prioritise veterans and their families

• Developing peer support networks that harness veterans' strength and wisdom

• Training entire communities to become trauma-informed

• Advocating for policies that address the social determinants of mental health

• Supporting veteran-led organisations and initiatives

• Investing in long-term, sustainable mental health infrastructure

Our Holistic Mission

At Viburnum Bridge Foundation, we embrace the lessons from Bosnia. We understand that supporting a veteran means supporting their entire ecosystem—their family, their community connections, their economic stability, and their sense of purpose and agency.

Our programmes don't just address symptoms; they address lives. We provide therapy, but we also offer job training. We support individuals, but we also strengthen families. We treat trauma, but we also build community resilience.

We know that true healing happens not when symptoms disappear, but when veterans reclaim their roles as valued members of thriving communities. We know that the goal isn't just managing PTSD, but transforming it into wisdom, strength, and contribution.

The Long View of Healing

Bosnia's experience teaches us that recovery is measured in years and decades, not weeks and months. The veterans we support today are not just patients to be treated—they're the future leaders, mentors, and contributors who will help rebuild Ukraine stronger than before.

But this transformation requires more than good intentions. It requires comprehensive, community-centred approaches that address the whole person in their entire context. It requires understanding that mental health and social justice are inseparable. It requires the courage to move beyond traditional approaches and embrace solutions that match the magnitude of both the challenge and the opportunity.

At Viburnum Bridge Foundation, we're not just treating trauma—we're nurturing transformation. Because Ukraine's veterans deserve more than survival; they deserve the chance to thrive and lead the nation they fought so bravely to protect.