For several years now, children and teenagers in the capital of Ukraine have had the opportunity to restore their inner balance thanks to the “Children and War: Teaching Recovery Techniques” program. Therapy sessions are led by a team of certified trainers — Olha Posternak and Tetiana Holovko — this time held at Kyiv School #321.
At the beginning of 2025, the trainers organized several groups where children aged 8 to 17 learned techniques for managing anxiety, working with traumatic memories, and emotional self-healing. During 7 sessions, each participant discovered simple but effective ways of self-support.
What makes these groups special?
– All the children reported improvements in their emotional and psychological state.
– The groups quickly united into true support teams.
– Even after the sessions ended, teenagers continued to communicate, helping each other cope with difficulties.
Heartwarming healing stories speak for themselves: a boy who was afraid to talk about the loss of his father eventually opened up to the group and shared his fondest memories; a girl suffering from depression found friends again and returned to an active life.
Today, as the war reshapes children’s lives, such initiatives are not just relevant — they are essential.
This project was created by the “HOPE worldwide Ukraine” charity foundation with the support of a grant from the Children’s Resilience Fund: Providing Capacity Building and Funding to Ukrainian Civil Society Organisations in Ukraine. The program is implemented by Crown Agents Ukraine and Integrity Action. The content of the news does not necessarily reflect the views of Integrity Action, or Crown Agents in Ukraine.
