In Zhytomyr, Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska took part in an off-site meeting of the “How Are You?” university community, which now includes 31 higher education institutions across 20 regions.
The meeting was held at the Zhytomyr Polytechnic State University. Also attending were Deputy Minister of Education and Science Mykola Trofymenko, Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs Yulia Kirillova, representatives of the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance, vice-rectors, heads of university psychological services from the “How Are You?” community, and mental health experts.
The President’s wife emphasized that one of the goals of the All-Ukrainian mental health program “How Are You?” is to make mental health support services accessible to people where they live.
“So that exhausted people don't have to look for help elsewhere, but it comes to them in their familiar environment. The fact that community universities set such an example is invaluable. We have a truly unique situation: mental health services are now available in places we could never have imagined before – museums, children’s centers, libraries, sports halls, and businesses, both large and small companies,” the First Lady said.
At Zhytomyr Polytechnic, participants explored the work of the leadership school and visited the “Polytechnic” museum, which combines mental health support practices, youth career guidance, and modern science. Specialists from the psychological service presented digital projects supporting mental health at the university, initiatives in narrative therapy, the use of fairy tale therapy, and other formats for working with students.
They also visited the university’s Veteran Development Center, where a program trains specialists in veteran support. The center includes a dedicated teaching and practice lab for interactive sessions, support groups, psychological workshops, and thematic seminars.
“The universities in the ‘How Are You?’ community run numerous initiatives to strengthen mental health: masterclasses, support groups, veteran centers, and services for internally displaced persons. And this is not only timely today – it is also vital. Now is the time when every collective, university, school, bank, or factory must become a space of mental support for everyone around, to remain viable,” Olena Zelenska noted.
During the meeting, results from research on training nonmedical mental health specialists were also presented. It showed that 65% of future specialists choose the profession out of a desire to help people. Over the past five years, interest in becoming a psychologist has doubled.
A meeting was also held with project teams from higher education institutions involved in developing and implementing training programs for peer-to-peer consultants, together with graduates of the first group. They discussed adapting the training program and implementing the approach in practice.
“You are now leading the fight to preserve the mental health, endurance, and common sense of all Ukrainian society. All of this together is what we actually call resilience. Therefore, the quality of your work – every course, every graduate, every event and initiative – is literally lifesaving,” the First Lady concluded.
Additionally, six new educational courses for mental health specialists were presented, created by “How Are You?” according to international standards and professional needs: “Prevention of Risky Behaviors among Youth,” “Trauma-Informed Approach,” “Adolescence: A Map for Adults,” “Mental Health Legislation: A Navigator for Specialists,” “Motherhood and Fatherhood without Stress: A Course for Specialists,” and “Basic Communication Skills for Providers of Psychosocial Support.”
The implementation of the All-Ukrainian mental health program “How Are You?” is supported by the Coordination Center on Mental Health at the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, with expert guidance from the World Health Organization.