About Hibuki therapy
Hibuki therapy is a method of psychological support for children based on interaction with a soft toy dog called Hibuki. The Hebrew word hibuk means “hug”: the toy has long Velcro paws so that a child can keep it close at all times and feel comforted and supported.
The method was developed in Israel. It helps children affected by war to cope with the effects of stress and psychological trauma – including anxiety, fear, sleep disturbances, withdrawal and aggression – and supports their adaptation to new circumstances. The therapy has proven effective: in 95% of children, trauma-related symptoms disappear completely after a full course of 6-10 sessions.
After the outbreak of the full-scale war in Ukraine, Israeli psychotherapist Dafna Sharon-Maksimov worked with Ukrainian specialists to adapt Hibuki therapy to the Ukrainian context for children aged 4-17.
Hibuki is used not only as a therapeutic tool by psychologists, but also in educational settings. School teachers and nursery staff use it to quickly calm and support a child or a group of children during the learning process.
Programme results
In 2023, Metinvest funded the production of 120 Hibuki dogs for children from Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad affected by the war.
The following year, a training programme for educators was launched in Zaporizhzhia. In 2024-2025, 75 specialists were trained in Hibuki therapy. More than 225 children from the families of servicemen, veterans, internally displaced people and other vulnerable groups completed the course.
This year, the project is expanding geographically, with Kryvyi Rih and Kamianske joining Zaporizhzhia. In total, 120 teachers, nursery staff and psychologists across the three cities are expected to be trained in Hibuki therapy. Training will begin in April in Zaporizhzhia, in May in Kryvyi Rih, and in October in Kamianske.
How the training works
The training course consists of nine online sessions delivered by the programme’s authors, each lasting two to two and a half hours. The sessions take place twice a week over the course of a month. Candidates are selected based on a written motivation statement.
Upon completion of the course, participants receive a certificate and a Hibuki dog to use in their work with children. Each specialist is also required to deliver a course of sessions for a group of children from vulnerable backgrounds.
The programme is funded by Metinvest in partnership with the authors of the Israeli psychological support project for children and adolescents, Hibuki Therapy, as well as local authorities and civil society organisations. The partners are the Zaporizhzhia. Platform for Joint Action NGO and the City Council’s Department of Education and Science in Zaporizhzhia; the Kryvyi Rih Foundation for the Future NGO and the Executive Committee’s Department of Education and Science in Kryvyi Rih; and the City Council’s Department of Education in Kamianske.