The Sixth Mental Health Center of the RETURNING Network Opens in Khmelnytskyi

A comfortable and inclusive RETURNING mental health center for military personnel, veterans and their family members has opened in Khmelnytskyi. It is the sixth center in the nationwide network founded by Victor and Olena Pinchuk to support Ukraine’s Security and Defense Forces

More than 4,000 Ukrainian defenders will be able to receive high-quality, professional mental health support at the Khmelnytskyi RETURNING center every year.

Military personnel, veterans and their family members experiencing the consequences of psychological trauma can seek assistance at the RETURNING mental health center in Khmelnytskyi. The center’s specialists work with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, depression, adjustment and psychosomatic difficulties, as well as other consequences of traumatic experiences. All services at the RETURNING center are provided free of charge. 

The RETURNING project demonstrates successful cooperation between the private sector and the state, with philanthropists establishing mental health centers at public medical institutions.. All RETURNING centers provide free outpatient mental health services to Ukrainian defenders and their family members.

“The RETURNING project combines two key areas — developing a nationwide network of centers and educating mental health professionals. We are creating a network that brings support closer to every service member and their family, while at the same time investing in knowledge so that Ukrainian specialists can provide assistance at the highest level. This synergy is what ensures strong results and effective recovery for our defenders and their families,” says Svitlana Grytsenko, Head of the RETURNING project.

The new center has been established at one of the key medical institutions in the Khmelnytskyi region. The Khmelnytskyi RETURNING center includes rooms for individual, family and group therapy, a day-care ward equipped with electric medical multifunctional beds, a reception area with a waiting room, a treatment room, and modern accessible sanitary facilities. 

A distinctive feature of the Khmelnytskyi center is a space for free self-expression with pottery and art workshops. Art therapy is an effective tool for recovery: it helps people safely express their emotions, process traumatic experiences and restore inner balance through creative activities. 

The center is equipped with the Shiftwave System (USA) for psychological relaxation and stress management, an EMDRtherapy kit, materials for art and pottery therapy, board games, stress-relief tools and equipment for body-based practices. Specialists have access to multimedia equipment, computers and a professional library.

As in other RETURNING centers, the Khmelnytskyi center has a multidisciplinary team that includes psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, nurses, case managers and social workers. They support each person throughout all stages of care — from initial consultation to long-term therapy and mental recovery.

“Effective assistance is always a team effort. At our center, each person is supported by specialists from different fields — from psychiatrists and psychologists to social workers. This multidisciplinary approach allows us to see the person as a whole, taking into account their experience, needs and resources. This is what makes recovery consistent, profound and effective,” says Anait Bolibrukh, Head of the RETURNING mental health center in Khmelnytskyi.

The RETURNING project was founded by Victor and Olena Pinchuk to help military personnel, veterans and their family members overcome the psychological consequences of war. All centers in the network are established at public medical institutions and provide free outpatient mental health support.

The network’s centers are currently operating in Dnipro, Ternopil, Poltava, Kropyvnytskyi, Rivne and Khmelnytskyi. During the first stage of the RETURNING project, 20–25 mental health centers are planned to open across Ukraine. Every year, more than 100,000 military personnel, veterans and their family members will be able to receive professional psychological support at these centers, helping them regain strength, balance and confidence in themselves.