What is the role of a leader in developing mental health services? How can cross-sector collaboration be strengthened to make mental health support more effective? These and other questions were explored by participants of the “Leaders for Mental Health 2.0” programme.
Why is this programme important today?
The war and its far-reaching consequences, particularly in the field of mental health, remain among the greatest challenges facing Ukrainian society. In response, Ukraine is building a national mental health support system. However, despite the growing number of available services, many people still struggle to understand where and how to access the help they need.
This is where leadership becomes crucial — the ability to unite different sectors and create an environment of mutual support and care. That is why the second edition of the “Leaders for Mental Health” programme — Leaders for Mental Health 2.0 — was launched. The first iteration took place during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, and the second phase followed in 2024.
According to Nataliya Olbert-Sinko, partner in the implementation of the Leaders for Mental Health 2.0 programme and Managing Partner at the One Health Agency, the goal of this learning initiative is to build a community of professionals working in the mental health field who can drive change and improve service delivery.
“Another key objective of the programme is to transform the way of thinking. The person must be at the centre of every decision leaders make in their communities, institutions, and organisations. There are many services in our country, but when someone needs specific help, it’s often hard to reach. Our main task is to make this help accessible,” she emphasised.
Orest Suvalo, Executive Director of the Institute of Mental Health at the Ukrainian Catholic University and Project Manager of the Swiss–Ukrainian Project “Mental Health for Ukraine”, noted that this programme is both effective and crucial for Ukraine, as it fosters the development of horizontal, cross-sector cooperation. He added that mental health encompasses many aspects affecting adults, children, and those dealing with loss and stress.
“By understanding diverse experiences, we can better respond to the challenges of war. Leaders from healthcare, social services, and the civil sector came together to gain a deeper understanding of issues beyond their immediate areas of responsibility — and thereby improve services within their own institutions. Another important outcome of this course is the building of human relationships that encourage communication, exchange of experience, and mutual support.”
Reflecting on one of the Ukrainian Catholic University’s strategic goals — developing skills and experiences of responsible leadership — Yaryna Boychuk, CEO of the UCU Business School (LvBS), highlighted the importance of effective leadership in every field that involves working with people:
“Such programmes for leaders and managers are highly relevant and critically needed. Will they destroy or completely change the system? I don’t know. But managers can definitely transform their institutions and the communities they return to. I believe a major shift has already happened — the focus is now on the person. And that truly transforms the whole paradigm.”
At the same time, Iryna Paslas, Manager of Grant Programmes at the UCU Business School, noted that mental health services in Ukraine are distributed across multiple sectors — medical, social, educational, and civil society. Summing up, she emphasised the importance of creating platforms for dialogue:
“Bringing together leaders from different fields helps to understand how the system works both from the outside and within each sector — and to see how we can strengthen each other. For us, as a business school, the key value is helping participants reimagine themselves as leaders, realise their influence, and embrace their agency.”
Who were the participants of “Leaders for Mental Health 2.0”?
The Leaders for Mental Health 2.0 programme once again attracted significant interest — over 308 applicants from different regions of Ukraine. This high level of engagement shows both the relevance of the project and the trust it has earned.
After 85 interviews, 30 participants were selected from 13 communities, including:
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Lviv region: Davydiv and Stryi communities
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Kyiv region: Tarashcha community
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Rivne region: Rivne city and Kostopil community
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Dnipropetrovsk region: Dnipro city and Zhovti Vody community
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Kharkiv region: Liubotyn city
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and other cities such as Chernivtsi, Lutsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson.
The programme brought together local government officials, heads of healthcare institutions, mental health centre managers, NGO leaders, and resilience centre coordinators — all working to improve mental health services in their regions.
How did the training take place?
The programme began with discussions on key topics shaping modern approaches to mental health system development in Ukraine. Representatives of all major ministries — Health, Social Policy, and Veterans Affairs — took part in the dialogue.
Participants joined a panel discussion titled “The Future of Mental Health in Ukraine: What Kind of System Are We Building?”
Ksenia Voznitsyna, graduate of the first Leaders for Mental Health programme (2021) and Director of the Mental Health and Rehabilitation Centre for Veterans “Lisova Polyana”, shared:
“Dignity is what the enemy tries to destroy. Trauma makes a person vulnerable — someone who says they can’t. But restoring dignity can create real miracles. A veteran’s mental health depends on how they are received — in their community, in a café, on a bus, in a government office, at work. Dignity is a collective effort of every member of society.”
During the course, participants worked on developing services for target groups such as:
caregivers of people with disabilities, wives of military personnel, veterans with disabilities of working age, women who have experienced loss, widows of fallen defenders, and social workers.
The teams actively collaborated, shared experiences, and adopted successful initiatives from each other. They visited several mental health and resilience centres — in Rivne, Chernivtsi, and Lviv (Kulparkiv Mental Health Centre, headed by Bohdan Chechotka, graduate of the first iteration).
What did the participants say about the programme?
These visits inspired participants to bring new solutions to their own communities.
Lyubava Kazmirchuk, co-founder of the NGO Eleos Volyn, shared:
“The programme exceeded my expectations — it combined practical knowledge, leadership development, and the power of community. I’m already applying design-thinking skills in my work. It’s an experience that inspires new ideas and growth.”
Yana Sahailo, Head of the Municipal Clinical Hospital No. 4 in Dnipro, added:
“This programme was extremely valuable for me as a manager who is just forming a team. It helps develop soft skills, as well as the ability to design and implement projects, and to collaborate with partners, the public sector, education, and other organisations.”
Halyna Bovkun, Head of the Health Department in the Chernivtsi region, noted:
“As a manager, I see every day how important it is to combine administrative decisions with care for the mental well-being of both patients and medical staff. The programme helped me better understand how to turn ideas into actionable projects and find partners ready to walk this path together.”
The Leaders for Mental Health 2.0 programme focuses not only on acquiring knowledge but also on cultivating leadership values — equality, human-centredness, and responsibility. Its participants continue to grow as professionals and are already becoming the driving force behind transformation in Ukraine’s healthcare system.
Disclaimer:
The Leaders for Mental Health 2.0 programme was developed jointly by the One Health Agency and the UCU Business School as part of the Swiss–Ukrainian Project “Mental Health for Ukraine (MH4U)”, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), with the support of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, and the National Health Service of Ukraine.
