The Berlin-based diaspora organisation Vitsche e.V. and its Ukrainian partner organisation view art therapy as a valuable alternative to conventional psychotherapy, offering two key advantages. First, it allows participants to process trauma through creative activity without having to verbalise painful experiences. Second, it offers easier access, as it is often perceived as less stigmatising and more approachable than classical therapeutic settings. 

 Art therapy uses creative processes such as painting, movement or sculpting to help individuals express emotions and regulate stress. For people who struggle to articulate their pain, creating something tangible can restore a sense of agency and self-efficacy. 

Building on this approach, Vitsche partnered with a performing-arts focused NGO in Ukraine to launch the project “Art Therapy for Resilience and Healing”. After the invasion, the organisation had already transformed its cultural festivals into intensive art residencies. With Vitsche’s support, this concept was further developed into a professional art therapy training programme. 

A ten-day residency was organised in the Ukrainian countryside, bringing together artists, art therapists and mental health professionals. As qualified instructors are scarce in Ukraine, Vitsche facilitated cooperation with two German universities, whose faculty members joined the residency as instructors. 

Interest in the programme was overwhelming. A total of 254 applications from across Ukraine were submitted, nearly 17 per available place. Ultimately, 15 participants were selected: psychologists, art therapists, artists, social educators and social workers. They were trained by ten experienced facilitators from Ukraine and Germany in an intensive programme combining theory and hands-on practice. 

Participants learned to guide therapy clients through creative processes, such as shaping clay objects representing a “safe place”. These techniques allow clients to process trauma indirectly, while strengthening emotional regulation and personal resilience. One residency participant noted that clay work was particularly well received by men who had previously resisted drawing or colouring. 

The residency was designed with a multiplier effect in mind. The vast majority of participants now use the techniques regularly in their professional practice. Together, they already reached more than 540 indirect beneficiaries, including internally displaced persons, children, veterans, young people and civilians affected by the war. 

Building on this success, the Ukrainian partner organisation is now independently securing additional funding to expand art therapy residencies and organise smaller programmes in central and frontline regions, where psychosocial needs are especially acute.  

Further information on the offers available to the Ukrainian diaspora can be found below.