Art therapy. Pottery

During the war, many Ukrainian soldiers and civilians suffered both physical and psychological trauma. We want to create a place where everyone can find peace and restore inner harmony. Pottery is a distraction from everyday worries, a transformation of creative energy into a tangible result. Working with clay, like meditation, relieves fatigue, improves mood, and frees the mind from a stream of obsessive thoughts. This is a special state of the here and now, where you can immerse yourself in yourself and then reflect all your thoughts and experiences in your work, and focusing on the process of work helps you get rid of obsessive thoughts.

Clay seems to pull all the problems to the surface. It is a way to express yourself and develop your creative abilities. The group and especially combined sessions that we practice help to establish new social connections. Working with clay directly gives positive energy, calms, develops coordination of movements, stimulates imagination, develops creativity and socializes. This is an important component of social and psychological rehabilitation for the Defenders of Ukraine, which the military undergoes in parallel with the treatment process.

We strive to create conditions for improving the psychological and emotional state, developing fine motor skills, increasing attention span, and helping to awaken the imagination and unleash the creative potential of the military. We strive to create a cozy atmosphere, freedom in creativity and easy friendly conversation – these are the main components of art therapy sessions for military personnel!

Such classes are a form of rehabilitation and psychological support for people who have gone through difficult trials. That is why the Charitable Foundation "Zhytomyr Assistance Center" in cooperation with the Ukrainian Pottery Rehabilitation Center and with the support of Polissia National University in Zhytomyr organized a full-cycle art workshop at the charity's premises at 25 Khlibna Street and at Polissia University in a picturesque place in the botanical garden. Here, rehabilitation, social and psychological support rooms for war victims, military personnel and their families have been created based on modern art therapy technologies using pottery, sculpture and fine arts, according to the guidelines developed by the Scientific and Methodological Center of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

The Art Workshop invites everyone who needs to relieve psychological stress and who feels the psychological effects of war, as well as those who have a psychology degree and are willing to help and share their experience. To fully implement this project, it is necessary to organize a full cycle: from psychological support while working with the material, to manufacturing, firing, painting, and exhibition. Currently, we lack a kiln for firing ceramics. Therefore, our team will be infinitely grateful for help in realizing our plans!