Article

Received 01.01.1970

Revised 06.05.2025

Accepted 29.05.2025

Retrieved from Vol. 15, No. 1, 2025

Pages 54 -64

Ihnatovych, O. (2025). Veterans’ psychological support during reintegration into civilian life. Psychology and Personality, 15(1), 54-64. https://doi.org/10.33989/2226-4078.2025.1.54

Veterans’ psychological support during reintegration into civilian life

Olena Ihnatovych

The reintegration of veterans goes far beyond employment and financial stability: it includes restoring identity, developing psychological resilience and rebuilding social ties. Veterans face typical challenges, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, loss of life orientation, and difficulties in transferring military competencies to civilian professions. The purpose of the study was to identify effective models that combine trauma-informed psychological support and career counselling to ensure sustainable reintegration. The article addresses the issue of professional counselling for veterans in the process of their reintegration into civilian life, taking into account psychological and social aspects. An analysis of foreign and Ukrainian experience has shown the effectiveness of integrated programmes that combine psychological support, career counselling and mutual assistance mechanisms. In particular, the results of the Ukrainian pilot project demonstrated significant positive changes: an increase in employment, career adaptability and self-efficacy, as well as a reduction in symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. The findings highlighted the importance of holistic models that integrate professional and psychological dimensions to ensure not only the personal recovery of veterans, but also collective social reintegration in Ukrainian society. The practical value of the study lies in the formulation of specific recommendations for professionals: mandatory assessment of psychological readiness before starting career planning; use of narrative counselling methods; transformation of military competencies into skills understandable to employers; implementation of group and mentoring programmes involving veteran leaders; interdisciplinary cooperation between psychologists, counsellors, social workers and employers

 

post-traumatic growth; career adaptability; psychological resilience; narrative counseling; life story work; post-service adaptation
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https://doi.org/10.33989/2226-4078.2025.1.54