Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University was represented by Natalia Blahovirna, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Communication, Nataliia Kostruba, Regional Coordinator of the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program, Doctor of Psychological Sciences, Professor of Department of General and Clinical Psychology, and Iryna Mahdysyuk, Student Dean. The meeting with representatives from thirty higher education institutions implementing the All-Ukrainian “How are you?” Mental Health Programme was organised by the Coordination Centre for Mental Health of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine together with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine within the framework of the initiative of the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska.
“Higher education institutions of Ukraine should become hubs of psychological safety, where the joint process of cognition provides mental healing to all participants,” Olena Zelenska emphasized during the event.
The community of higher education centres in Ukraine today is almost a million students and one hundred thousand scientific and pedagogical workers. The all-Ukrainian survey "How are you?", conducted in February this year among lecturers and students of 29 HEIs, showed that almost every third teacher has signs of hidden burnout, and about 52% require intervention of varying degrees of intensity. The participants of the meeting emphasized the importance of continued deployment of psychological assistance at universities, discussed the challenges facing higher education institutions, and focused on improving practical tools for psychosocial support for lecturers and students.
Lesya Ukrainka University has deployed multi-level psychological support, so that everyone can feel comfortable and protected. The availability of free individual and group consultations by a practical psychologist from Department of Youth Policy and Social Work, the active involvement of the Scientific and Methodological "Mental Health" Centre and the Psychological Advisory Centre of Faculty of Psychology are designed to form a sustainable philosophy of caring for mental health in the university environment.
