RETURNING. The Path to Mental Recovery

Restoring Wholeness After an Experience That Shatters a Person: What Was Discussed at the “RETURNING. The Path to Mental Recovery” Conference

The first annual scientific and practical conference “RETURNING. The Path to Mental Recovery” was held in Kyiv. The conference took place as part of the nationwide RETURNING (Ukr. «ПОВЕРНЕННЯ») project, founded by Victor and Olena Pinchuk to support Ukraine’s Security and Defense Forces. The project focuses on supporting the mental health of military personnel, veterans, and their family members who have experienced psychological trauma as a result of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

The inaugural event brought together more than 200 participants, including representatives of civilian and military healthcare institutions working to support the mental well-being of military personnel, veterans, and their families. Representatives of professional associations and civil society organizations also took part, alongside guests from the United States, Canada, and Israel, as well as military personnel, veterans, and representatives of the Ukrainian authorities, including the Office of the President of Ukraine, the Ministry for Veterans Affairs, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Speakers included Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine; Victor Pinchuk, businessman and philanthropist, founder of the RECOVERY and RETURNING projects; Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine; Oksana Zbitnieva, Head of the Mental Health Coordination Center under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine; Iryna Mykychak, Adviser to the Prime Minister of Ukraine; Roman Kechur, MD, PhD, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, psychoanalyst, and Head of the Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy at the Faculty of Health Sciences of Ukrainian Catholic University; Andrii Karachevskyi, Senior Officer of the Development and Implementation Division of the Psychological Support Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine; and Kseniia Voznytsina, Director of the Forest Glade Mental Health and Rehabilitation Center for Veterans of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.

International experience was presented, among others, by Scott Milligan, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and Igor Mishunin, international expert and Head of Training Programs at the Israel Trauma Coalition, Israel. In total, more than 40 mental health professionals shared their practical expertise through presentations, interactive lectures, workshops, and panel discussions.

In his welcome address to the conference participants, RETURNING founder, businessman and philanthropist Victor Pinchuk said: “When it comes to education within the RETURNING project, you can fully count on us as partners. We will invite the best specialists in the world to share their experience with you. We will encourage everyone — this is very important at the stage of development. I understand that later you will become the best specialists in the world, but even now, you can count on the involvement of the very best in this project.”

First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska expressed her support for the important initiative: “Today, we are creating a path, an opportunity to receive help. Each person decides for themselves whether or not to take this path. But this path must be accessible and simple, with clear navigation. I am confident that the RETURNING project will create yet another such path to mental health.”

Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said:“We have laid the foundation for a sustainable and strong system of mental health support for military personnel and veterans. But we need more. We need synergy between government, civil society, and private initiatives. The RETURNING project is about precisely this kind of public-private partnership. This is a time when only initiatives that are large-scale and systemic can truly work. That is why I am always glad and grateful to see projects where people work every day, methodically and persistently, to achieve long-term, ambitious and, most importantly, realistic goals.”

The RETURNING project involves the creation of a nationwide network of mental health centers that will provide free outpatient services at public healthcare facilities. The project’s first center had already opened in Dnipro shortly before the conference. At the first stage, at least 25 centers are planned to open in different regions of Ukraine, where more than 105,000 military personnel, veterans, and their family members will be able to receive free support.

The project is also actively implementing world-class educational programs for mental health professionals. In 2025, more than 90 educational events are planned, including lectures, practical training sessions, and internships involving Ukrainian and international experts. These initiatives aim to strengthen professionals’ expertise and support their personal and professional development.

Hanna Kappes,clinical psychologist and psychotherapist at the Dnipro center of the nationwide RETURNING network,said: “Continuous learning is not simply a necessity of our time, but an internal resource for growth. It gives us access to new knowledge, inspires us to act with greater confidence, and helps us understand ourselves and others more deeply. The RETURNING conference brings together a community of like-minded professionals, giving us a sense of support and confidence that we are moving in the right direction.” 

The main goal of RETURNING is to create an effective, sustainable, and war-experience-sensitive support system that will enable military personnel, veterans, and their families to receive qualified psychological care and appropriate mental health recovery.