- DTCare in Ukraine | Mental Health -
Art Therapy Initiatives in Ukraine
Expanding Art Therapy Resources in Ukraine
Six months after war erupted in Ukraine, DTCare's emergency response expanded to a broader and long-term effort to help Ukrainians cope with severe trauma. After launching a successful art therapy program in Odesa, Ukraine, alongside The Charity Fund of the Ukrainian Navy for veterans and their families, we saw the growing need for emotional and mental health support among civilians in Ukraine. The World Health Organization (WHO) found that one in five (22%) individuals who have experienced war or other conflicts in the previous ten years will develop mental health conditions.
When applying these estimates to the Ukraine population, WHO anticipates that an estimated 9.6 million people in Ukraine (almost one-quarter of the Ukrainian population) may have a mental health condition. We joined forces with Emerald Sketch, the New York Art Therapy Association, the International Humanitarian University of Odesa, and the Ukrainian Art Therapy Association to develop an art therapy program that will provide essential mental health support for civilians, especially women and children.
"One in four Ukrainians are at high risk of developing mental disorders due to the ongoing conflict." - WHO, 2022
DTCare Core Art Therapy Practices & Ethics
1.
Our therapists respect clients’ right to choose their own life direction, treatment options, and therapy goals. The therapists guide clients to make informed decisions, promoting their autonomy.
Respecting clients’ right to choose
2.
Therapists are required to maintain exceptional professional conduct that nurtures a safe environment and does not harm to individuals, families, groups, and communities.
Maintaining professional conduct
3.
Our therapists and therapy practices promote the clients’ well-being by helping to improve their personal circumstances. We enhance client welfare by identifying practices that actively benefit others.
Nurturing client well-being
4.
Therapists uphold five pillars of ethical behavior: integrity towards individuals, honesty in their dealings, accuracy in their relationships, faithfulness to their promises, and truthfulness in their work.
Behaving ethically
5.
Our art therapists are committed to treating all individuals with fairness and decency. Equal access to mental health support is ensured across all therapy programs and services.
Treating clients equally
6.
Therapists cultivate clients’ imaginations to further their understanding of self and those around them. They support creative processes that enable decision-making, problem-solving, and healing.
Cultivating imagination
How We Aim to Support Civilians in Ukraine
DTCare combined efforts with US-based clinical art therapists at Emerald Sketch and the New York Art Therapy Association (NYATA) and educators and specialists from the International Humanitarian University of Odessa to sponsor an art therapy workshop to help Ukrainians process trauma. The workshop served as a pilot to assess the level of interest from the Odessa community in art therapy. A positive turnout to the event virtually and in-person convinced us to work on establishing a long-term and multi-faceted art therapy initiative in Odessa. Expanding the program into western Ukraine will provide professional trauma response services on a larger scale and train additional therapists in art therapy. DTCare's partnership with US therapists and specialists in Ukraine will enable the expansion of the art therapy program to provide mental health support for civilians, veterans, and veteran families, as well as give Ukrainian therapists access to training and personal mental health resources from US experts, and facilitate art therapy training for Ukrainian psychology students.
About Emerald Sketch
Emerald Sketch helps children, families, and communities around the globe heal symptoms of post-traumatic stress and grief when faced with devastating tragedy. To do this, Emerald Sketch provides families and communities with direct access to qualified creative arts therapists and clinical services. They train clinicians in their proprietary creative arts therapy-based trauma response sequence to ensure communities receive consistent mental health support through their proven and effective art therapy methods. Emerald Sketch is based in New York City and Hudson, NY, with over 500 trained clinicians in Newtown, Connecticut, California, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, South Carolina, Florida, and Wisconsin.
Every Emerald Sketch program seeks to help individuals heal, build resiliency, regain a sense of balance, and establish emotional self-reliance. Emerald Sketch has elevated the lives of over 1,500 clients. Read more about their life-changing work at www.emeraldsketch.com.
Branching out to Northern and Western Ukraine
DTCare is proud to partner with the Ukrainian Art Therapy Association to bring psychological support to Ivano-Frankivsk in the Western region of Ukraine and Irpin in Northern Ukraine - cities experiencing an inrush of displaced and orphaned children - to help children through trauma. The Ukrainian Art Therapy Association is essential to expanding our program into other parts of Ukraine to aid more women and children. The Ukrainian Art Therapy Association will assist with the onboarding process of new psychologists, adapt DTCare's current art therapy course taught by Emerald Sketch's Nicole Porter at the International Humanitarian University of Odesa for other regions in Ukraine, and provide insights into the prominent needs of the communities we affect.
Psychological Support for Orphaned Children in Ukraine
Before war broke out in Ukraine, over 105,00 children lived in institutionalized care in Ukraine; 90% of these children are ‘social orphans’ whose families either requested or require help from the state to care for their children. DTCare acknowledges that under 10% of children raised in institutionalized orphanage centers manage to fully integrate into society as adults. Ukraine has the highest rate of institutionalized care in all of Europe. After the Russian invasion, approximately 96,500 children were dismissed from orphanages to parents or guardians, leaving approximately 10,000 in institutionalized care. Many of these children have been relocated to orphanage facilities in Western Ukraine, including the city and region of Lviv. DTCare and Care in Action are joining forces to provide critically needed psychological and developmental support through art therapy to an extensive network of more than 14 orphanages, family homes, and IDP centers throughout Ukraine
Art therapy will help children, teenagers, and youth understand, process, and heal from traumatic experiences and trauma. Care in Action is a nonprofit organization that seeks to better the lives and opportunities of vulnerable children by designing programs and delivering services that strengthen, empower, and prepare children in care to enter the working world and lead fulfilling and independent lives. DTCare and Care in Action’s partnership will make essential mental health services more accessible to vulnerable children and youth in care through art therapy buddy programs, workshops, and sessions designed by licensed psychologists and art therapists to aid in processing and healing from severe trauma. With the help of esteemed American trauma-informed art therapists from NYU, Florida State, Seton Hill, and Care in Action, DTCare is able to connect highly skilled Ukrainian art therapists with orphanages in Lviv to support children and youth in a variety of care settings through mental health programs.
Educating Prospective Psychologists in Trauma Therapy
DTCare is co-hosting Art Therapy for War-Related Trauma, a university course for prospective psychologists at the International Humanitarian University of Odesa starting February 10, 2023. Nicole Porter, psychologist and founder of Emerald Sketch, teaches the free 14-week trauma and art therapy class for 88 undergraduate and master’s students. The course is available in person at the university and virtually throughout the 14-week period to ensure that students have the flexibility and resources needed to complete the course successfully. DTCare, Emerald Sketch, and the New York Art Therapy Association kicked off the art therapy university course with a trauma-informed workshop for 150 attendees in end-2022.
Open Safe Studios: Informal, Communal Therapy
"The Open Studio is the first-aid step in the art therapy process," says Polina Bereziuk, DTCare's art therapist in Odesa. "They give the therapist more insight into the client’s emotional well-being and help establish the groundwork for further treatment through art therapy.” Bereziuk, an esteemed therapist specializing in art therapy, runs DTCare's Art Therapy Open Studios at the International Humanitarian University, hostels, IDP centers, and the Odesa Fine Arts Museum to support Ukrainian civilians, especially women and children, through the trauma-healing process.
Open Studio offers a safe and creative space where the public can express themselves through art. The studios are open to anyone interested throughout the day and work on a first-come, first-served basis. The Open Studio is an informal therapy option, ensuring more flexibility and creative freedom. The casual group setting promotes socialization, collaboration, and ease among participants. Bereziuk oversees the program and makes regular rounds to interact with participants and provide guidance and support. DTCare's Open Studios are free to ensure anyone in need can receive essential psychological support through art therapy.
Mentorship, Training, and Mental Health Support for Ukrainian Therapists
As our therapists work to provide essential support for Ukrainians suffering from trauma and need to continue being a support system for others, they need to do their jobs with fewer resources while being under severe stress due to the conflict. DTCare is committed to fostering the mental well-being of our therapists and making essential resources accessible. DTCare is teaming up with the New York Art Therapy Association, Emerald Sketch, and U.S. therapists to mentor, train, and provide psychological support for therapists in Ukraine.
Summer Training for Ukrainian Educators
Schools are reopening after the festive holidays. Educators confront having to return to class while dealing with their own trauma. DTCare aims to design a series of educational workshops in late July-August of 2023. The eight pre-recorded workshops will address concerns and provide essential tools for educators to navigate the challenges the Ukrainian education system faces due to the ongoing conflict. The workshops will focus on art therapy techniques, behavior management, trauma response, psychological support for educators experiencing trauma, and other areas of concern.
Resources
See the resources below for more information:
