In Kryvyi Rih, training in Hibuki therapy has commenced for educators and psychologists – a modern approach to supporting children experiencing stress, anxiety, and the effects of war. The project is being implemented by Metinvest Group and the Kryvyi Rih Foundation for the Future, with the support of Kryvyi Rih City Council’s Department of Education and Science.
Hibuki therapy is an Israeli method, the primary aim of which is to improve a child’s emotional well-being through interaction with a special toy – Hibuki the dog. Project participants who complete the training will be able to create conditions in which children feel comfortable and secure, despite stress, mental exhaustion caused by the war, or other external factors.
“This is not merely a protocol for specialists; it is an essential life skill that we seek to make widespread and accessible at all levels. For professionals, educators, and psychologists – as a unified standard for rapid response within the educational environment. For parents, so that they have the tools to support themselves and their children at home, creating a safe space. For the students themselves, we teach children basic techniques of self-regulation and mutual support. When a child knows how to help themselves in moments of stress, their resilience increases significantly. My experience of working with the Hibuki therapy method confirms that when innovative approaches are integrated into the education system, they cease to be merely therapy and become part of cultural resilience,” noted Dafna SHARON-MAXIMOV, an international expert in child and adolescent trauma and post-trauma, the author of the method and head of the international Hibuki Therapy project.
40 specialists will be trained in Kryvyi Rih. Among them are representatives of school and preschool educational institutions, specialists from the Centers for Resilience and the Veteran service office.
“The selected participants of the program work with children every day and understand their needs, their experiences and fears well. Especially during such instability and war. Joint training of specialists from different institutions and teachers for different age categories will help create a single system of child support – both at school and in kindergarten and in the community.
Our goal is not just to train individual specialists, but to form an environment in which the child receives support at different levels,” emphasized Olena LESCHCHENKO, director of the NGO “Kryvyi Rih Foundation of the Future”.
The method is based on a toy dog, the design of which is thought out to the smallest detail. A pleasant-to-the-touch therapeutic toy with long paws and sad eyes becomes a friend for the child and a kind of mediator in working with emotions. Through play, communication and hugs, the little one gradually learns to cope with stress, restoring internal balance.
“A very harmonious project. Today, we, all our practical psychologists and our teachers work with childhood trauma. And our children are completely different. So I am sure that such therapy – a kind, sincere dog – will become a friend to our children and teachers. And thanks to working with it, we will be able to form such necessary skills in children as emotional intelligence and empathy,” shared the project participant, director of the “Center for Professional Development, Innovative Educational Technologies and Support” Marina DUDNYK-TITARENKO.
The training in hibuki therapy in Kryvyi Rih will last a month. At the end, each participant must pass an exam, after which they will receive the main tool - the Hibuki dog. And after meeting with the parents, groups of six to eight children will be formed for therapeutic classes.
