On September 9-11, 2024, Iryna Sukhova, head and lead psychologist of the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project, attended the “Mastering the skills of coordination and work in the field of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS)” training for specialists that took place in Odesa.

During the training, the participants improved the skills of interdepartmental coordination, got acquainted with the existing structures and guiding documents on the MHPSS, and also practiced planning and implementation of MHPSS activities. They fostered the knowledge through case studies and interactive role-playing games. The training was conducted by an international WHO expert, Dr. Fami Hanna.

The event for partners from Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions was organized by the technical working group of MHPSSUkraine and the Regional technical working group of MHPSS Southern Regions.

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Sixteen-year-old Katya from Nova Kakhovka, Kherson region, during the war against Ukraine, experienced many painful and traumatic events that affected her psycho-emotional state and health. Recently, the girl took part in the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” therapy course and shared her impressions with us:

“I want to express my deep gratitude for the therapy sessions. They turned out to be extremely useful and relevant for me, since I survived three months in the occupation and the first weeks when my hometown, Nova Kakhovka, was actually on the frontline. And later there were several turning points for me moments: the blow-up of the hydroelectric power plant, health problems due to stress, and on my birthday I found out that my grandparents’ house was destroyed.

First, there are interesting methods and ways to eliminate anxiety, pain and obsessive thoughts. We practiced many so-called “tools” to overcome experiences. And they are really very effective. I used them myself and even shared with a friend. Although she had worries about unrequited love, but it also helped her. And this means that the training methods are universal and suitable for every situation when you want to support someone else or calm yourself down.

Secondly, the approach to discussing sensitive topics and providing support to training participants was very important to me. Trainers’ ability to create a safe and supportive environment allowed me to openly discuss difficult issues and find ways to ease my pain. Usually, I don’t like to talk about my experience related to war.

It’s really hard for me to adapt and accept that it will never be the same again. It’s hard for me to see new teachers, to sit in a new class with new classmates. It’s hard for me to sleep in someone else’s bed and not eat from my own plates. It’s hard to see my city being destroyed. It is unpleasant to hear when some people in the village where I live now say that all people from the eastern part of the country are separatists. This is the pain that thousands of displaced people and refugees face every day. Recently, I was cleaning and found the keys to my apartment. I haven’t cried so much in a long time. Such a small thing as keys made me very sad. But I remembered such a tool as the “feel good button”. And I immediately felt better. I still haven’t washed the sweater in which I left Nova Kakhovka. It smells like home. Thank you for your professionalism, sensitivity and desire to help me and other children who have psychological trauma due to war. Before, I dreamed almost every day that a Russian soldier was following me. Now this is rare, because thanks to the sessions I work through my inner fears and pains. Overall, the course is extremely useful and helped me a lot. I experienced a lot during the occupation and after, when I left. I was very lonely. But I found help and I’m glad that there are people who care about my pain.”

On the photo, group therapy sessions “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” conducted in 2024 in Izyaslav city and Pluzhne village, Khmelnytskyi region by the trainers of the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project, Nataliya Savchuk and Oleksandr Dobrovolskyi.

We are grateful to the “VAV Better Future” Charitable Foundation for fruitful cooperation!

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In the summer of 2024, “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” Therapy Courses Took Place in the “Training project “Caramel” children’s camp near Kyiv in Nemishayeve village, Bucha district.

The atmosphere of the camp was very warm and resourceful, the program was interesting and rich. Children who survived the occupation and terrorist attacks, who are waiting for their father from the front or who already have an irreparable loss in the family, came to the camp. The “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” were conducted for them

A total of 633 children attended therapy courses. Young trainers – Marharyta Polyakova, Hanna Vlasiuk, Darya Tretyak and Yuliya Kalenyk – worked with them. They are students of the Volyn National Lesya Ukrainka University, who already have experience working with trauma and conducting therapy sessions.

This is how the trainers commented on their work at the camp:

Yulia Kalenyk: “Working as a psychologist in the camp has been an incredibly enriching and valuable experience for me. And the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” program has proved to be extremely useful and allowed me to better understand how to support children who have experienced traumatic and challenging events. These sessions provided an opportunity to create deep emotional contact with the children, helping them to open up and share their fears and experiences. I am very grateful for the cooperation.”

Marharyta Polyakova: “I am very grateful for the opportunity to work as a psychologist at the “Caramel” camp. This is an invaluable experience. Conducting therapy sessions on the topic of war and traumatic events, teaching children the self-help and self-calming techniques is very important. It was very nice to hear from the children that they were getting better after meeting with us.”

Hanna Vlasiuk: “The first session is always the most difficult for me, because you get to know everyone and you want to explain what our therapy sessions are all about. However, it was easy to carry out all the following ones. It was nice to see how children who were closed during the first meetings opened up and took an active part in the discussions.”

Darya Tretyak: “The participants expressed their thoughts on the therapy sessions’ topic beautifully and accurately, and during the exercises they were very focused on what they did. So, they liked to share their emotions and impressions. I have been working with the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” program in the “Caramel” camp for the second year, and I already felt that I want to grow further to help others more.”

After the camps, Iryna Zavalna, director of the “Caramel” Training Project, shared her impressions: “Thank you for our cooperation and your attention to our project. This year, the experience of our joint work was especially felt. Psychologists in both camps are already part of our team and project family. We received a lot of positive reviews. Once, I dreamed that the children in the camp would have professional psychological support. And thanks to your work, my dream came true for more than one year in a row. Thank you! It is very nice to know that the children had a good rest.”

We also sincerely thank our long-term partner and good friend “Caramel” Training Project” and especially its director Iryna Zavalna for their cooperation.

The “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” therapy courses took place with financial support of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation. We sincerely thank our partner.

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Around 200 children who visited the “Lisova Pisnia” children’s camp near Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi region this summer, attended “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” therapy course.

Summer camp always means loud, active, and fun! It is a holiday, with songs, dances, quests, games, contests, and entertainment. But children who came to the camp from boarding schools and large families with difficult life circumstances also received psychological support and help. The “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” sessions had a warm atmosphere. The participants shared their difficult emotions and anxieties, learned to express pain and sadness, overcome intrusive memories. They drew their fears and learned to overcome them with the help of various techniques and exercises.

The therapy sessions were held by Larysa Sushko and Tetyana Solovei, trainers of the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project. We sincerely thank our partner, the Canadian-Ukrainian Foundation, for the financial support!

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A children’s camp always means entertainment, games, excursions, sports, dances, concerts, and communication. The camp in the village of Volovets in Zakarpattia region is also a wonderful experience of the incredible nature of the Carpathian Mountains. Here, in July-August 2024, 297 children of the “Caramel” Training Project attended the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” therapy sessions. The therapy sessions were held by the certified trainers and psychologists of the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project Khrystyna and Leila Kravchenko – daughter and mother.

“Wonderful, friendly, and talented children,” Khrystyna Kravchenko shared her impressions after another camp shift. – I like to see their sincere smiles, it is very inspiring… I am incredibly thankful for their trust, stories about their own tragic stories, difficult experiences of loss, and mutual support. Despite all this, they live, cry, laugh, and enjoy life!” Khrystyna expressed special thanks to the “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” charity foundation for the support and trust. She also thanked Iryna Sukhova, the lead psychologist of the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project, for provided supervisory support.

The children also shared their impressions. Here is the feedback from soem of them:

“There was a very friendly atmosphere during the sessions. Psychologists are one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. The therapy sessions helped me get rid of obsessive thoughts, and now I feel much better. I recommend these sessions to everyone who has issues related to traumatic events.”

“Thank you, psychologists, for such interesting, calm, and open sessions. I really liked them. I can say – don’t hesitate to open up, it definitely won’t get worse, especially when psychologists are so professional in their area.”

“I liked the sessions. We learned a lot of different interesting techniques. From each meeting, I took something for myself, understood, accepted, in order to overcome my fears or calm down a little. All this helped me a lot.”

The “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” therapy courses took place with financial support of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation.

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The “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project of the Charity Foundation “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” cooperated with the “Tepli Doloni” children’s camp implementing its “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” program for the camp participants. The camp took place in early June 2024 at the base of the “Zamlynnya” integration center in Zamlynnya village, Volyn region.

The children of the soldiers of Volyn border detachment of the State Border Service of Ukraine, as well as children with difficult life circumstances, deprived of parental care, who are in foster families lived through the ten days of unforgettable impressions. About fifty children of different ages enjoyed the rich program of the camp: various master classes, fun in nature, sports games, horseback riding, a trip to Lake Svityaz. All this happened thanks to the team of the NGO “PYATERNYA” and with the financial support of the Charity Foundation “Modern Ukraine”. In addition, Iryna Semenenko and Viktoria Parkhomenko, who were counselors in the camp, had the opportunity to conduct “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” therapy sessions. “This program has beautifully blended with ours. Collaboration of art therapy activities is good and necessary. Thank you!” – commented Tetyana Myalkovska, art therapist and head of the NGO “PYATERNYA”.

In the course of the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” therapy sessions, Iryna Sukhova, the project manager, lead psychologist and supervisor of the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project, came to the camp and brought the children gifts from the Charity Foundation “HOPE worldwide Ukraine”: backpacks with art-sets that will help children improve their emotional state in the future. She also talked with the trainers about the specifics of working with children who have suffered from war or live in difficult life circumstances. Iryna also noted that the team of our project is happy to cooperate with new partners with whom we are united by caring for the children of Ukraine.

We are grateful to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation for the financial support of the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” therapy sessions!

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On June 13, 2024, 28 new trainers of the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” program in Poltava have been certified. Charity Foundation “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” in cooperation with the M. V. Ostrohradskyi Poltava Academy of Continuing Education organized and conducted a training project for the educators of Poltava region.

“I’m glad that two powerful communities have met! – associate professor of the Academy, PhD in psychology, psychologist Ludmila Zhdanyuk, shared her impressions at the end of the project. – We have planned, organized, conducted and completed the first joint project that lasted three months.

Yesterday I listened to the final reflections of the participants and was amazed that despite the complexity of the topic (working with children who witness war), complicated own experiences, terrible life stories of children, the need to master new work tools, air alarms, buses that broke down, physical injuries and many, many other obstacles, the participants found a place for self-expression and creativity. They not only supported, motivated, empathized, cared, but also gave the joy of childhood!”

Iryna Sukhova, project manager and lead psychologist of the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project, psychologist Oleksiy Sukhov, and group coordinator Khrystyna Kravchenko awarded the participants with certificates. We would like to thank our new partner, the M.V. Ostrohradskyi Poltava Academy of Continuing Education, for fruitful cooperation! We are thankful to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation for financial support!

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On June 12, 2024, certificates were awarded to new trainers of the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” program in Kyiv. The project manager and lead psychologist of the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project, Iryna Sukhova, psychologist Oleksiy Sukhov, and the coordinator of this group of trainers, Olha Posternak, congratulated 24 new specialists from Kyiv, as well as Kamiansky, Dnipropetrovsk region, and Bila Tserkva of Kyiv region.

To receive certificates, after theoretical training all trainers conducted therapy groups for children and parents affected by war. Some sessions were held live, others online. “We chose the online format to provide an opportunity for people from small towns and abroad to join the program and process their traumatic experience,” said one of the new trainers of this group, Olha Khoptyar. – But when the participants and trainers faced problems with black-outs, we were surprised how motivated our participants were: they looked for Wi-Fi in cafes and asked to send materials for self-training. It inspired everyone: our work was very important.”

“The awarding of certificates took place on the day when there was a heavy storm in Kyiv: cars were “sinking”, city transport was at a standstill, the roads were collapsing,” Iryna Sukhova shared her impressions. – Therefore, unfortunately, not everyone was able to “swim” to the meeting place and take a joint photo. However, those who were absent sent congratulations in messengers. They received certificates later per mail. We wish the new trainers of the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” program further fruitful work!”

The project took place in cooperation with the Center for Professional Development of the City of Kyiv. We are sincerely grateful to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation for the financial assistance!

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On May 30, 2024, the certificates were awarded to 22 new trainers of the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” program in Khmelnytskyi. Since early spring the new specialists have conducted group therapy sessions for children and adults. They were able to put into practice the knowledge they received during the training in Khmelnytskyi on February 29 – March 02, 2024.

Certificates were handed out by Iryna Sukhova, the head and psychologist of the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project, as well as Yana Sergeeva, a psychologist and coordinator of this trainers’ group. We sincerely congratulate the new specialists and wish everyone strength, inspiration and good results in their work!

Activities within the project were carried out in cooperation with CF “Rokada” (Khmelnytskyi), that we have cooperated fruitfully with for two years.

We are thankful for this cooperation! We are grateful to our partner, Canada-Ukraine Foundation, for the financial support.

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Almost all the participants of the “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” therapy sessions have one thing in common – everyone has been traumatized by war in one way or another. But groups are always different. There was a 15-year-old boy Vladyslav from Khmelnytsky in one of the therapy groups at the children camp. He engaged in activities actively, quickly got to know everyone, listened to their stories, tried to carefully ask questions. However, almost until the end of the therapy course he kept saying that he had no traumatic memories and participated only out of curiosity and a desire to learn healing techniques for the future.

When the group worked on fears, one girl said that she was afraid to return to Kherson, where she saw how her house was flooded. Then Vladyslav said that he understood the girl, because he was also afraid to return to the village to his grandmother. And without hesitating he told his story:

“In summer, I always went to my grandmother’s village, where I had my best friend, Anton. We had fun and every day was interesting and exciting. Two years ago, we went to the pond, caught some fish, we were so happy. After fishing, we were walking through the forest, talking, and suddenly we heard a sound. It was loud and seemed to be approaching us. Everything happened very quickly, maybe in a couple of seconds… I looked around and saw that a tree was falling on us. Anton somehow pushed me off the path, and the tree fell right on him…
He died on the spot. I was very scared, as if I were paralyzed. Then I started to pull him out and saw that he was not breathing, and his whole head was covered in blood. It was terrifying, I ran down the road and screamed, calling for help. He was buried, and I can no longer go to the village, I have never been there since that incident.”

Vladyslav covered his face with his hands and cried. He explained that after that incident he often has the same dream of a tree falling on Anton. And when he wakes up, he often sees his friend before his eyes and smells blood and hears the sound of a tree falling. Two years have passed, but it seems to the boy that it happened yesterday. He stopped going to the forest and fishing.

Continuing the sessions, the trainers stimulated the group to talk about useful and useless avoidance. They also asked Vladyslav what techniques he could use in such cases. The boy shared that he already uses breathing, listening and smelling exercises and carries an aromatic oil with him. He noted that techniques helped him relieve tension, so he plans to keep using them in the future. At the next session he brought a completed task on overcoming fear. He decided that he needed to resume his to trips to the village, step by step. On each step, he wrote what he had to do and drew Anton as his superhero with wings who would help him in everything.

On the photo, group therapy sessions “Children and War. Teaching Recovery Techniques” conducted in March-April 2024 in Lyceum #93 in Kyiv by the trainers of the “Helping Hand for Ukraine” project, Alevtyna Hurska and Maryna Pavlus.

We are grateful to our partner, Canada-Ukraine Foundation, for the financial support.

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