UVF Psychologist Shares The Importance of Procuring Therapy Sessions for Children in Orphanages
In today's world, there are millions of children living in orphanages who have experienced trauma and adversity at a young age. These children often struggle with emotional and psychological challenges, which can have a lasting impact on their overall well-being. In recognition of this, UVF plays a crucial role in procuring therapy sessions for these children in Ukraine, providing them with the opportunity to heal and thrive despite their difficult circumstances.
The significance of therapy for children in orphanages cannot be overstated. Many children in Ukraine have experienced loss, abandonment, abuse, and neglect, which can lead to a wide range of emotional and behavioral issues. Without proper intervention, these challenges can persist into adulthood, affecting their ability to form healthy relationships, succeed in school, and lead fulfilling lives.
We introduce our psychologist Nataliya Gozhelnuk, who has been working as a team UVF for two years and shares her vision and experience of working with children at the orphanages.
Can you tell us a little bit about your work as a psychologist at the orphanages?
Before mastering this specialization - child psychologist, I was in search for a long time, accumulated knowledge, listened to my feelings and thoughts, studied my own experience, practiced, and did it again and again. In the end, I got into the world of children's psychotherapy and realized that here I feel comfortable, and interesting, of course, a lot of energy appears here. The feelings that you are needed, they are waiting to meet you, that you are such a "light" that ignites and warms, add vital energy - this is the most important thing, this internal motivation, it should live inside...this is what I discovered and discover every day for myself, working with children.
What are some of the common challenges that children at the orphanages face?
Of course, each child in the orphanage has his own story, his own experience, and its consequences (the external forms of which we see in behavioral, emotional, and intellectual manifestations). When working with this category of children, there are a large number of requests, a variety of problems, and their depth:
- Emotional. In the first meetings, you meet with emotionally frozen children, or distrustful, often frightened. Being in a state of chronic stress, they most often choose the "stay still" strategy (these are small children whose faces do not show any emotions, they are "dead").
Other children with disturbed attachment (they have either completely lost faith in adults and it is extremely difficult to establish contact and trusting relationships with them, or they see a savior in everyone - mom, they cling tightly to you with their hands and feet and do not let go under any circumstances, experiencing separation stress again and again. Another category of children is offended by adults who betrayed them (in working with this category of children, we often encounter a lot of aggression and self-aggression).
Intellectual. Children from institutions have reduced indicators of the development of cognitive processes. The level of development of attention, thinking, speech, memory, and imagination does not correspond to age indicators. It is very difficult to detect the current level with the diagnostic material, it is best to do this through playing. What I see: 3-year-old children are only learning to perform procedural game actions well (which corresponds to 2-year-olds – driving a car, dressing a doll, copying the actions of an adult...); 4-6-year-old children do not have a story role-playing game at all, they do not need a companion in the game, they do not ask questions about objects and the surrounding world (and all this normally should at least be born at this stage of the child's development).
How do you approach working with these children?
My approach is to create a safe and nurturing environment where the children feel comfortable expressing themselves. I use Psych gymnastics (a complex of various exercises and games aimed at the development and correction of various aspects of the child's psyche - both cognitive and emotional-volitional):
Free and thematic drawing (training with templates, figurines, blots, prints, creating your pictures, redrawing, redrawing); Creation of stories (helps the child independently or with the help of an adult to find the most adequate ways to resolve a conflict situation); Methods of autogenic training, and relaxation (in fact, most often the class begins with stabilization techniques since the psycho-emotional state of the child does not correspond to the norm); Musical and rhythmic games (for stress relief, emotional response, mood improvement, speech correction); Neuro-games, kinesiology, games with balancers; Games for expressing different emotions (not the last place is occupied by games and exercises for familiarizing the child with the world of emotions, this includes working with cards, videos, facial expressions, etc.); Movement games (for coordination in space, for the development of gross motor skills, development of attentiveness and dexterity); Exercises with didactic material (cards, handouts, beads, cubes, special thematic tasks, and games); Art therapy methods: glue, collages, music, video, dance, presentations, and games for the development of cognitive processes.
Share with us some special moments with children.
I would like to share a story about a boy, Viktor. This boy has been living at the orphanage for a long time. He has complex behavioral difficulties. At first glance, a clumsy, pedagogically neglected boy who only does what he does is harm. But when you open him deeper, look inside and there is such an interesting inner world...so much warmth and kindness in this child. A sincere smile, gentle hugs, a request to take the first - this is what he always greeted me with. I won't say that classes with Viktor were easy. but, then at one of the classes, I got a phone call - my brother was calling me from the front line. He was on a mission that day and without a phone. I immediately realized that something was wrong and decided to answer. I heard about wounds, tears came out, and I froze.
But at that moment, Viktor sat down closer to me put his hand on my shoulder, and said "It must be very difficult for you now. Let me be near you, hug me. What can I do for you?". These were the words that I told Viktor so often during our sessions. And he heard them, absorbed them, and now knows when to use them. He developed social empathy, which he learned to express constructively.
There is no point in conducting any activity if it does not bring benefits and positive results. The most rewarding part of my work is seeing the children make progress and develop a sense of hope and resilience. Witnessing their growth, improved self-esteem, and ability to form healthy relationships is incredibly gratifying. I evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of my work with children according to the following parameters: my own observations, understanding of the process, monitoring of real changes, checking with the diagnostic minimum, participation in supervisory laboratories, questionnaires of caregivers, and analysis of sections.
Overall, Therapy sessions in orphanages play a crucial role in supporting the emotional well-being, development, and overall growth of children who have experienced adversity. UVF psychologists provide these vulnerable children with an opportunity to heal, grow, and thrive despite their challenging circumstances.