Trauma Screening & Healing for Ukrainian Children

Healing doesn't wait for the war to end - it has to continue during it. That's the belief that drives everything we do at the War Survivors Institute, and this July, it took us back to Ukraine.

Despite our ongoing work in Ukraine, this July our CEO and psychiatrist, Dr. Hollifield, traveled to the country himself because some work can only be done in person, sitting next to a child who needs it.

Dr. Hollifield led hands-on relaxation sessions using acupuncture techniques, paired with art therapy, for children from frontline communities and other vulnerable groups. For many of them, it was the first time anyone had offered them a way to simply feel calm - no words required, just a safe space and someone who showed up.

We watched children who carry more than any child should: the sound of sirens, the absence of a parent, the disruption of everything familiar - slowly exhale. And then tell us, in their own words:

"I feel so much better."

"I want to do it again."

"Thank you for being with us."

Children smiled. But if you've ever wondered whether your support actually reaches someone - this is your answer. It reaches a child who, for one afternoon, got to put their pain down.

This is what psychological support looks like when it works: not an abstract outcome, but a child who exhales, who smiles, who asks to come back. Every session you help fund becomes a moment like this one.

Thank you for being with us on this journey. Your continued support is what makes moments like these possible - for one child, and for the hundreds more we hope to reach.

With gratitude,
The WSI Team