Spring Residential School for Child Psychotherapists
as part of Oksana Zaleska’s project Jungian Child Psychotherapy,
with the support of the Professional Association of Child Psychotherapists (PACP)
30 April – 3 May 2026
Belle Royalle Hotel, Lisarnya village, Mukachevo District, Transcarpathian Oblast

Imagine a warm spring morning. Birds are singing outside the window, and the scent of blossoming trees fills the air. You go to the mineral water pool for a swim, and then to breakfast, where you choose dishes that suit your taste. After that, a lecture and supervision session await you, followed by a lunch break with an intellectual dessert. You continue your day with creative activities – dancing, painting, and walking – and after dinner, you attend a film screening followed by a discussion. You end your day in a comfortable room where, through the window from which you listened to the birds and smelled the flowers in the morning, you now gaze at the full moon.

Multiply this day by four, and you get the Spring Residential School for Child Psychotherapists 2026.

This year’s school was warmly hosted by the “Belle Royalle” tourism and wellness complex in Transcarpathia. Participants were able to enjoy not only the nature and fresh air, but also take part in wellness programs and enjoy unlimited access to the mineral water pool. The hotel restaurant served traditional Transcarpathian dishes and European cuisine.

The school’s theme was adolescence, the challenges of growing up, and the specifics of therapeutic work with adolescents who have experienced trauma. The lecturers – leading Jungian analysts and child psychotherapists: Oksana Zaleska, Yulia Larina, and Asta Adler—discussed the characteristics and phenomenology of adolescence, as well as the impact of past and current traumas on the process of adolescent development. These lectures incorporated the latest research, clinical vignettes, practical exercises, and symbolic analysis of fairy tales. Participants had the opportunity to immediately apply this material during supervision sessions in small groups. During breaks and walks, questions were posed for reflection on personal experiences and adolescent memories.

Asta Adler prepared a series of flamenco masterclasses for the participants. It was an immersion into the physical and emotional experience of self-expression. The series concluded with Jungian reflections on how creativity helps overcome trauma. Asta shared her personal experiences, gave a tour through the history of flamenco, and delivered a lecture on flamenco as a symbolic embodiment, as well as on the healing power of movement and dance. The phrase “kama muta” – a term derived from Sanskrit and translated as “moved by love” – resonated deeply with the participants. It describes a special, often fleeting emotion characterized by a sudden sense of unity, love, or connection with a person, a group, nature, or a pet. This feeling can undoubtedly be called the defining sentiment of the entire school.

Oksana Zaleska and Yulia Larina held three sessions on serial drawing, which concluded with an exhibition of the works and reflections on the experience. Serial drawing is a Jungian method for processing traumatic experiences. The method has also proven effective in preventing emotional burnout among those in the helping professions. Since the school’s theme was adolescence—a time when everything is often maximized and polarized – the materials for expressive self-expression were minimal: just paper, charcoal, and sticks. Yet the absence of color did not prevent participants from creating profound works that reflected the intensity of their experiences.

Oksana Zaleska and Svitlana Snitko led games for children and adults. It should be noted that the adults were no less active and enthusiastic participants than the children. They played “Chaos,” “Prison,” and “Cheating.” These are psychological games that help process complex emotions and situations that children and adolescents face as they grow up. These are important tools in the work of psychologists and psychotherapists.

Dmytro Zaleskyi invited everyone to evening film screenings. We watched Hayao Miyazaki’s “Porco Rosso” with the children. As always, the children surprised us with their unexpected and profound reflections. With the adults, we watched Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Pour Things” and Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Great Beauty”. Despite the busy days, the evening screenings provided a second wind, and the reflections continued.

Participants also enjoyed a festive dinner with cheerful, heartfelt conversation, a costume fair with role-playing, singing spring songs outdoors in the morning, and relaxing their bodies in the evening during a spontaneous dance and movement therapy class.

It was a true journey, both real and symbolic, featuring deep immersion in professional topics, practical tasks, creative self-expression, living experiences, role-playing, contemplation, reflection, discussions, play, and relaxation.

The coherence of the theme and the well-structured program allowed participants to satisfy their needs for deepening knowledge, rest, development, communication, rethinking personal experiences, and creative expression. It was an experience of initiation and the revelation of meaning, an experience of professional community and a friendly atmosphere.

The Spring Residential School for Child Psychotherapists 2026 is a project within Oksana Zaleska’s training program in Jungian child psychotherapy, supported by the Professional Association of Child Analytical Psychologists (PAChAP).

Preparations for the Spring School 2027 have already begun, so follow our page and stay tuned for updates so you don’t miss any announcements.

Speakers

Asta Adler, PhD
 Psychologist, psychotherapist, Jungian analyst, member of the Lithuanian Association for Analytical Psychology (LAAP, IAAP). Associate Professor at the Center for Developmental Psychopathology, Institute of Psychology, Vilnius University, and participant in Lithuanian and international research projects. Author of training courses in analytical psychotherapy, child and adolescent analytical psychotherapy, and psychodynamic psychotherapy.

Dmytro Zalesky
 Jungian analyst, training therapist, supervisor, and the first individual member of the International Association for Analytical Psychology (IAAP) in Ukraine since 2010. Affiliate member of the Czech Institute of Analytical Psychology (CIAP Training Group of the IAAP) since 2020, full member since 2021, and member of the Ukrainian Association of Analytical Psychology (a group member of the IAAP) since 2025.

Oksana Zaleska
 Jungian analyst, child psychotherapist, PhD in Psychology, member of the Ukrainian Association of Analytical Psychology, President of PAChAP, leading expert and supervisor at the Center for Mental Health, NaUKMA.

Yulia Larina
 Analytically oriented psychotherapist, child psychologist, lecturer, supervisor, and author of children’s books. Member of the IAAP, Vice-President of PAChAP.

Svitlana Snitko
 Analytically oriented psychotherapist, child psychologist, facilitator of therapeutic groups for children using serial drawing, mythodrama, and G. Horn’s play practices, member of PAChAP.

Kateryna Holdtsberh

Analytically oriented psychologist, a regular author for Dzerkalo Tyzhnia and NV, and the author of training courses for teachers and parents. Post-President of PAChAP (2019-2025)

Thursday, 30 April
 9:00 Registration. Free time.
 14:00–15:00 Presentation: The Phenomenology of Adolescence — Oksana Zaleska, Yulia Larina
 15:00–15:30 Group exercise: Imba or Kring — Oksana Zaleska, Yulia Larina
 15:40–16:30 Round table discussion
 16:50–17:40 Flamenco masterclass — Asta Adler
 17:40–18:30 Group drawing session — Oksana Zaleska
 20:00 Film screening — Dmytro Zalesky

Friday, 1 May
 Until 9:00 Free time. Surprise activities.
 10:00–12:00 Asta Adler: The Impact of Past and Current Trauma on the Development of Adolescents — Lecture, Part 1 (with discussion)
 12:20–13:50 Group supervision sessions — Supervisors: O. Zaleska, Y. Larina, A. Adler
 15:20–16:10 Flamenco — Asta Adler
 16:10–17:00 Serial drawing — Oksana Zaleska
 19:00 A glamorous get-together (festive dinner with a clothes market)
 22:00 Adults-only late-night cinema — Dmytro Zalesky

Saturday, 2 May
 Until 9:00 Free time. Surprise activities.
 10:00–12:00 Asta Adler: The Impact of Past and Current Trauma on the Development of Adolescents —  Lecture, Part 2 (with discussion)
 12:20–13:50 Group supervision sessions — Supervisors: O. Zaleska, Y. Larina, A. Adler
 15:20–16:10 Flamenco — Asta Adler
 16:10–17:00 Serial drawing — Oksana Zaleska
 17:20–18:50 Chaos game with adults — led by Oksana Zaleska
 Prison game with children — led by Svitlana Snitko
 20:00 Chaos game with children — led by Oksana Zaleska
 Prison game with adults — led by Svitlana Snitko
 21:00 Evening readings with Kateryna Goltsberg. Presentation of the book Easy Childhood: How to Become Hedonistic Parents

Sunday, 3 May
 Until 9:00 Free time. Surprise activities before breakfast.
 10:00–11:00 Jungian reflections with Asta Adler: Flamenco: Creative Workshops as a Means of Overcoming Trauma
 11:00–12:00 Vernissage of the Spring School 2026 serial drawings
 12:10–13:40 Group supervision sessions — Supervisors: O. Zaleska, Y. Larina, A. Adler
 14:40–16:00 Final reflection
 Closing of the school