News
13.11.2026
The 19th Mental Health Center of the RETURNING Network Has Opened in Chernivtsi
The 19th mental health center of the nationwide RETURNING (ukr. ПОВЕРНЕННЯ) network, founded by Victor and Olena Pinchuk, has opened in Chernivtsi. Here, approximately 4,000 service members, veterans, and members of their families will be able to receive free psychological and psychiatric care annually.
The RETURNING project is an example of successful cooperation between the private sector and the state, in which philanthropists establish modern, comfortable, and barrier-free mental health centers within state and municipal medical institutions, ensuring access to free professional care. In Chernivtsi, the project funded a major renovation of the premises and equipped a mental health center adapted to the needs of its visitors.
“The need for quality psychological and psychiatric care will continue to grow for many years to come. That is why our main priority is to ensure that every male and female defender, as well as their families, knows where to seek help and can receive it in a timely manner, free of charge, and close to home. We pay particular attention to the training of specialists at RETURNING centers, creating opportunities for education and international exchange of experience so that they can apply modern and effective approaches, work with complex cases, and provide care tailored to the individual needs of each person,” said Svitlana Grytsenko, Head of the RETURNING project.
The RETURNING center features four rooms for individual consultations, a group therapy room, a two-bed day hospital ward, a treatment room, a staff room, and a reception area with a waiting area. The space meets accessibility requirements, including wide doorways, the absence of thresholds, non-slip flooring, and accessible restrooms.
The center is equipped with the Shiftwave System for stress management and psychological recovery. It also has art therapy materials, psychological games, sensory stimulation tools, and a professional library of 40 books.
Care is provided by a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists, and nurses. When necessary, a veteran support specialist and a social worker are also involved.
“It is important for us that a person receives not just an individual consultation, but comprehensive care that takes into account their condition, needs, and life circumstances. Service members, veterans, and their relatives have different experiences, and what helps one person may not always be suitable for another. That is why we work individually, involve specialists from different fields, and determine the next steps together with the patient. It is important not only to alleviate symptoms but also to help people gradually regain a sense of stability and confidence in their everyday lives,” said Tetiana Anishchenko, Head of the RETURNING Mental Health Center in Chernivtsi.
Specialists help people overcome the effects of stress, anxiety and depressive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), adaptation difficulties, and psychosomatic symptoms. They use evidence-based methods, including cognitive behavioral therapy, EMDR, narrative exposure therapy, and trauma-focused therapy. They provide individual, family, and group consultations, crisis counseling, and prescribe medication when necessary. Care is provided on an outpatient basis or at patients' places of residence.
Today, the nationwide RETURNING network comprises 19 centers operating in Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, Kremenchuk, Kropyvnytskyi, Lutsk, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Ternopil, Uzhhorod, Khmelnytskyi, Chernivtsi, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv, as well as within one of the medical institutions of the National Guard of Ukraine.
During the first stage of the project, at least 25 centers are planned to open across Ukraine, which will be able to provide free care to more than 100,000 service members, veterans, and members of their families annually.
Center address: 20 Fastivska Street, Chernivtsi.
Contact phone number: +38 099 050 87 88
Email: [email protected]
