The National University of Ostroh Academy has successfully completed an innovative project titled "Music Therapy and Systemic Support for Families Separated by War," implemented with the generous support of the Andreas Tobias Kind Stiftung mbH.
The psychosocial music intervention was conducted from April 14 to June 30, 2026, serving as a powerful tool for restoring the emotional well-being and resilience of Ukrainian families affected by war. The primary goal of the project was to restore emotional balance within families whose sense of security and communication had been disrupted by war, separation, and chronic stress. Participants engaged in a specialized therapeutic programme that combined a systemic family approach with music therapy techniques. Within this trauma-informed framework, music served as a non-verbal medium that enabled participants to safely express complex emotions such as fear, grief, and hope when words alone were insufficient. This approach helped stabilize the emotional well-being of family members, restore internal family dialogue and communication, and strengthen psychological resilience and coping capacities.
The project provided support to ten families, including military families, internally displaced persons (IDPs), families with relatives living abroad, and those facing the uncertainty or grief associated with loved ones who are missing in action or held in captivity. Throughout the project, participants received comprehensive support through group sessions for adults, specialized workshops for adolescents, therapeutic sessions for parent-child pairs, and individual counselling tailored to each family's needs. This parallel approach allowed specialists to address the unique experiences and challenges of different family members while strengthening family relationships as a whole. A safe and supportive environment was created by a team of qualified professionals: Tetiana Chernous, PhD in Psychology and music psychotherapist, together with Zoya Kravchuk and Vadym Lyubomyrskyi, psychologists from the Resilience Center of the Ostroh Territorial Community. As a result of the project, participants reported reduced emotional tension, renewed feelings of closeness, and a stronger sense of support within their families.
Commenting on the project's completion, Olena Shershnova, Project Coordinator, Rector’s Assistant for Project Activities, PhD in Public Administration, Associate Professor, stated:
"I sincerely thank our international partners for their support, our specialists for their professionalism, and the participating families for their courage and trust. The project “Music Therapy and Systemic Support for Families Separated by War” is part of the University's comprehensive project development strategy and contributes to one of Ostroh Academy's core components of its mission is community service. Through initiatives such as this, the University actively engages with local communities, the region, and the country as a whole to support development, strengthen civic awareness, enhance civic culture, and promote charitable, social, and cultural initiatives."
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For more than 35 years, Andreas Tobias Kind Stiftung mbH has been engaged in education, professional training, and research in the fields of special education and music therapy, with a particular focus on individual professional and personal development. The foundation aims to make a meaningful contribution to contemporary support systems for people in need.
