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Project ”Providing PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL help and support to Ukrainian people during war”

GOAL

Providing people affected by war with the necessary social and psychological support and assistance. Developing professional skills for specialists, who work in a social sphere, and parents in overcoming trauma and providing social and psychological support, and creating an environment conducive to the healthy development of children

TARGET AUDIENCE

Social workers, psychologists, volunteers, representatives of churches and ministries, parents, foster parents, pregnant women, women in labor, war-affected children

DURATION  March 2022 – August 2022

PROJECT ACTIVITIES


 

1.Training program for specialists about organizing and conducting psychological  support groups for people affected by the war

A large number of people affected by the war in Ukraine need psychological support: internally displaced persons, refugees, foster parents, social workers, and volunteers. One of the effective tools of such help is open supportive groups. Our task is to build the competencies of specialists to organize and conduct this form of work

Target audience
  • psychologists, social workers, specialists who work in the social field
  • specialists with experience working with groups
  • specialists, who work with people affected by war and see the need for  supportive groups

Format of training
  • 5 training online sessions
  • conducting a training supportive group by participants in an online or offline format
  • supervisory meetings, based on the results of the conducting supporting groups 

Training is conducted by

Feedback from participants


 

2.Supportive groups for psychologists, social workers, and other specialists, who work in the social area

In times of war, specialists of supporting professions work with a large number of requests from people and, as a result, the workload for them increases many times over. Specialists are experiencing a crisis, which leads to depletion of resources and a decrease in the energy level. The risks of secondary traumatization after working with people affected by war are very high

Target group
  • psychologists
  • social service provider
  • social workers
  • social support volunteers
Meetings format

Online, on the ZOOM platform

What participants achieve
  • opportunity to speak up and be heard
  • dealing with conditions, resulting from work with people affected by war
  • exchange of experiences with colleagues
  • information about techniques for self-help and work with clients
  • intervisory support

3.Supportive groups for people affected by war

After the beginning of a full-scale invasion of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine, many people found themselves in a state of crisis. The loss of jobs, possessions and their usual way of life lead to a negative impact on their psychological and emotional state. Supportive groups help participants find people, who have similar experiences and reduce the effects of traumatic events

Who can apply 

Every person, who was affected by war and needs psychological support

What participants achieve
  • opportunity to express emotions in a safe and friendly environment
  • stabilization of the psycho-emotional state
  • support for themselves and others
  • resource and motivation for work and daily affairs
  • motivation for finding positive moments and feelings in life right now
  • resources and methods for self-care
  • self-regulation techniques

3.Supportive groups for woman with children who were forced to move abroad or have returned to Ukraine

After the full-scale war outbreak, many Ukrainian women were forced to save themselves and their children and move abroad. During forced migration, mothers have faced many difficulties: adaptation to the new country, searching for housing, choosing a kindergarten and school for children, and processing documents. At the same time, women are constantly stressed due to the events at home and have no help from their men, who have remained in Ukraine. Therefore, they must receive support from people with similar experience

Who can apply 

Women who were forced to move abroad with their children during the war or have returned to Ukraine

What participants achieve
  • the opportunity to speak out and be heard in a comfortable and safe circle of communication
  • support and understanding from women going through similar experiences
  • Psycho-emotional stabilization
  • strength and resources to adapt to life in a new country
  • understanding of child’s reactions after relocation and changes in their routine
  • ways to support a child in the new conditions and maintain a good relationship with your child
  • ways to keep long-distance relationships in the family

5.Support groups for women whose men are fighting on the front

Many Ukrainian men fight at the front while their families and women are left alone. Some women have gone abroad, and some have stayed in Ukraine, but each has constant worries about their husband, children, and future. Support groups give women a chance to talk about their fears and make them feel like they’re not alone. The topic of experiencing separation from men at war is quite intimate for women, so format of this group is private. There is constant list of participants and we don’t accept new one. This format  made it possible to create a more private atmosphere and a circle of trust

Who can apply 

Women whose men are fighting on the front

What participants achieve
  • A community circle with women going through similar experiences
  • support from two facilitators 
  • A technique for helping to reduce constant anxiety about a man
  • insights on how to sustain a relationship in crisis and during a long time away
  • strength and resources to prolong your everyday life while the man is at war
  • ways to support a man at war

6.Psychological counseling for anyone who needs psyhological support in times of war

After the beginning of the war, a large number of Ukrainians found themselves in a situation of experiencing traumatic events: separation, loss of loved ones, housing, property, work, lack of finances to support themselves and their children, and loss of control over their own lives. Fear, despair, apathy, anxiety, loss of meaning, and panic attacks – are the consequences experienced by a major number of people today. Consultation with a psychologist will help to balance the psycho-emotional state and find the inner resource and tools of self-help

Who can apply

people affected by military events

internally displaced people and refugees

children

parents of children of all ages

pregnant women and women in childbirth

What will clients achieve

reduction of anxiety, normalization of sleep and nutrition

psychoemotional research and understanding of the reaction

self-help tools for dealing with stress

information about childbirth and newborn care in wartime

help with setting up breastfeeding

support for psychoemotional state 

 

understanding how to talk to children about war according to their age

understanding how to normalize a child’s discipline and routine

ways to strengthen relationships with the child

regaining control over the child’s upbringing

All consultations are conducted in an online format

psychologists

7.Developmental  classes for children of all ages in an online format

Classes are not held during the summer holidays!

With the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, families with children have faced new challenges and problems. Surviving traumatic events, change of residence, new circumstances, and lack of rest for parents cause constant tension in the family and difficulties with upbringing children. Also, many families are faced with the inability of children to attend kindergartens, schools, and clubs, which results in lagging behind the program and limiting conditions for children’s development

Developmental classes help children
  • learn to analyze and draw conclusions
  • be able to classify, compare and highlight the essential
  • saw differences and patterns
  • be able to think associatively and looked for non-standard approaches to solving problems
  • learn to think critically
  • find logical connections between facts
  • train creativity and ingenuity

The ILDC team, in cooperation with teachers, conducts the following classes for children

 

 

8.Training specialists in the social sphere to work with children and families in war conditions by conducting webinars

To increase the competence of social workers, the ILDC team, together with invited experts, regularly holds training webinars on current topics in the field of working with children and families during the war. The main points are social and psychological tools in working with families and children during wartime and features of work and interaction with children in wartime

Target group

social workers

psychologists

social support volunteers

social service providers

church ministers

parents, foster parents

Webinars are conducted by ILDC experts, trainers in an online format

9.Information via social media for professionals in the social sphere, parents, and leaders of social institutions about working with children and families in wartime and post-war conditions

ILDC on an ongoing basis is conducting social media campaigns on socially important topics and activities, carried out by the organization during the war. The goal is to build and develop the competencies (understanding and knowledge) of specialists and parents about the specifics of working with children and families in war conditions

What topics does the info campaign cover
  • support for oneself and children during the war
  • how to provide professional social and psychological assistance to people affected by war
  • how to talk to children about the war and keep in touch with them
  • how to deal with anxiety situations during the war, etc
Target group
  • parents of children of different ages
  • social workers, ancillary professionals, social service providers
  • leaders of public organizations

You can follow the announcements of events and useful information on the pages

Expected results of the project 

professionals achieve training about organization and leading supportive groups

supportive groups are conducted for social workers, psychologists, volunteers, other specialists of supporting professions, internally displaced people, and refugees

support groups are conducted by professionals as part of the training

counseling sessions are provided to citizens (including women, children, women in labor, pregnant women)

webinars are conducted for parents, and professionals, who work with families and children

sessions are conducted for children ages 5-6, 7-8, and 9-10 aimed at developing the cognitive sphere of children

INTERIM REPORT