By Olha | Psychologist
Today we want to share the story of one of our young clients at the “Your Support” Family Wellbeing Center — 8-year-old Sofia (name changed for confidentiality). At the start of the full-scale invasion, Sofia’s family spent a short time under temporary occupation. Although this period was relatively brief, the experience left a deep mark on the girl’s psycho-emotional state. After returning to a safe environment, Sofia began reacting sharply to any sudden loud sound — a slamming door, raised voices, shouting in the street. Every such sound triggered fear, tears, and an overwhelming urge to look for shelter. Her fears became so deeply rooted that they began to limit ordinary childhood life — play, walks, and time with peers.
Sofia’s mother reached out to our Center for help, and our psychologists began individual work with the girl. We combined several approaches: art therapy, which allows a child to safely process traumatic experience through drawing and creativity; grounding exercises and breathing techniques for quick self-soothing; and resource-oriented methods to restore a sense of safety. In parallel, our specialists worked with Sofia’s mother, helping her recognize signs of childhood anxiety and support her daughter effectively at home.
The result exceeded expectations. Sofia gradually stopped perceiving everyday sounds as a threat, learned to calm herself independently after unexpected situations, and her anxiety levels decreased significantly. According to her mother, her daughter has once again become the cheerful, confident child she was before the war.
Your donations are exactly the resource that allows us not to leave children like Sofia alone with their fears. Every consultation, every step toward recovery becomes possible because of your compassion.
Thank you for helping us give children back their sense of safety and childhood. Many more families still need our support, and we continue this work because of you.
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