The Vinnytsia Mental Health Center of the nationwide RETURNING network (ukr. ПОВЕРНЕННЯ) will provide free professional psychological support to more than 4,000 military personnel, veterans, and their families every year. The project was founded by Victor and Olena Pinchuk to support the mental health of Ukraine’s defenders, veterans, and their family members who have experienced the psychological consequences of the war caused by Russian aggression.

Speaking about the importance of building a culture of mental health care in Ukraine and overcoming the stigma surrounding psychological support, Victor Pinchuk, founder of the RETURNING project, said:

“In the culture and traditions of our society, there is still prejudice: ‘What do you mean, see a psychiatrist? What will people say — that I went to a mental hospital?’ In the West, it’s the opposite: the first thing a person does when there is a problem in the family, with children, between husband and wife, or at work, is turn to a psychologist or psychiatrist. Sometimes it is even difficult to book an appointment there. In our country, this tradition and culture still do not exist. That is why it is important for defenders to talk about it with one another, and for doctors to explain why it is necessary.”

The RETURNING Mental Health Center in Vinnytsia is a space of support, safety, and recovery for active-duty military personnel, veterans, former prisoners of war, and their family members. The center provides individual and group support, works with the consequences of traumatic experiences, helps stabilize emotional conditions, and restore a sense of grounding and stability. When needed, specialists may prescribe medication. Special attention is given to psychological inclusion — creating a safe and confidential environment free from judgment and stigma.

The RETURNING project demonstrates a successful partnership between the private sector and the state, where philanthropists establish centers on the basis of state and municipal medical institutions. Through the support of the RETURNING project, part of the facility underwent major renovation, resulting in a modern, comfortable, and barrier-free center designed in accordance with accessibility standards and the needs of people who use wheelchairs.

The center includes offices for individual and family counseling, a group therapy room, a reception area with a waiting space, a day-care unit, a treatment room, and accessible restrooms. It also features a pottery studio — a space for free self-expression that helps visitors reduce stress, better understand their emotional state, and gradually regain a sense of control and inner support through working with clay and materials.

The center is equipped with technology and materials to support both specialists and visitors throughout the recovery process. These include computer equipment, multimedia systems, the Shiftwave System psychological relaxation device, VR headsets, art therapy and pottery supplies, psychological games, anti-stress and tactile tools, as well as professional literature for specialists.

Visitors at the center are supported by a multidisciplinary team that includes psychiatrists, a physician psychologist, a clinical psychologist, a nurse, a male nurse, and a medical registrar. This ensures a comprehensive approach to care that addresses each person’s clinical, psychological, and social needs.

“Seeking support from mental health professionals is not a sign of weakness, but an important step toward recovery. After combat experience, captivity, loss, or prolonged exhaustion, it can be difficult for a person to cope with the consequences of what they have lived through on their own. Our goal is to create a safe space where military personnel, veterans, and their loved ones can receive professional support without judgment and with respect for their experiences,” said Inha Tyshkul, Head of the RETURNING Center in Vinnytsia.

Support at the Vinnytsia RETURNING Center is provided free of charge in an outpatient format or, when necessary, at visitors’ places of residence. Specialists work with stress-related conditions, anxiety and depressive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, adjustment and psychosomatic difficulties, as well as psychotic conditions.

As of today, 15 centers of the RETURNING network, founded by Victor and Olena Pinchuk, are operating in Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Kropyvnytskyi, Lutsk, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Ternopil, Uzhhorod, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv. During the first phase of the RETURNING project, 25 centers are planned to open across Ukraine, with the capacity to provide support to more than 100,000 military personnel, veterans, and their family members annually.

Address of the RETURNING Center in Vinnytsia:
92 Khmelnytske Highway, Main Building, Letter “B”, Vinnytsia, Ukraine

Reception phone number:
+38 067 581 97 57