An expanded meeting of the Interagency Coordination Council on Mental Health and Psychological Assistance to Persons Affected by Russia's Armed Aggression Against Ukraine was held.
The event was attended by First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk, Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Oksen Lisovyi, Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine Denys Uliutyn, and Head of the Mental Health Coordination Center Oksana Zbitneva. The meeting was attended by Yuriy Vinokurov, First Deputy Head of Donetsk Regional State Administration.
First Lady Olena Zelenska addressed the audience with an opening speech. She noted that our country helps its citizens overcome the stress of war and prevent the development of mental disorders. The First Lady paid attention to the formation of mental health among children and youth, the development of mental health centers based on youth centers. According to her, 47% of the country's residents need psychological help, so it is necessary to create opportunities to receive it by expanding the network of centers where you can communicate with people and help them.
At the meeting, Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko spoke about the work to strengthen mental health in the health care system.
Thus, psychological and psychosocial assistance is provided at primary health care facilities, mental health centers at cluster and supercluster hospitals, and inpatient psychiatric hospitals. More than 16,000 primary care physicians have been trained in the management of common mental disorders using the mhGAP guidelines and are providing mental health services.
"In 2025, 206,667 patients, including 35,454 children, received care according to mhGAP standards at the primary level.
During 2025, 114 mental health centers were established at cluster and supercluster hospitals, where 75,859 patients, including 17,660 children, received care. Approaches to inpatient psychiatric care are currently being changed. Children's psychiatric care will be provided on the basis of multidisciplinary children's hospitals. 15 hospitals are already providing such assistance," noted Viktor Lyashko.
Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Oksen Lisovyi spoke about the implementation of the priority project of the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program on psychosocial support and assistance at all levels of education.
"In pre-school education, 14,800 teachers have been trained in self-help and support for children and parents. 1,300 kindergartens are introducing parent clubs at the expense of communities. 13,000 children from the frontline regions where kindergartens were closed are covered by a psychological support program. 28 pedagogical partnership centers for families with a focus on psychological support are opened. More than 200,000 parents use the NUMO platform for self-development and psychological support.
A clear package of psychological services has been developed in schools, including first aid, crisis response, mediation, anti-bullying, and psychological assistance," emphasized Oksen Lisovyi.
The Minister of Education and Science said that in 2025, 12,302 students chose the specialty of psychology, which is the third most popular specialty.
The professional standards for practical psychologists and social educators are being updated. The reform concept is currently being updated, the package of services of the psychological service is being defined, and a digital monitoring system has been developed.
Denys Uliutyn, Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine, spoke about the implementation of the priority project of the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program on the basis of functioning resilience centers.
A total of 326 resilience centers have been opened in Ukraine, including 132 in 2025. Resilience centers have been established in 305 communities, including 17 in relocated communities. When creating resilience centers, special attention is paid to barrier-free access.
An example of an effective case of mental health support is the establishment of a Resilience Center by the Mariupol and Pokrovska communities on the basis of social housing in the city of Dnipro. The Resilience Center was created to provide comprehensive psychosocial support to the population, aimed at overcoming stress, strengthening mental health and building resilience.