32 Inclusive Resource Centers psychologists of the Chernivtsi Region completed the training course «Psychological Support in Crisis» initiated by the international charity organization Parimatch Foundation.
Supported by the Department of Education and Science of the Chernivtsi Regional Military Administration, Bukovyna became the fourth region of Ukraine where the project was implemented as a part of the Foundation’s psychological rehabilitation strategic program for children and adults affected by the war.
The course, developed with Israeli Trauma Coalition experts, lasted 12 academic hours and consisted of theoretical lectures and practical tasks. The course materials include psychological and emotional first aid protocols used in Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom, including self-help and assessment techniques, assessments, and acute reactions and trauma. After completing the training, all participants have been awarded a certificate of attendance and they will be able to work with internally displaced persons, both adults, and children, using new methods and help more effectively.
Since the beginning of the war, the Chernivtsi region has sheltered more than 105,000 people, including 35,000 children. It is expected, that about 25,000 children from families that remained in Bukovyna will enter local educational institutions. Their rehabilitation and adaptation to a new life also depend on the qualifications of the psychologists who will work with them.
Iryna Isopenko, deputy head of Chernivtsi Regional Military Administration, is sure that the Parimatch Foundation initiative is timely and will help specialists provide psychological assistance to those who need it more effectively.
— All psychologists who received certificates have great credibility. They are those angels, those people who should strengthen the mentality of children, assure them of their strength and faith, so that they are not afraid, not ashamed, can be confident when defending the interests of their state, and can understand that they are the most valuable in the world.
I am grateful to our friends from the Parimatch Foundation who have already implemented three projects in the region, for the opportunity to learn new methods and approaches based on the experience of countries, which were involved in the war like Israel, and the USA, Great Britain.
We still have ambitious plans, I want us to be able to share our experience, knowledge, and skills to bring salvation to the state, to big and little Ukrainians.
Parimatch Foundation Program Manager Anna Mazarchuk notes that the project aims to share with Ukrainian psychologists the latest techniques of crisis assistance that are needed when working with internally displaced persons of different ages during the war, so all psychologists who want to improve their skills can do it.
— No child should suffer from war. Every Ukrainian boy and girl has the right to grow up happy and healthy under a peaceful sky. Currently, the main task of the Foundation is to help every child cope with the consequences of war, overcome trauma and find hope for a happy future. The Parimatch Foundation appreciates the work of each psychologist. We are glad that we could share our experience because we did an excellent job for the future.
The training would not have been possible without the support of the Chernivtsi Regional Military Administration and the Department of Education and Science. Sincere thanks to Mrs. Iryna Isopenka, Oksana Sakrier and Oksana Hryniuk. The Foundation always supports those on the path of development and assistance, — said Anna Mazarchuk.
It is to be noted that the Parimatch Foundation with the Israeli Trauma Coalition has already implemented the project in the Ternopil, Lviv, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. Currently, more than 150 psychologists have been working according to the new methodology.
