30 IRC psychologists who finished the training course «Psychological support in crisis» were awarded their certificates of completion in the Ternopil Military State Administration.
The training course is implemented by the Parimatch Foundation and the Israeli Trauma Coalition. The project aims to share with Ukrainian psychologists the modern techniques of crisis assistance needed when working with internally displaced people of different ages during the war.
Since the beginning of the war, the Ternopil region has become one of the key hubs for internally displaced people. Therefore, the area was the first to complete the course «Psychological support in a crisis» After the training, specialists will be able to work with children and adults in centers for IDPs.
The deputy chief of the Ternopil Military State Administration, Victor Ustenko, congratulated psychologists on their diplomas.
– There is no exaggeration when I say that all Ukrainians, from children to older people, have war traumas. Some of them survived the occupation, some serviced the armed forces, and the others stayed in the bomb shelters or fled abroad to save their lives. All of them need psychological assistance. That is why the training courses for IRC psychologists are vital. I am sure that the knowledge you’ve got will help you heal the deep wounds of Ukrainians. Altogether, we have to win on the mental front. – Victor Ustenko said.
Angela Surmava, Chief Operating Officer of the Parimatch Foundation, joined the congratulations:
– We are grateful to the Ternopil Military State Administration for the support. This region is the first to join the Parimatch Foundation project on children’s mental health care. This direction is new for the Foundation, but this is what children need now and, unfortunately, will need for many years to come. The training course for IRC psychologists in the Ternopil region has been finished, but this does not mean that we stop cooperating. We look forward to receiving feedback as psychologists using new knowledge in their work, and we hope to create new opportunities for their professional development. The Parimatch Foundation wishes fruitful and easy work to all of you. We hope that together we will be able to build a decent future for our beautiful state so many children will have a happy childhood. – Angela Surmava said.
More than 26,000 internally displaced persons were staying in the educational institutions of Ternopil regions that were used as shelters. However, many people in the area need qualified help to answer the questions of how they should live and act if their houses have been destroyed.
The third part of children have seen death, explosions, and destruction and need psychological assistance. From the first day of the war, when we started settling people from the combat zone in the Ternopil region, we tried to provide people with psychological help. But we have to understand that our specialists didn’t experience war reality before. Working with children with war traumas is one of the most critical tasks for all of us, – Olha Khoma, the head of the department of education and science of Ternopil RSA, said.
It is to be recalled that the training course was initiated as a part of the Parimatch Foundation’s psychological rehabilitation strategic program for children and adults affected by the war. The foundation aims to train as many IRC professionals as possible in the regions with the highest number of internally displaced people.
