Resilience Centre Teams Receive Further Training: 40 More Specialists Equipped to Support Communities

In March, 40 specialists from Resilience Centres across various Ukrainian communities completed training under the international Self-Help Plus program, developed by the World Health Organization. This marks another step by the Ministry of Social Policy towards consistently strengthening the professional capacity of Resilience Centre teams.

Over the course of four days, participants acquired practical tools to support individuals experiencing stress. These included grounding techniques, attention refocusing, identifying personal needs, and reducing emotional tension. The training also addressed wartime-specific issues such as trauma, emotional burnout, and re-traumatisation.

“Our goal is for every Resilience Centre to offer not just support, but professional, high-quality assistance. That’s why we continue to train our teams, ensuring a unified standard of preparation. Specialists in the Centres are equipped not only with motivation, but with the skills needed to support people through challenging times,” said Ukraine’s Minister of Social Policy, Oksana Zholnovych.

Self-Help Plus is a foundational and mandatory program for all Resilience Centre specialists. It forms the core of the resilience-building service. To date, over 600 professionals — including psychologists, social managers, and social workers — have completed the training.

“The program is first and foremost about understanding one’s own mental state. We’ve learned effective techniques that we will now apply in our Centres. The next step is to bring people together and offer Self-Help sessions within our communities,” said Iryna, a Resilience Centre specialist from Bar, Vinnytsia Oblast.

After completing the training, specialists go on to deliver Self-Help Plus sessions to residents in their communities, passing on the knowledge and skills they’ve acquired. Currently, there are around 250 Resilience Centres operating in 23 regions across Ukraine. These are safe, welcoming spaces where anyone — regardless of age or background — can access free psychosocial support.

Resilience Centres are a pilot initiative of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, implemented under the All-Ukrainian mental health program “How are you?”, launched by First Lady Olena Zelenska.

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