Psychological support is important for veterans and their families. Seeking professional help is a sign of strength and care for yourself and your loved ones. Veterans and their families can receive free psychological assistance:
- at state clinics through the National Health Service of Ukraine programs,
- in projects and hotlines of public organizations and foundations,
- by contacting specialists from a special register created by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs.
In order to make it faster and easier to receive psychological support, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs has developed a three-level system:
Level 1 – social and psychological support and assistance.
Level 2 – psychological assistance.
Level 3 – comprehensive medical and psychological assistance.
Who is eligible?
- Veterans
- Military personnel who are being discharged or have already been discharged from service
- Veterans with special merits to the Motherland and their families
- victims of the Revolution of Dignity;
- family members of deceased veterans and defenders;
- military personnel and their families — during martial law and for three months thereafter.
How to get psychological support?
Contact the service provider directly, a specialist in supporting veterans, or the Administrative Services Center.
With a referral from a family doctor or attending physician, you can go to state or municipal medical institutions. Or to mental health and rehabilitation centers. There, services will be provided within the framework of the Medical Guarantees Program, and their cost will be covered by the state.
In particular, the following services are available:
- individual and group consultations with a psychologist,
- psychotherapy,
- consultations with a psychiatrist,
- medication support.
Directly from psychological rehabilitation specialists. To this end, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs has created a register of those who provide psychological assistance services.
Register: https://mva.gov.ua/veteranam/perelik-subektiv-nadannya-poslug-vkluchenih-do-reestru-subektiv-nadannya-poslug-iz-psihologichnoi-dopomogi-dlya-veteraniv-i-chleniv-ih-simey
You can choose a specialist from your community or work online. The registry is constantly updated.
All services are free of charge. The cost is compensated directly by the state to specialized institutions and individual entrepreneurs.
Where else can you turn if you need immediate support?
Ukrainian Veterans Fund hotline: 0 800 33 20 29 (24 hours a day, free of charge).
Hotline for psychological support for military personnel and their loved ones: 5522, select 2 (free for Kyivstar, Vodafone, and Lifecell subscribers).
Psychological support from Veteran Hub at (067) 34 82868.
La Strada-Ukraine NGO hotline: 0 800 500 335 (from a landline) and 116 123 (from a mobile phone).
International Committee of the Red Cross: 0 800 300 155 (free of charge).
The NGO "Free Choice" provides psychological support to veterans and their families by phone at (063) 64 64991.
The information campaign "Opportunities for Veterans" is being implemented as part of a partnership between the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine and the Veterans Reintegration Program, which is being implemented by IREX with the support of the US State Department.