Psychological support in the maritime sector is a topic only beginning to be discussed in recent years. And one of the main obstacles is logistics: where do you find a psychologist when you’re on a voyage or have just returned and don’t know where to start. The online format removes most of these barriers.
Why It’s Hard for a Seafarer to See a Psychologist Offline
First — schedule. After returning from a voyage there’s plenty to do: family, documents, medical examination, rest. Booking a psychologist “on the to-do list” is hard — and it’s always at the bottom.
Second — stigma. In a town where everyone knows each other, walking into a psychologist’s office is “everyone will see.” Especially in small port towns where the maritime community is tight.
Third — availability. A psychologist who understands the specifics of maritime work is rare in a regular clinic. Finding a psychologist for adults who knows what 6 months on a vessel without family means — is not easy offline.
Online Format: How It Works and What to Expect
An online consultation is a video call or text chat with a psychologist. The format is chosen for the client’s convenience.
The first meeting is usually 50–60 minutes: the psychologist listens, asks questions, understands the situation. No “diagnosis” — this is not a hospital. It’s a conversation after which things become clearer about what’s happening and what to do about it.
At Stella Maris, an online chat with a psychologist is available free of charge for seafarers and their family members. No referral needed, no insurance policy needed. Just a connection and the desire to talk.
Support During a Voyage: Is it Realistic to Talk to a Psychologist from a Vessel?
Yes — and this is increasingly becoming the norm. Modern vessels have internet, and satellite communication allows voice or text sessions even on the open sea.
There are limitations: connection can be unstable, less privacy — a cabin is not always isolated. Text format works for this: write to the psychologist, receive a reply, exchange messages. The Stella Maris psychological support centre has this format.
It doesn’t replace a full session, but it provides support: when something is weighing on you, when there are thoughts with no one to share them — writing to a helpline already helps.
After Returning: Why the First Weeks Ashore Are Critical
A paradoxical fact: the hardest psychological moment for many seafarers is not the end of a voyage, but the first 2–4 weeks after returning.
Several reasons: the abrupt transition from a rigid schedule to “do what you want.” A sense of unfamiliarity at home — everything has changed, but you haven’t. New family roles that formed without you. Often — a feeling of guilt for the absence.
It’s precisely in this period — the first 2–3 weeks after a voyage — that psychological support is most effective. Not when things have already “reached a dead end,” but when things are only beginning to accumulate.
Oleh Marchenko — An Engineer Who Wrote to the Chat at 2:17 am
Oleh is a second engineer, 34 years old, voyage on a tanker. After returning — a week fine, then something “seized up.” Insomnia, anxious thoughts, estrangement from the family.
“I didn’t want to call. It seemed to me it wasn’t serious enough.” He wrote to the Stella Maris online chat at 2:17 am — “just so someone would reply.”
They replied. An on-duty consultation in text format. The next day — a video session booking. Three conversations with a psychologist — and Oleh says he stopped waking up with the feeling that “something is wrong.”
“I didn’t know it could be so fast” — he wrote in his review afterwards.
Free Psychological Support from Stella Maris: How to Use It
Stella Maris Ukraine provides:
- Free online consultations for seafarers and their family members
- Text chat for those not ready for voice communication
- Voyage support via text format
- Referrals to Ukrainian psychologists who understand maritime work specifics
To use the service — go to the Stella Maris website and fill in the contact form. No certificates, no bureaucracy. Confidential.
Talking to a psychologist is not “something frightening.” It’s the skill of taking care of yourself the same way a seafarer takes care of his vessel.
Psychological Support from Stella Maris
We invite everyone connected to the sea to take advantage of our free offerings. Psychological support and grant-based financial literacy training.
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