Themes by tag: psychological support

Five child-friendly spaces recently sprouted in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, bringing the total count to 27 scattered across Zaporizhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Donetsk regions. It’s a tag-team effort between the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Ukraine and the NGO Responsible Citizens.

These sanctuaries offer a snug and secure setting where families with kids can team up with psychologists, art therapists, and speech therapists. Social workers and legal eagles also swoop in to aid families in tackling sticky situations. And for those kiddos hungry for knowledge, select spaces dish out classes designed to jazz up their understanding of core subjects, all while having a blast.

Covering every corner, mobile psychosocial support units are on the move throughout all four regions. Psychologists, social workers, art therapists, and a backup crew of lawyers and speech therapists trek to far-flung communities, extending a hand to those lacking local resources. 

IDP families and locals alike are cordially welcome to swing by these spaces.

Journalists have the opportunity to delve deeper into the spaces and cover their functionality, with prior arrangement.

• casualties
• children
• psychological support

The initiative, spearheaded by the philanthropic organization Cultural Forces of Ukraine, serves as a nexus for cultural and educational endeavors, catering to residents who endured the tumultuous Russian occupation. Within the House of Imagination, patrons can engage in a spectrum of activities fostering creativity and focus, including workshops and meditation sessions, with a primary focus on enriching the youth. “Our mission is twofold: to provide psychological support to those affected by the occupation and to promote Ukrainian culture. Today, we reaffirm our commitment to revitalizing Ukrainian arts, music, and culture,” stated Serhii Martyniuk, co-coordinator of the Cultural Forces of Ukraine Charity Foundation.

• casualties
• culture
• occupation
• psychological support
• Kharkiv

Volodymyr Mamalyha is a psychologist by profession. In 2014, when russia attacked Ukraine for the first time, he volunteered to join the army. Volodymyr served as a sniper in the East. After returning to civilian life, the veteran began to help the military by providing psychological support to the defenders and creating veteran communities in Cherkasy.

The day after the big war started, the man was already in the ranks of the Armed Forces. Volodymyr fought near Popasna and Lysychansk in Luhansk region, later he was hospitalized and discharged from active duty by the decision of the military medical commission.

The veteran says that it was not easy to return to normal life, so he decided to create a hub of psychological support for servicemen and veterans of the Armed Forces. Volodymyr applied for a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, won and received funding. And then he started a hub in Cherkasy. Besides psychologists, lawyers work there too. In addition, various training events for veterans are held in the hub. Currently, Volodymyr has applied for another grant to purchase a special car to transport servicemen with disabilities to the hub.

• casualties
• military
• psychological support

“Darling, I Live on!” is a psychological support project for women who lost their husbands in the war. It operates in Zaporizhia.

In March 2023, activist Yaryna Herashchenko was approached by a family friend who had lost her military husband who asked her for support. Then the women came up with the idea to create the project “Darling, I Live on!” Yaryna’s mother, who is a psychologist, got involved as well.

Over the course of a year, 22 participants joined the project. As part of the initiative, women receive psychological aid and support on their way to recovery. In particular, they take part in various activities: archery, yoga and Thai boxing. Women also participate in field sessions. For example, on the island of Khortytsia, the participants wrote letters to their loved ones, made small paper boats from their messages and sent them down the Dnipro. They also treated each other to their loved ones’ favorite dishes.

The participants are also taking part in two photo projects: “Memory of you” (photos with memorabilia that help the participants tell the stories of their husbands) and “Darling, I Live on!” (“awakening photo shoot”). Group 4 meetings will start in March.

• dead
• military
• psychological support
• women
• Zaporizhzhia

“Generation U” NGO in partnership with the Kharkiv Puppet Theater named after V. Afanasieva and Bray Area Partnership (Ireland) started a large-scale project titled “My Doll Stories” for children and teenagers whose families were forced to escape the war zone.

In Kyiv, Kharkiv and Bray (Ireland), the project team conducts classes in puppetry and music therapy. Through these practices, organizers aim to help children, particularly teenagers, to overcome trauma and stress caused by a change in environment. And later, the organizers want to use the achievements of their project to create a full-fledged puppet therapy course that can be scaled and developed further.

The project is initiated by Kristina Liulchenko, Creative Director at Generation U NGO, and Olha Pinaieva, teacher of puppet therapy, Founder of the “Bag of Dolls” project.

The project will work until March 24.

For reference: Generation U is an NGO established by a group of cultural representatives to solve various pressing social issues. The NGO’s activities include setting up an art residency, running social projects and holding master classes. 

• children
• psychological support
• Kharkiv
• Kyiv

The Israel Trauma Coalition bolsters the resilience of those who uphold Ukraine’s strength and fortitude.

The ITC strengthens the resilience of Ukrainian forces by equipping those professionals who hold the line of contact – including doctors, rescuers, police, and military personnel, with essential skills taught in free training. 

Recent sessions have included specialized training for emergency medical doctors, who have been actively serving in the ongoing conflict for nearly two years. Given the demanding nature of their work, it’s critical for them to understand psychological self-care techniques and provide initial assistance to their colleagues and patients.

Over 10,000 specialists have already benefited from ITC’s training programs. Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the organization has established resilience centers in key cities such as Kyiv, Odesa, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, and Kharkiv.

Journalists can arrange to cover these training sessions in advance.

For context: The Israel Trauma Coalition (ITC), established in 2002, is a non-profit organization that brings together top experts in stress resilience and trauma management.

• psychological support

The founder of Repower charitable foundation, Maryna Sadykova, was an event organizer before the full-scale invasion. After February 24, 2022, her team began to help the military. Due to active volunteer work, the woman began to feel psychological exhaustion and constant anxiety. So, she went to the Carpathians to recover. This experience prompted Maryna to start a program of psychological support: at first, she wanted to help military volunteers like her, but the financial resources of the foundation were limited. That’s why the team decided to focus on medics who save the lives of soldiers at the front, and the Repower project was founded in Kyiv to restore the mental health of Ukrainian combat medics. Maryna’s team created a sustainable program of psychological support – a 10-day retreat in Sweden. Together with medics, Ukrainian psychologists go abroad as well. The 10-day program consists of psychological exercises, individual sessions, group meetings, art therapy, music therapy, etc. As of now, the charitable foundation has managed to organize 3 trips for 300 participants.

• doctors
• psychological support
• volunteers
• women

Oleksandr Darmoros’ life took a drastic turn in March 2016. Serving as an intelligence officer in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) zone, during a combat mission, Darmoros hit an anti-personnel mine, leaving his entire body severely injured. Evacuated by his fellow soldiers in time, however, the blast took his eyesight and leg. Darmoros underwent numerous surgeries and years of rehabilitation, both in Ukraine and abroad. Despite the challenges, he persevered, learning to navigate life with prosthetics and take care of himself while living in darkness. In the US, Darmoros received running prosthetics and even participated in the Marine Corps Marathon. Alongside his physical recovery, he embarked on a new career path as a military psychologist. Now based in the Khmelnytskyi region, he provides crucial support to soldiers in need. Looking ahead, Darmoros aims to relaunch his YouTube channel, intending to share his experience and insights with a broader audience.

For reference: as February 24, 2024, marks the grim two-year anniversary of Russia’s criminal incursion into Ukraine. It stands as the apex of a decade-long war of aggression, which actually dates back to February 20, 2014, beginning with the annexation of Crimea. Russian forces invaded Ukrainian Crimea without any identifying markings and, after that, seized control of the peninsula back then. Subsequently, these events escalated into war in eastern Ukraine.

• casualties
• military
• psychological support
• Khmelnytskyi

On February 12, the Ukrainian Military League will hold a press conference featuring the UML representatives talking about scaling up the project of psychological and sports rehabilitation of the service members for 2024.

In particular, it is planned to initiate the start of 100 mental health, physical therapy, and sports rehabilitation services centers for the Armed Forces servicemen throughout the country. It is also expected to leverage sporting events, competitions, and championships to enhance military personnel seeking psychological support participation. In particular, these include military veterans, soldiers wounded in action, and those whose transition to civilian life is underway. 

For reference: According to the UML, 1.8 million active duty members and veterans will be looking for mental health assistance after the war ends.

• casualties
• military
• psychological support

Olha had been working as a military psychologist from 2014 to 2018 when she resigned from service and together with her team started the Veteran Hub (a space that provides support to war veterans and their loved ones).

At the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Olha joined the ranks of the patrol police (just when the enemy was breaking through to the capital). Later, together with the police, she went to the territories of the Kyiv region liberated by the Ukrainian military, and helped local residents. And already in the summer of 2022, she joined the ranks of the Armed Forces, where she continues to work as a military psychologist. Olha was in Bakhmut and in the Zaporizhia sector. For now, she is in the capital.

Olha provides a full cycle of psychological support: selection, training, support during combat missions, crisis assistance, etc.

For reference: February 24, 2024 marks 2 years since the beginning of russia’s illegal full-scale invasion. The attack marked the culmination of the war of aggression, which the russian federation had been waging against Ukraine for 10 years at that point. This war began on February 20, 2014 when the russians invaded the territory of the Ukrainian Crimea without identification marks and occupied the peninsula. After that, russia started a war in the East of Ukraine. 

• military
• psychological support
• women
• Kyiv