Towards Stronger Support Strategic Mapping Of Mental Health And Psychosocial Support Services Provided By Mhpss Actors In Ukraine

This qualitative mapping report provides a comprehensive overview of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services delivered by organizations participating in Ukraine's MHPSS Technical Working Group (TWG). Conducted by ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre between July 2024 and July 2025, it draws on a pre-interview survey of 92 organizations and 80 in-depth semi-structured interviews. The report identifies three types of MHPSS actors operating in Ukraine: large international NGOs, established Ukrainian organizations with pre-war experience, and newer volunteer-driven Ukrainian groups formed in response to the 2022 full-scale invasion. Key populations served include parents and caregivers, veterans and their families, children, and lay health professionals. Findings highlight the breadth of services across the IASC MHPSS Intervention Pyramid — from psychosocial activities and psychoeducation to individual therapy and community advocacy — with notable innovation in online platforms, peer-to-peer support, and community-led approaches. At the same time, the report surfaces persistent challenges: unsustainable short-term funding, significant stigma, burnout among MHPSS staff, the absence of national certification standards for psychologists, and tensions between evidence-based international approaches and locally adapted, eclectic practices. The report closes with concrete recommendations across coordination, capacity strengthening, programming, research, and advocacy, including calls for decentralised quality assurance, expanded training with structured follow-up, stronger staff care programmes, and sustainable integration of MHPSS into Ukraine's national systems in support of long-term recovery.