Psychological support for children who have experienced stress

War leaves deep scars on the soul of every individual, and children are especially vulnerable. Thousands of Ukrainian children know this from their own experience. Timely professional psychological support is crucial for them. It quite literally determines the course of their entire future lives.

We have gathered five expert tips from psychologists on how to emotionally support children who have experienced trauma:

1. Create a safe environment. Children who have experienced trauma need to feel safe. Establish a clear daily routine, certain rituals, and be consistent: all of this helps restore their sense of control over their lives.
   2. Encourage open communication.
      Help children express their feelings. If they find it difficult to do so verbally, suggest other methods, such as drawing or play.
   3. Be patient and understanding.
      Healing psychological trauma takes time. During the rehabilitation process, children may exhibit anger, fear, withdrawal, and other emotions. Accept this as part of the healing process and respond with empathy.
   4. Teach children not to bottle up their emotions.
      Encourage children to talk about their feelings. Younger children can do this through play or art, while older ones might prefer keeping a journal.
   5. Seek professional help.
      Sometimes the emotional impact of trauma is too great to handle alone. Don’t hesitate to get help from a psychologist.

One of the key projects of the ‘Hope – Children of Ukraine’ Foundation is providing group and individual therapy sessions with professional psychologists. These sessions are free for children and their families, thanks to the generous donations of our sponsors. This enables us to partially cover psychologists’ work, although many specialists volunteer their time to contribute to our shared mission of doing good.

You too can join the projects of Hope – Children of Ukraine as a volunteer, professional, sponsor, media partner, and more! Together, we can do even more good!”