On May 9-10, 2023 Iryna Sukhova and Tetyana Oboyanska, psychologists of the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project held a 2-day online “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” training in cooperation with the project “TOGETHER. Social services” for practical psychologists, teachers and specialists in the social sphere. 26 participants from Chernivtsi, Kyiv, Lviv, Chernihiv, Zolotonosha, Pavlograd and other cities of Ukraine participated in the training. They have learned how to overcome stress, fears, pain, and obsessive memories using the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” method. Now the new trainers will share their experience and help children and parents who suffered during the war in Ukraine. They will conduct therapy sessions for those who survived the occupation, lost loved ones or homes, experienced a lot of pain and difficult war related experiences.

The “TOGETHER” project is implemented by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and a consortium of partner organizations: “Ukrainian Network for Children’s Rights”, “Every Child” Partnership, “SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine”, “Social Synergy”, “Dnipro League of Social Workers” and NGO “Class”.

Photo album on Facebook

On May 3-5, 2023, the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project trainers took part in a specialized online workshop “Children and Grief: Teaching Life Skills”. The workshop was held as part of professional development program for trainers in cooperation with the “Children and War” foundation with the support of Canadian partners. It was conducted by the international trainers David Trickey and Melinda Edwards.

This workshop is focused on teaching trainers working with children and adults who have survived traumatic experiences related to the war against Ukraine to help them cope with the grief of losing loved ones. Many children and adults are currently experiencing the loss of their loved ones due to the war against Ukraine, many of them have witnessed death. The workshop, along with a specially designed manual, offers skills to help cope with traumatic reactions after the loss of loved ones.

Loss trauma usually includes intrusive thoughts and feelings such as bad memories, nightmares, and flashbacks related to the death. They often interfere with the normal grieving process and are so painful that children try to avoid them. With the help of the “Children and Grief: Teaching Life Skills” manual and training, children and adults can gain skills to control these memories and learn to relax the tense body and release the sadness they feel in their body. In addition, they learn coping skills that can help them to cope with the loss over time. It is especially effective to conduct therapy sessions in small groups in the atmosphere of trust and empathy. This allows children to see that their reactions to grief are common, and group techniques provide mutual support.

Feedback from trainers-participants:

Vyacheslav:
In general, the new program is a breakthrough in design (as it is constructed), modern terms and design. It is important that work on the identification of emotions and their regulation appeared. In my opinion, it is a very important tool for Ukrainians at this time. It was also nice to see and get to know my colleagues better, hearing their experience is also very valuable.

Olena:
I am very grateful for the invitation and opportunity to participate in such thorough workshop. Indeed, the program resonates with the program “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques”, which we are working on in the project. However, it is different. I hope my personal experience will be useful in mastering the new program. Interactive exercises were great. It is very valuable that we are not only being taught, but the trainers also were learning from us. I am waiting for the opportunity to use my new knowledge in practice.

Photo album on Facebook

“HOPE worldwide Ukraine” Charity Foundation became one of 63 Ukrainian non-governmental organizations that received funding from the OutcomesX social outcomes marketplace. in Cooperation with OutcomesX, UBS Optimus Foundation will provide funding in the amount of $2 million directly to local NGOs in Ukraine that are providing education and mental health services to children in-country.

By the end of 2023 with the support of the OutcomeX “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” will conduct psychological therapy groups “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” for near 1500 children affected by war against Ukraine. It is expected that the participants of the therapy sessions will improve their psychological state and learn the psychological self-help techniques.

OutcomesX is a first-of-its-kind social outcomes marketplace, established amid recent studies revealing that red tape is preventing Ukrainian nonprofits from accessing relief funds to help those in need. Its mission is to transform social impact into an asset that impact investors, corporations and philanthropy can purchase from vetted nonprofits and social enterprises.

Check out the official media release to learn more about OutcomeX and its cooperation with Ukrainian organisations.

On April 24-28, 2023, “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” online training was held for psychologists, teachers, social workers, and volunteers. The training brought together 50 participants from Kharkiv, Kryvy Rih, Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyy, Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, Myrhorod, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Lviv, Ovruch, Kolomyia, as well as from Sweden, the Netherlands and Romania. All of them plan to conduct groups sessions for children and parents affected by war against Ukraine using this effective methodology, and will teach them self-help techniques to overcome stress, fears, anxiety, pain and loss. The psychologists from the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project of the Charity Foundation “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” Nataliya Podolyak and Olena Bozhor conducted the training.

We are sincerely grateful to the “Salvation Army” for the support of our project!

Feedback from participants:
Alyona Suprun, teacher (Zaporizhia): “During the training, I discovered many interesting techniques and found out some hidden problems in myself, but thanks to the new knowledge, I can now work them through”.

Liudmyla Bahdasarova, psychologist, teacher (Bila Tserkva): “Everything is clear, structured, professional. I am already eager to work with my colleague and co-trainer”.

Nataliya Serhiyenko, psychologist (Zhytomyr): “Information is very interesting and accessible. Thank you for the manual, techniques, and visual materials!”

Photo album on Facebook

Recently, an 8-year-old girl attended one of the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” therapy courses. At the beginning of the war, she lived with her parents and little brother in a small town in Kyiv region, which was occupied. When it became extremely dangerous and the whole family decided to leave the occupied territory, she heard the following words from her parents: “If we are killed, take your brother and do whatever you can to save yourselves. And if you can’t take him, just save yourself.”
All this time, the girl kept these words and memories to herself and did not tell anyone about it. At the first therapy session in a circle with other participants (children of primary school age) and trainers, in an atmosphere of trust, love and acceptance, she managed to talk about this situation and cry. After this she said: “I feel better. I will continue to work with you.” And she did. She really processed this horrible memory, and not only this one…

This is just one story. She is not the only one. We have a lot of them now. And we are thankful to everyone – the authors of the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” program, financial partners and donor of our “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project – Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF), “HOPE worldwide Canada”, “HOPE worldwide” (USA), as well as all trainers, psychologists, and volunteers who are involved in our project. Now, in such difficult times for Ukraine, they are providing psycho-emotional help to those who desperately need it!

Here are the photos of the therapy groups that took place in March-April 2023 in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi region. The trainers – Svitlana Huminska, Svitlana Tymoshenko, Tetyana Hordiy, Tetyana Khamelyuk. We are grateful for the provided photos, for their work, professionalism, experience, and care!

Photo album on Facebook

In March and April “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” group sessions took place within the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project in Dnipro and Berezne, Rivne region. Experienced trainers worked with children and their parents, helping them to overcome stress, fears, pain, and losses. Thanks to simple and effective self-help techniques, school-age children and adults have the opportunity to heal from the psycho-emotional wounds of war, they become calmer and more self-confident.

We thank the project trainers from the “Valena” extracurricular development center in Dnipro – Olena Surda and Tetyana Oliynyk, as well as Olena Lysyanska and Tetyana Drabych from the city of Berezne, Rivne region (resource room of the Berezniv Lyceum No. 3) for the photos.

We are sincerely grateful to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) for the financial support of our project!

Photo album on Facebook

On March 30-31 and April 1, the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” training was held in Lutsk as a part of the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” Project. The training was held in cooperation with Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University for twenty students and teachers of the Psychology Faculty of the university. Together with project trainers Iryna Sukhova and Tetyana Oboyanska the participants attentively studied self-help techniques, and received inspiration for further practical work with children and adults traumatized by the war. We express our sincere gratitude to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) for the financial support of our project.

Feedback from the participants:
Dariya Hoshovska, associate professor of Pedagogical and Age Psychology Department of Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University: “The topic of the training is extremely relevant for me, as I work with children who are experiencing PTSD. The self-help techniques and resourceful exercises were the most useful. High professional level of the trainers, clearly structured materials, useful exercises, accessible and clearly explained techniques. Thank you for your cooperation!”

Anna Vlasyuk, Psychology Faculty student of Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University: “Currently, due to the events in Ukraine, “Children and War” is a very relevant topic for everyone. Although I was not strongly affected by the actions of the enemy, I have a great desire to help those who need it. The games and exercises for the children were very interesting. We “tested them on ourselves”. Everything was clear and informative. I am impressed by the trainers; they presented the material in a great way. I want to wish them success and good luck in the future.”

Yuliya Rozmyrska, associate professor of Pedagogical and Age Psychology Department of Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University: “The program is especially relevant due to the lack of structured rehabilitation programs during or after military operations. The following part of the training were useful: the protocol for conducting sessions, techniques, games during breaks, methodical materials, offline learning atmosphere. The training should be mandatory (!) for all the psychologists who study and prepare to work with traumatized children and adults, for all school psychologists, for everyone who is interested and for whom the topic is relevant”.

Iryna Belikova, Psychology Faculty student of Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University: “For me, the topic of the training was relevant, as nowadays children often face situations in which they need help. Imagination techniques were the most useful, as I myself saw the immediate effect. I will recommend the training to my colleagues, because in this methodology there are many effective techniques. The atmosphere in the class was quite warm, which had a positive effect on learning.”

Bohdana Napleta, Psychology Faculty student of Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University: “Training exercises and techniques were incredible. It was cool to do them, they gave me a resource, thoughts, insights. There was probably not enough time, I would like to do more. I am grateful for understanding, atmosphere, support, motivation. I received great experience that I will use in my life. We will make our Ukraine better!”

Dmytro Korets, Psychology Faculty student of Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University: “Since there is a war in our country, this training is very relevant for us. The techniques were the most useful for me and more importantly – the are verified. In general, I recommend this training to everyone who is interested in improving their skills and knowledge in psychology”.

Photo album on Facebook

On March 10-12, 2023, the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” training for specialists was held in Vinnytsia as part of the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project. During three days, 22 participants from Vynnytsia, Kyiv and Khmelnytskyy were discussing the topics of psychological trauma and losses during the war, as well as learning recovery techniques and testing them “on themselves”. Learning by doing is the best way to learn. This is how you can check the effectiveness of the techniques, understand how they work and what results they give. The training was conducted by Project trainers and psychologists – Iryna Sukhova, Nataliya Podolyak and Khrystyna Kravchenko. The training was held in cooperation with the Donetsk National Vasyl Stus University. We sincerely thank our partners! A special thanks to our Canadian partner – the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) – for financial help and support in these difficult times for Ukraine!

Feedback from participants:
Viktoria Bilyak: “The training was relevant. The techniques and the trainers’ stories about personal experience and various cases were the most useful. I am sincerely grateful for creating a favorable climate for comfortable learning and great presentation of information.”

Tetyana Konovalyuk: “Theory and exercises, which are simple and easy to use – were the most useful. Everything was interesting, laconic, concise. Relevant, practical, and effective tools. Thank you!”

Hanna Povolotska: “I work at a school and lead psychological support groups in Vinnytsia, so I’m very glad that I got into such a circle of like-minded people. The most useful thing was that we went through the theoretical and practical aspects, and the entire program of psychological sessions. Thank you.”

Maryna Stadnyk: “The training is relevant, especially the detailed explanation of each technique and the trainers’ own experience, their stories from life. I am very grateful to the trainers and the group. The learning was easy and interesting, the atmosphere in the group was comfortable and safe”.

Lisa Uryupa: “The training was relevant for me, because I work with children and I see the need to learn such techniques. They were also useful for me personally. The most useful thing is personal experience of the trainers. I really liked it. It was useful, and I am waiting for implementation of all acquired knowledge!”

Photo album on Facebook

On March 04, 2023, HOPE worldwide Ukraine team met with the representatives of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) and HOPE worldwide Canada. The Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) has provided a grant towards the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” – trauma therapy program, which trains instructors to work with war trauma in children and adults using the unique methodology “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques”.
During the meeting the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project team reported about the activities and outcomes for the last 3 months. The project leader Iryna Sukhova told how we train the trainers, about therapy sessions with children and adults all over Ukraine, conducted with donor support. Participants of the meeting also discussed the plans for 2023 and opportunities for further cooperation.

The demand for “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” online therapy sessions is still high in early 2023. Both for the trainers of the program and for the participants of therapy sessions they serve as a great support. With total blackouts and constant sounds of sirens, when it is not possible to leave the bomb shelter for a long time, it is very difficult to find time for home, work, school and in addition to attend therapy sessions. At the same time, these difficult circumstances should not be the reason to cancel studies, work, life.

Online groups help participants and trainers to be more mobile. They provide an opportunity to learn self-help techniques distantly. The result is the most important thing: during online therapy both children and adults are healing; they become calmer and more confident, stabilize their emotional state, get rid of fears, obsessive memories and pain.

We are thankful to our trainers, Khrystyna and Leila Kravchenko from Kramatorsk, Vyacheslav and Tetyana Naumov from Kyiv, Viktoriya Trystan and Lyubov Shavrova from Kryvushi gymnasium and Rokytne gymnasium (Poltava region) for provided photos.

Photo album on Facebook