Three sessions of the “School of psychological support”

In July and August, three sessions of the School of Psychological Support (self-help groups) for parents with children with disabilities were held at St. John’s Center as part of the Circle of Trust project.

Very often families raising a child with developmental problems spend all of their material and moral resources on the child’s development, treatment, and rehabilitation, but the parents lose energy and strength, which leads to “burnout. In this state, it seems that every day is like Groundhog Day: you run around in circles from morning to night, and the priority is always the child and his or her needs. And there is no time to stop and understand: when parents are in balance and in harmony, then the child is comfortable and calm, then he is confident in his abilities and it is easier for him to overcome any obstacles.

At the group sessions the participants together with the psychologist of the Center Tatiana were able to discuss their urgent problems, they looked for ways to solve them, shared their experiences and feelings.

Communication in a confidential atmosphere allowed parents to work on the five stages of acceptance of their child’s diagnosis: denial, anger, bargaining, depression (sadness), and acceptance. Of course, in every family, it can take months or even years from denial to acceptance. But talking through your pain, releasing your emotions, and understanding that you are not alone is essential. And it is also important to learn to accept help from others and learn to ask for help from relatives, relatives, friends and benefactors.

We wish the participants in the School of Psychological Support classes that their children will be in better health and that they themselves will have strength, patience and wisdom.

We invite parents who will be with their children in September at St. John’s Rehabilitation Center to join the classes with a psychologist.

Thank you to the parish of St. Archistratigus Michael of the village of Volos. Volosske, which implements the project “Circle of trust” in our Center with the support of the NGO “Lvivska Osvitskaya Fundatsiya”.