Odesa Launches 'Return' Mental Health Center for Military Personnel and Their Families

'Return' Center Opens in Odesa to Provide Mental Health Support

According to Главком: A new mental health facility named 'Return' has opened in Odesa, offering free psychological support to active-duty soldiers, veterans, and their families. The project was founded by Viktor and Olena Pinchuk and operates within the framework of state medical institutions. The center is located at 26-A Akademika Zabolotnoho Street (8th floor).

The Odesa 'Return' center is projected to provide free psychological assistance to over 4,000 military personnel, veterans, and their family members annually. The facility is equipped with:

• offices for individual and family counseling,
• a group therapy space,
• a two-bed day hospital ward,
• a treatment room,
• a reception area,
• staff rooms,
• and an inclusive bathroom.

The center features modern equipment, including the Shiftwave psychological decompression system from the United States.

A multidisciplinary team staffs the center, comprising psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, social workers, and veteran support specialists. Assistance is provided both on an outpatient basis and at clients' places of residence. Specialists treat the consequences of stress, anxiety and depressive states, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and adjustment and psychosomatic difficulties.

Expanding the 'Return' Network Across Ukraine

To date, 14 centers in the 'Return' network are operational across Ukraine, located in Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Kropyvnytskyi, Lutsk, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Ternopil, Uzhhorod, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv. The project's first phase envisions opening 25 centers nationwide, which together could provide aid to over 100,000 military personnel, veterans, and their families each year.

Svitlana Grytsenko, Head of the 'Return' Project: 'Building a mental health ecosystem is impossible without investing in the professionals who work within it. Therefore, alongside developing the network, we are systematically strengthening the educational component.'

She also noted that the educational focus aims to enhance specialist qualifications, implement modern effective approaches-including EMDR, cognitive-behavioral, family, and other therapies-and create opportunities for regular supervision as a crucial tool for supporting professionals.

Mykyta Arkhypov, Head of the 'Return' Center in Odesa, added: 'Seeking psychological help is an act of strength and taking responsibility for one's own well-being...'

The opening of the 'Return' mental health center in Odesa marks a significant step in supporting service members and veterans who have suffered psychological trauma due to the war. Given the profound impact of mental health on family well-being, the importance of such facilities grows within the context of society's post-traumatic recovery. Expanding this network across Ukraine will increase access to professional psychological help for those in need, which can positively influence the overall mental health of the population. This initiative is part of a broader, critical effort to address the widespread psychological toll of the ongoing conflict.

As the 'Return' center in Odesa joins the growing network of mental health facilities supporting military personnel, it's essential to recognize the broader efforts across Ukraine. Recently, the new Recovery center in Kyiv has also opened its doors, providing free rehabilitation services to thousands of veterans. This expansion underscores the commitment to addressing the mental health needs of those who serve and their families nationwide.