In Zaporizhzhia, with the financial support of Metinvest Group and Zaporizhstal, and in cooperation with the authors of Israeli psychological support project for children and adolescents “Hibuki Therapy”, as well as the NGO “Zaporizhzhia. Platform of Joint Action” and the Department of Education and Science of Zaporizhzhia City Council, a new training course for educators and psychologists has commenced.
This year, training in Hibuki Therapy for working with children who have suffered psychological trauma as a result of the war will be available not only to specialists from Zaporizhzhia, but also to those from Kryvyi Rih and Kamianske.
What Hibuki Therapy Is
Hibuki Therapy is a method of psychological support for children delivered through interaction with a soft toy — the Hibuki dog. The Hebrew word “hibuk” means “a hug”: the puppy has long Velcro-fastened paws so that the child can hold it close at all times, offering constant comfort and support.
The method was developed in Israel. It helps children who have been affected by the war to cope with the consequences of stress and psychological trauma — including anxiety, fears, sleep disturbances, withdrawal or aggression — and also facilitates their adaptation to new circumstances. The therapy truly works: in 95% of children, symptoms of trauma are completely resolved following a full course of treatment (6–10 sessions).
Following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Israeli psychotherapist Dafna Sharon-Maksymov, in collaboration with Ukrainian specialists, adapted Hibuki therapy to the Ukrainian context for children aged 4 to 17.
Hibuki is used not only as a therapeutic tool in psychologists’ practice, but also in educational institutions. School teachers and nursery staff use it to quickly calm and support a child or a group during the learning process.
The outcomes of the programme
In 2023, Metinvest financed the production of 120 Hibuki dogs for children from Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad who were affected by the war.
As early as the following year, a professional development programme for educators was launched in Zaporizhzhia. During the 2024–2025 period, training in Hibuki therapy was delivered to 75 professionals, and more than 225 children from the families of servicemen, veterans, internally displaced persons, and other vulnerable groups completed the course of sessions.
This year, the project’s reach is expanding — Kryvyi Rih and Kamianske will join Zaporizhzhia. Overall, 120 teachers, nursery staff, and psychologists are expected to be trained in Hibuki therapy across the three cities. Training in Zaporizhzhia will begin in April, in Kryvyi Rih in May, and in Kamianske in October.
How the training is conducted
The training course consists of nine online sessions delivered by the programme’s authors, each lasting between two and two and a half hours. The sessions are held over the course of a month, twice a week. Candidates for the course are selected on the basis of motivational essays.
Upon completion of the training, participants receive a certificate and a Hibuki dog for further work with children. Each specialist is also required to deliver a course of sessions for a group of children from vulnerable backgrounds.
The programme is funded by Metinvest in cooperation with the authors of the Israeli psychological support project for children and adolescents, “Hibuki Therapy”, as well as with local authorities and non‑governmental organisations. In Zaporizhzhia, this includes the NGO “Zaporizhzhia. Platform for Joint Action” and the Department of Education and Science of Zaporizhzhia City Council; in Kryvyi Rih — the NGO “Kryvyi Rih Future Foundation” and the Department of Education and Science of the Executive Committee of Kryvyi Rih City Council; In Kamianske — the Department of Education of Kamianske City Council.