IPSO International Psychosocial Organisation

19/12/2025

Last week, we came together for the closing ceremony of the City.Zen project at IPSO. It was a moment to pause, reflect, and celebrate an extraordinary year shaped by care, trust, and collaboration.
Together with IPSO counselors, dedicated colleagues, and inspiring community volunteers, we co-created trauma-sensitive spaces where people could simply be, breathe, and begin to heal. Alongside Iranian, Afghan, Arabic-speaking, Russian-speaking, Ukrainian, and English-speaking communities in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, we brought to life dozens of small but meaningful initiatives—from art and movement workshops to storytelling circles and community kitchens—each rooted in the ideas, needs, and strengths of the participants themselves.
In a city that welcomes so many who have survived war, displacement, and loss, this work matters deeply. Trauma-informed community building is not just supportive—it is essential for restoring safety, dignity, and connection where mental health care too often feels distant or inaccessible.
We are deeply grateful to the City.Zen team, all participants, volunteers, facilitators, the Bezirksamt Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, and every supporter who made this year possible. This moment is not an ending, but a milestone. We truly believe we are only at the beginning—and we look forward to finding ways to continue this journey in 2026.

A great shoutout to , for their support and partnership. You made it possible!

07/12/2025

04/12/2025

In November, people from our diverse communities once again came together for conversations, reflection, and moments of healing across Berlin’s neighborhoods. Here are a few highlights ✨

🧠Stress Awareness Day
We explored ways to ease stress in immigrant life through individual, communal, and policy-level strategies, including trauma-informed, culturally sensitive support, peer spaces, mindfulness, grounding, movement, gratitude, and small daily tools for resilience.

💛Grief & Gratitude Circle
A deeply emotional gathering where we shared grief without comparison, released it through a simple ritual, softened into warmth through body-based practices, and created a collective gratitude book holding our connection.

🪞“Being Yourself: Path to Authenticity”
What began quietly opened into an imaginative space. Through guided meditation and crafting “authentic masks,” we explored inner freedom, identity, and the joy of creative self-discovery.

🛡️Life Skills Series: Discrimination & Mental Health
We reflected on different forms of discrimination and their impact on wellbeing, sharing practical strategies to strengthen awareness, confidence, and resilience.

🫂Workshop for Afghan Women
What we expected to feel “different” felt deeply familiar. Beneath labels, we met as people with shared strength. We practiced grounding, mindfulness, working with anger and anxiety, and finding possibilities even in difficult moments.

🧳Your Body Carries the Story
Through breath, shaking, movement, and naming sensations, we explored how our bodies carry memories of both old and new “home,” ending with a small collective choreography expressing cultural belonging.

🗣️Trauma-Informed Care Training
An interactive session for professionals in social services, healthcare, and education on stress responses, trauma-informed principles, and practical empathy — supporting more resilient, equitable environments.

🏡A Sense of Safety
A tender gathering of the Arabic-speaking q***r community exploring home, belonging, and safety through dialogue, collage, and care.

We are deeply grateful for these moments — and for every participant and partner who made them possible.
 🤍

03/12/2025

Last Friday marked our long-awaited IPSO Day – the moment each year when all our teams come together. This year, our guiding theme was “Parallel Worlds on Common Ground.” It invited us to see our projects through new lenses: How does it feel for our international colleagues to accompany individuals facing acute hardship? How do our teams in Germany manage to work so successfully despite the many structural limitations and bureaucratic hurdles that often deepen existing stigma? And how does our perceive and translate these diverse realities?

Our exchanges led us into a deeper reflection on social media: its bright sides, its risks, and the ways it influences identity and connection. In the evening, our Residency Project — with five remarkable artists from four nations — brought these questions to life through a powerful performance.

To all IPSO Counselors: thank you for your tireless dedication! Thank you to , and thank you to Artscape in Exile .cello .mik .

Like every year, IPSO Day reminded us how our “parallel worlds” meet on shared ground — and how much we grow when we learn to see through one another’s eyes.

03/12/2025

Last Friday marked our long-awaited IPSO Day – the moment each year when all our teams come together. This year, our guiding theme was “Parallel Worlds on Common Ground.” It invited us to see our projects through new lenses: How does it feel for our international colleagues to accompany individuals facing acute hardship? How do our teams in Germany manage to work so successfully despite the many structural limitations and bureaucratic hurdles that often deepen existing stigma? And how does our perceive and translate these diverse realities?

Our exchanges led us into a deeper reflection on social media: its bright sides, its risks, and the ways it influences identity and connection. In the evening, our Residency Project — with five remarkable artists from four nations — brought these questions to life through a powerful performance.

To all IPSO Counselors: thank you for your tireless dedication! Thank you to , and thank you to Artscape in Exile .cello .mik .

Like every year, IPSO Day reminded us how our “parallel worlds” meet on shared ground — and how much we grow when we learn to see through one another’s eyes.

cityzen

01/11/2025

In October, people from our diverse communities in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg came together for workshops, performances, and conversations, that inspired, empowered, and strengthened our sense of belonging.

🫂 “Share Your Talents!”
We celebrated the skills and strengths Arabic-speaking immigrants bring with them. Six participants hosted tutorials, showing that starting something new doesn’t mean starting from scratch, but means building on the knowledge and gifts we already carry. A truly uplifting moment for participants and their loved ones.

🎨 “My Mother in My Eyes, and Me in Hers”
A gentle portrait-drawing workshop for mothers and children, held in collaboration with Khan Aljanub Bookstore. Amid busy days in a new country, we took time to honor the warmth, care, and connection of the mother-child bond.

🧭 Decision-Making Workshop
A practical, step-by-step session supporting Farsi- and Dari-speaking immigrants to make decisions with greater clarity and confidence.

🤝 Workshop for women
In collaboration with and .v, Afghan women gathered for a workshop on empowerment, dialogue, and mutual support. We’re grateful for this inspiring partnership!

🎭 “Das Familienbäumchen”
Families enjoyed a playful puppet performance inspired by the Ukrainian fairytale „Ivasyk-Telesyk“, followed by a hands-on doll-making masterclass. A joyful space for imagination, creativity, and togetherness.

🖥️ Media Literacy Training
We explored how to navigate digital spaces safely and critically, building tools for awareness, resilience, and informed communication.

📍“Berlin: How to Become Local”
Participants mapped their own Berlin, shared memories, and reflected on how the city shapes us. A workshop full of discovery, personal geography, and new ways to explore the city.

👗 „Clothes Swap Gathering“
We reflected on how clothing can reflect identity and transformation during migration. Participant shared the stories behind the garments they were ready to let go of, creating powerful moments of change, freedom, and renewal.

We are deeply thankful for these moments-
— and to each of our collaborators for making this work possible.

01/11/2025

In October, people from our diverse communities in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg came together for workshops, performances, and conversations, that inspired, empowered, and strengthened our sense of belonging. 🌿

🫂 “Share Your Talents!”
We celebrated the skills and strengths Arabic-speaking immigrants bring with them. Six participants hosted tutorials, showing that starting something new doesn’t mean starting from scratch, but means building on the knowledge and gifts we already carry. An uplifting moment for participants and their loved ones.

🎨 “My Mother in My Eyes, and Me in Hers”
A gentle portrait-drawing workshop for mothers and children, held in collaboration with Khan Aljanub Bookstore. Amid busy days in a new country, we took time to honor the warmth, care, and connection of the mother-child bond.

🧭 Decision-Making Workshop
A practical, step-by-step session supporting Farsi- and Dari-speaking immigrants to make decisions with greater clarity and confidence.

🤝 Workshop for women
In collaboration with and .v, Afghan women gathered for a workshop on empowerment, dialogue, and mutual support. We’re grateful for this inspiring partnership!

🎭 “Das Familienbäumchen”
Families enjoyed a playful puppet performance inspired by the Ukrainian fairytale „Ivasyk-Telesyk“, followed by a hands-on doll-making masterclass. A joyful space for imagination, creativity, and togetherness.

🖥️ Media Literacy Training
We explored how to navigate digital spaces safely and critically, building tools for awareness, resilience, and informed communication.

📍“Berlin: How to Become Local”
Participants mapped their own Berlin, shared memories, and reflected on how the city shapes us. A workshop full of discovery, personal geography, and new ways to explore the city.

👗 „Clothes Swap Gathering“
We reflected on how clothing can reflect identity and transformation during migration. Participant shared the stories behind the garments they were ready to let go of, creating powerful moments of change, freedom, and renewal.

We are deeply thankful for these moments — and to each of our collaborators for making this work possible.

20/10/2025

It’s the last day of our

As we wrap up, we ask: where do we find strength and balance in a fast-changing world?
That’s what Mila and Olena reflect today. How we can build resilience through the resources around and within us.

Want to go deeper into the conversation? In their full interview, Mila and Olena talk about resilience in the BANI world, and how connection and community can keep us grounded. Watch now on YouTube, link in bio & story!

Зареєструйтесь на сайті www.ipso-saba.com, щоб отримати підтримку!
Sign up on www.ipso-saba.com for support!

A huge thank-you to our amazing counselors, on and off camera, the production team .gardisi, .lewark, and to our partners .ukrainian, , and .ua.
Your support made this possible!

18/10/2025

In today’s interview, Afghan journalist talks with our counselor about the roots of family conflicts — and how cultural differences and communication shape relationships, especially in migrant families balancing between two world. They explore what it means to deal with differences within the family and the outside world — and what happens when we don’t. Watch the full interview now on YouTube — link in bio!

در این ویدیو، خبرنگار افغان شرمیلا هاشمی با شعیب سالنگی، مشاور روانی اجتماعی «ایپسو»، دربارهٔ ریشه‌های اختلافات و تعارضات خانوادگی در میان خانواده‌ها بلخصوص خانواده های مهاجر گفتوگو میکند،البته از تفاوت در ارزش‌ها و شیوه‌های ارتباطی گرفته تا انتظارات فرهنگی که روابط ما را شکل میدهند را بحث خواهند کرد.
در این گفتگو آنها به این خواهند پرداخت که چگونه میتوان این تفاوت‌ها را در میان خانواده و جامعه بهتر درک و مدیریت کرد، و اگر نتوانیم با این تفاوت‌ها کنار بیاییم چی عواقبی خواهد داشت؟ به‌ویژه در رابطه با فرزندانمان که در دو جهان متفاوت بزرگ میشوند.

گفت‌وگوی کامل را در یوتیوب ببینید — لینک در بیو

برای دریافت حمایت، لطفاً ثبت‌نام کنید
www.ipso-saba.com

Thank-you to everyone supporting us along the way! And a special thanks to , .farsi and .news.fa.da for their partnership!

Sign up on www.ipso-saba.com for support!

17/10/2025

In today’s impulse, and Mila explore with us a feeling many know too well - fatigue.
Not the kind that comes from work or weather,
but the quiet exhaustion that seeps in when safety, stability, or closeness feel out of reach.

Зареєструйтесь на сайті www.ipso-saba.com, щоб отримати підтримку!

If you feel drained and want to talk, you can find support at www.ipso-saba.com

Thank you to everyone joining us for
and to our partners , .ukrainian, and .ua for walking with us.

16/10/2025

Today’s reflection looks at anger and conflict within families after migration.
How can we break the cycle, and start really hearing and understanding each other?

In the full talk, and explore why misunderstandings grow into deeper conflicts and how empathy, active listening, and early support can help rebuild trust within families and communities. Watch it now on YouTube - link in bio & story!

Thanks to each and everyone supporting and working with us, special shout out to , .farsi and .news.fa.da!

چرا بعد از مهاجرت خشم و خشونت در خانواده ها افزایش میابد؟
نقش مهاجرت در خشونت خانوادگي چگونه است؟
خانواده‌ها چگونه میتوانند این چرخه را بشکنند و دوباره زندگی خوش و راحت را تجربه کنند؟

مصاحبهٔ کامل ما را در یوتیوب از دست ندهید — لینک در بیو و استوری

اگر به کمک ضرورت دارید، لطفاً ثبت‌نام کنید در
www.ipso-saba.com