Valeriia Palii, PhD, was awarded a 2022 Presidential Citation for her pioneering national leadership on climate issues and her invaluable support of mental health during the invasion of Ukraine.
As president of the National Psychological Association of Ukraine (NPAU), Palii represented NPAU at the International Summit on Psychology and Global Health in Lisbon in 2019, and committed to using psychological science to combat climate change in her country. In following through on her commitment, Palii organized lectures, wrote articles for well-known Ukrainian magazines and websites, developed guidelines for psychologists and teachers to create eco-friendly offices, centers, and conference halls, and launched a successful public education campaign. These efforts led to the creation of an online course that has already been completed by about 500 Ukrainian psychologists seeking to learn how to use their expertise to combat the harms of climate change.
Much of this work was carried out against the backdrop of war in her country. Following the invasion, Palii led NPAU’s efforts to support mental health in a time of crisis. She created a mental health hotline staffed by psychologists who provided support to those suffering stress, anxiety, trauma, and PTSD related to the war, and created self-help protocols, with special attention paid to the needs of children: how to talk about war; how to support the children of parents who are deployed; how to prepare a child for forced relocation; and even what games to play in a bomb shelter. Palii has provided invaluable service to her country in its time of need.
In recognition of Palii’s use of psychology to address some of the most challenging issues imaginable, I am pleased to present her with this Presidential Citation.