How do children's spaces help children master their fears? We tell you why it is important
During war, children often feel fear. Depending on their age, they may be different. Although this is a normal reaction of the psyche to danger, which saves and helps to recognize the danger itself, fears often need to be worked out so that they do not affect the psychological and physical development of the child.
In the children's spaces working within the PROMESSA project: "Pearl" — in Novovodolazka, "Kryla" — in Zlatopilska, "Zherelo" in Tomakivska communities, appropriate conditions have been created for comprehensive psychosocial assistance and support for children from 4 to 17 years old. There, psychologists also work with children's fears.
Children's fears are activated when the child's basic need for safety is violated. In these conditions, the main factor of child stability is authoritative (not authoritarian!) adult nearby. The behavior of adults, even intonations in conversations can shape children's fears.
First of all, it is important to legalize fear - "to be afraid is normal" - and not to devalue or make fun of the child's feelings. All conditions have been created in the spaces and there are the necessary means for children to reveal themselves, and psychologists use appropriate techniques so that boys and girls can express their fears and work through them.
Projective methods are very effective: through sculpting and drawing, children express their fear.
Specialists not only conduct classes, but also interact with parents, they can get professional feedback to better understand their child.
Positive emotions reduce the severity of fear and anxiety. And in children's spaces, children feel interest, surprise, joy. Classes shift children's attention, distract them from worries.
In addition, psychologists do exercises that form self-help and self-rewarding skills for different age categories that children can practice outside of spaces.
The project "PROMESSA: Protection of children, response to emergency situations and health care for the most vulnerable families affected by the conflict in the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions" is implemented by the NGO "Association for Democratic Development" in partnership with the foundation's branch "Тер дез Ом Італія ЕТС" в Україні (TDH Italy) Terre des Hommes Italia in Ucraina financed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS).
Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo - AICS Kiev
