Politics
In order to support children, young people and families in particular by telephone, Rat auf Wire is now offering advice in Russian and Ukrainian. The advisory team has been expanded.
It is regarding acute mental relief and psychosocial counseling for refugee children, young people and their caregivers, it said in a press conference on Wednesday. To this end, five new employees with a Ukrainian background and connections in the community were hired.
“Many inquiries regarding war”
Immediately following the start of the war, inquiries regarding topics such as war and terror increased, according to Corinna Harles, psychological director of the Rat-auf-Wire parents’ website. “Children and young people also used the emergency telephone number to make many inquiries regarding war,” added Christine Piriwe, advisor.
This gave rise to the idea of expanding the Austrian range of counseling specifically for those affected by the war. A total of five specially trained Ukraine counselors with psychological training were hired, two of them specifically for the parents.
cultural difference to the home country
According to figures from the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF), around 77,300 people have fled to Austria since the outbreak of war, 70 percent of them women (as of August 10, 2022, 11:00 a.m.). Affected parents are primarily concerned with the question of how best to talk to their children regarding war. Parents and children are also concerned with adapting and integrating into a completely new situation.
Children and young people are looking for help on topics such as sexuality, homesickness, psychological stress and finding new friends. Ukrainian refugees are also affected by the cultural difference to their home country. Since one generation often lives together in one house, children and young people are used to having both parents and grandparents around the clock.
Refugee mothers often overwhelmed
In the war, however, it was often only mothers who fled with their children. “Not only is this very painful for the children, but of course the mothers also feel overwhelmed by it,” says Harles. The real-time chat is particularly popular with young people. “It’s easier for those affected because the inhibition threshold is lower,” explained Piriwe. In addition, there is still classic telephone advice on 147 and online advice with or without video chat.
