Art Therapy and Mental Health Support

Unlocking Healing Through Art: Art Therapy Helps Trauma Survivors Find Relief and Recovery

DTCare recognizes the growing need for psychological counseling and support in Ukraine and is committed to expanding mental health programs in collaboration with international partners. This includes facilitating both group and individual art therapy sessions in five regions, as well as hosting a 14-week introductory course at the International Humanitarian University of Odesa. In addition, DTCare has partnered with local organizations to provide free art therapy specifically for vulnerable groups such as religious minorities, women, orphaned children, veterans, and victims of abuse. DTCare also extends its reach to isolated or rural communities through mobile teams of art therapists and operates a play therapy program for children in Mykolaiv. To ensure the continual development and support of Ukrainian therapists, DTCare offers free professional development and clinical supervision in partnership with international experts.

Recognizing that authentic support for MHPSS necessitates more than just direct interventions, DTCare is committed to empowering Ukrainian art therapists through capacity building, peer support, and educational initiatives. Our goal is to equip these professionals with the skills and resources needed to effectively aid their clients and foster resilience within the communities we serve now and in the years to come. Through DTCare’s current programs, we are making great strides in accessible war-focused trauma care. However, the need for additional psychological support across the country continues to grow as the conflict persists. More than ever, Ukrainians are in need of psychological support, and DTCare wants to ensure the education and intervention of Art Therapy goes beyond DTCare’s impact alone.

Group art therapy is an effective and holistic approach to treating individuals who have experienced severe trauma. As a form of psychotherapy, it combines the use of art-making with traditional talk therapy to help individuals process traumatic experiences. This approach has been shown to have numerous benefits, such as promoting self-awareness, reducing symptoms of trauma, and building coping skills.

The program encourages individuals to express their emotions and engage in shared experiences through community art projects, contributing to a sense of togetherness and celebrating Ukraine's vibrant culture. DTCare also presents plans to expand and diversify therapeutic modalities, engage in community art healing initiatives, increase mental health awareness, and preserve cultural heritage.

DTCare works with the Ukrainian Art Therapy Association to identify and employ highly trained and certified art-therapy experts to work closely with Care-In-Action, a Ukrainian nonprofit dedicated to supporting vulnerable children in Ukraine, to identify areas of support for unhoused and orphaned youth that require improvements to better serve this at-risk population. DTCare aims to not only improve the current status of help and resources offered for children and youth affected by the Ukrainian foster care system but to initiate an institutional change on the foundation of mental healthcare enacted for this vulnerable community.

Art therapy can help individuals express their emotions and traumatic experiences. Credentialed art therapists can assist individuals in interpreting the nonverbal, underlying messages reflected in their art to understand their feelings. Severe trauma often renders individuals unable to put their experiences and emotions into words, capping their ability to start the healing process.

DTCare also works with local schools to provide spontaneous drawing sessions, mesotherapy, manual therapy, and fairy tale therapy, focusing on helping children between the ages of 7 and 12 who have been impacted by the war.

Our therapists are highly trained in working with children, providing them with a creative outlet to cope with challenges and trauma, process difficult emotions, improve their self-esteem, and strengthen their overall mental health. The art therapy sessions in Dnipro are designed to promote healing and growth for the individual and the community.

Through our partnership with Mindy Foundation, DTCare utilizes the modular rehabilitation center in Ovruch as a space for group sessions. The art therapist also conducts group sessions for children in Ovruch and neighboring communities.