One of six free psychosocial support spaces for children and teenagers, “Tviy”, is operating in Truskavets. These spaces have been set up in Lviv region for those affected by the consequences of the war. Support is available both for children and for their parents or guardians.
The “Tviy” spaces operate in five towns across the region: Lviv (at two locations), Novyi Rozdil, Dobromyl, Mostyska and Truskavets. They are aimed primarily at children and teenagers from internally displaced families who have experienced forced relocation, the loss of their home or loved ones, hostilities, difficulties with adaptation or other traumatic events related to the war.
Specialists at the spaces can be approached with a wide range of concerns related to emotional and behavioural changes in a child: anxiety, aggression, withdrawal, difficulties communicating with peers or problems at school. Adults often do not immediately link such manifestations to what the child has been through, so the “Tviy” space helps to identify and address these consequences in good time.
The spaces offer individual consultations with a psychologist, group psychosocial sessions, art therapy and creative activities, developmental and supportive sessions, as well as assistance from a social worker. Parents and guardians can receive advice to help them better understand changes in their child’s behaviour, learn how to support them after relocation or difficult events, and ease their adaptation in a new community.
All services at the “Tviy” spaces are free of charge. Each one has a psychologist and a social worker who have undergone specialised training and receive supervision support. The locations are based directly in local communities so that families can access help close to where they live, both individually and in group formats.
Through communication, play and creativity, children gradually learn to cope with anxiety and tension, regain a sense of safety, build contact with peers and adapt more easily to new circumstances. The article gives the example of a teenager who left temporarily occupied Kherson at the start of the full-scale invasion. At first he turned to the “Tviy” space to learn how to manage his aggression, and in the course of working with a specialist he also addressed low self-confidence, loss of motivation to study and fear of the future. After the sessions, the boy strengthened his emotional resilience, learnt self-regulation, regained his motivation to study and is now choosing a future profession, having successfully passed the NMT this year.
In Lviv region, the “Tviy” spaces operate at the following addresses:
- Truskavets — pl. Chornovola, 2;
- Lviv — vul. Mytropolyta Andreya, 10;
- Lviv — vul. Zelena, 204-B;
- Novyi Rozdil — vul. Hrushevskoho, 16-A;
- Dobromyl — pl. Rynok, 1;
- Mostyska — vul. Hrushevskoho, 22.
To find out more about the work of the nearest space, the timetable of sessions or the available support formats, people are invited to contact the “Tviy” team by email.
Overall, the “Tviy” network brings together 21 spaces in six regions of Ukraine. Since it began operating, 5,858 children have received support, more than 4,500 group activities have been held, more than 2,800 psychological consultations and more than 2,800 social work consultations have been provided. The “Tviy” project is being implemented on the initiative of the National Social Service of Ukraine with the support of the OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine, in cooperation with local self-government bodies, regional military administrations and communities.