A trauma-support program developed in Perth could soon play a much larger role in helping veterans and first responders in Ukraine.
Project Trauma Support founder Dr. Manuela Joannu says the organization has been asked to return to Ukraine and help establish a countrywide program using its methods for treating PTSD and moral injury.
The development followed the organization’s third trip to Ukraine.
Joannu says Project Trauma Support first travelled there in 2023, returned in 2024 and made its latest trip in June 2026. This time, the team presented at three universities in Lviv and at the House of Officers.
During the visit, Joannu met with a Ukrainian member of parliament who had heard about the program’s earlier work and spoken with universities where the team had presented.
That led to a significant request.
Joannu says the invitation is particularly meaningful because Ukraine continues to deal with the effects of war on military members, first responders and the professionals treating them.
Project Trauma Support began in 2016 after Joannu and retired Canadian Armed Forces rehabilitation medicine specialist Dr. Marcus Besment saw a need for a different approach to trauma treatment.
The physician-led program also relies heavily on peer mentors with lived experience. One of its key areas of focus is moral injury — the psychological distress that can develop when someone experiences, witnesses or participates in events that conflict deeply with their values.
Joannu says addressing that alongside PTSD has been central to their approach.
Veteran Dave Lavery travelled with the team on its latest mission, helping with safety, security and risk management.
Lavery, who has extensive experience and contacts in Ukraine, also spoke about some of his own experiences during the presentations.
He says clinicians travelled from across the country to hear what the Project Trauma Support team had to say.
Joannu says the organization is hopeful the invitation to help develop a broader Ukrainian program will become part of Project Trauma Support’s next chapter.
For Lavery, there is also pride in knowing the approach getting international attention began here at home.
Project Trauma Support is also the beneficiary of the 2027 Perth Polar Bear Plunge, with money raised helping the charity continue providing its programs while reducing financial barriers for participants.
