The dog you can hug: how Hibuki therapy helps children in Zaporizhzhia overcome anxiety
With support from Metinvest, a globally recognised therapeutic method continues to be introduced in Zaporizhzhia.This is what a session with a Hibuki dog looks like at a gymnasium in Zaporizhzhia. The children talk about their mood, choose emotion cards, and then join hands with the psychologist and do a warm-up exercise. At first glance, it seems like a regular children's activity. Yet each exercise serves an important purpose: helping children cope with the experiences brought by the war."Hibuki" means "hug" in Hebrew. It is a plush toy dog with long paws designed for hugging. During the sessions, children learn to recognise their own emotions, talk about them, and find ways to cope with anxiety."He can hug, and you can also brush him. We are given cards, and each of us shows the emotion shown on the card. He calms me down. I don’t feel alone. I hug him, hold him in my arms," says Artem, a student at Gymnasium No. 4.For the children, this was the eighth and final session. Over the c