AS A U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE 'PREFERRED PARTNER' FOR UKRAINIAN CHILDREN, THE MOODSTERS CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION LEADS A TRAUMA AND BEREAVEMENT TEAM TO ITALY TO HELP DISPLACED UKRAINIAN REFUGEES AS THE CHILDREN PREPARE FOR SCHOOL FAR FROM HOME

NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As the warm days of summer vacation draw to a close, American children will once again feel the familiar anticipation of back-to-school rituals: new backpacks, the latest sneakers, school supplies, reuniting with classmates and teachers. But for Ukrainian children living in European refugee camps, the back-to-school experience will look and feel quite different.

Having fled a war-torn country and the only home they've ever known, these children will enter a school where lessons are taught in an unfamiliar language and while still suffering from the unspeakable atrocities of war. While the children, haunted by memories, are experiencing trauma, grief, and heartbreaking loss, the critical trauma and bereavement services they and their caregivers require are largely unavailable, with local mental health workers spread thin.

That's why this fall, Denise Daniels, RN, MS, director of The Moodsters Children's Foundation—a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a U.S. Department of State 'Preferred Partner' for Ukrainian Children—and Robin Stern, PhD, co-founder and associate director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, will lead an all-volunteer disaster response team to Italy on behalf of thousands of Ukrainians who have found refuge there.  

The team is being supported by the Italian Embassy to the U. S., David J Schonfeld, MD, FAAP, developmental-behavioral pediatrician and director of the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and professor of clinical pediatrics at USC Keck School of Medicine, is advising the team on children's grief and trauma.

Under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State and consulates in Rome and Florence, The Moodsters Children's Foundation will first bring a uniquely qualified team of experts to Italy in early September. They will help advise local educators, pediatricians, mental health professionals, and staff at refugee camps—the front-line workers for young children—in the very specific needs of children suffering overwhelming grief, loss, and trauma.

In October, an expanded interdisciplinary team of trauma specialists, pediatricians, teachers, nurses, and grief and loss therapists, will work closely with Ukrainian children, mothers, and caregivers. The focus will be on providing critical and practical support to help children cope with grief, loss, and trauma, and equipping the children with the resilience skills they'll need as they embark on the long road to recovery.

Services will include a toolbox of evidence-based interventions from which the children and their caregivers can draw when coping with their emotions. In addition to trauma and grief counseling, experts in art, music, and play therapy will help children process their complex feelings and experiences. Play therapy, in particular, is critical when working with traumatized children, as it offers a much-needed respite and helps children share their stories.

The award-winning Moodster characters will offer live performances for children in refugee camps, schools, and hospitals including the Vatican's renowned Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital in Rome. This first-of-its kind, interactive program is designed to help children grapple with the physical and emotional upheaval of war and provide the tools for emotional and psychological resilience. Each child will also receive a Moodster Meter to help them identify and share their feelings.

The Foundation is seeking to raise $500,000 by November 30th to fund this critical mission. Your generous donations will help provide the invaluable therapies, skilled personnel, and vital supplies that will equip and support these Ukrainian children as they begin the complex, lifelong process of healing. Please visit us at TheMoodsters.com or contact [email protected] to make a donation.

About The Moodsters 
The Moodsters is the first evidence-based global children's brand to address emotional literacy and resilience in young children. The Moodsters characters, who represent the key emotions experienced by young children, were created by Denise Daniels, RN, MS, a Peabody award-winning broadcast journalist, author, and child-development and parenting expert specializing in the social and emotional development of young children.

SOURCE The Moodsters