On July 15, 2025, a heartfelt and significant art therapy session titled “The Island of Self-Love” took place at the Centre for Early Childhood Education and Care at Poltava Polytechnic. Under the guidance of experienced trainers, Associate Professors Lesia Klevaka and Viktoriia Shevchuk from the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy, the little explorers embarked on a journey to the most crucial place in the world: their hearts.
The goal of the session was to help children build a strong internal psychological foundation. In wartime conditions, where the outside world is unpredictable, chaotic, and often dangerous, the ability to find safety, calm, and self-worth within oneself becomes a key element of psychological resilience. Through the metaphor of an “island of love”, art therapy equips the child with tools to create a personal inner sanctuary – a place they can return to in their imagination during difficult moments to regain strength. It teaches children to shift the locus of control from the external world, where they often feel powerless, to the internal world, where they are the masters of their feelings.
The session began with a warm conversation in which the children imagined what their island might look like – a cosy place filled with goodness, peace, and joy. While this stage may seem simple, it is critically important. It activates the imagination, one of a child's most powerful resources for coping with stress. The imaginary space becomes a safe field for experimentation, free of right or wrong answers, which immediately lowers anxiety levels.
The central part of the session was a creative visualisation. Using paints, pencils, and other materials, the children illustrated their islands. In art therapy, this process is known as externalisation, which involves bringing the inner world out into the open and giving shape to the abstract. The concept of “self-love” becomes a visible, tangible image. Children see what their happiness consists of. By filling their islands with favourite animals, flowers, sunshine, or supportive people, they unconsciously create a visual map of safety and internal resources. They see and understand that they have sources of strength. Moreover, while drawing, the child becomes a creator, deciding what to include on their island and what to leave out. This restores a sense of control, so often lost in traumatic experiences.
A particularly significant part of the session was the activity “A Gift for Myself”. Each child created a small drawing or talisman – a tangible symbol of self-care. This was not just a craft but a psychological anchor. Its purpose was to make the positive experience of the session portable. The child could take this token with them and, in moments of sadness or fear, touch it to remember and physically reconnect with the feeling of safety and peace they experienced on their “island”.
Throughout the session, children actively exchanged kind words and learned how to give compliments to themselves and others. This communicative aspect is just as important, as it helps break through the isolation that trauma often causes and creates a sense of community and mutual support.
Sessions like these prove that even in the darkest times, it is not only possible but essential to learn how to care for oneself. When art is combined with professional guidance, children receive the most valuable gift: a belief in their worth and the tools to build a happy life, regardless of external circumstances.
In times when the enemy tries to destroy our cities, protecting the inner world of our children becomes no less important. These art therapy sessions are not merely psychological aid – they are a strategic effort on the inner front. Every child who learns to build their own “island of love” is constructing an invisible fortress of resilience that no weapon can destroy. A healthy and strong nation begins with healthy and strong children, whose hearts are filled not with trauma but with confidence in their strength and Ukraine's bright future.
The “TRUST” Project continues its work, creating healing and supportive spaces in times of war because every child who has learned to love and respect themselves becomes another ray of light that makes our shared future stronger and kinder.
The session was held as part of the large-scale international Erasmus+ KA220-ADU project “TRUST” – Trauma of refugees in Europe: An approach through art therapy as a solidarity program for Ukraine war victims (Grant No. 2024-BE01-KA220-ADU-000257527).
The project title is decoded as follows:
TRUST
T – Trauma
R – Refugees
U – Ukraine
S – Solidarity
T – Therapy
The project is co-funded by the EU and led by the Centre Neuro Psychiatrique St-Martin from Belgium, in partnership with the National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” (Ukraine), Greek Carers Network EPIONI (Greece), Fondazione Don Luigi Di Liegro (Italy), Lekama Foundation (Luxembourg), EuroPlural Project (Portugal).
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