Lviv IT Cluster to Create a Mental Health Center for Kids

On Children’s Day, the Lviv IT Cluster announced the creation of a Mental Health Center where young patients in need of psychological support will undergo rehabilitation. This includes children who have suffered from Russian military aggression. At the center, they will have access to free professional assistance from psychotherapists, psychiatrists, and psychologists.

The Mental Health Center for Kids will be opened as part of the UNBROKEN Kids project and will operate within the premises of St. Nicholas Hospital. This is a unique medical institution of the First Medical Association of Lviv, where children from birth to adulthood receive medical treatment.

“We have a strong team of experts at St. Nicholas Hospital. Based on this foundation, we will establish a comprehensive centerfor the rehabilitation of children from all over Ukraine. Unfortunately, due to the full-scale war initiated by Russia, we have many children with visible and invisible traumas. We already see how crucial psychological assistance is for their full recovery and return to a normal life. We are grateful to the Lviv IT Cluster for their support. The Center will start receiving its first patients this year,” said Andriy Moskalenko, the First Deputy Mayor of Lviv.

The Lviv IT Cluster community will fund all necessary expenses related to redesign, including the arrangement of a room for group sessions, sensory therapy, six medical rooms, and staff premises. In total, the project covers an area of over 300 square meters.

“Russian aggression inflicts physical, emotional, and psychological trauma on children. A survey conducted by Gradus Research revealed that three-quarters of Ukrainian children exhibit symptoms of psychological trauma. Therefore, the establishment of a mental health center is a critically important step in ensuring the well-being and integration into society of those who have suffered from the war. The IT community understands this and will do everything possible to provide the necessary support and professional treatment to children in the near future,” said Stepan Veselovskyi, CEO of the Lviv IT Cluster and a member of the Supervisory Board of the Unbreakable charitable foundation.

The center will provide outpatient treatment. Children will be able to receive comprehensive assistance, participate in group therapies, and attend individual consultations. All services will be provided free of charge. Referrals from family doctors will be required to access treatment.

“Children have a unique way of reacting to any traumatic events. It takes expertise to recognize childhood trauma and its consequences. The full-scale war has exposed the imperfections in the system of psychiatric, psychotherapeutic, and psychological assistance for children. Among the urgent problems are the shortage of professional staff and the lack of destigmatized institutions for treating children and their parents. I am convinced that the successful experience of collaboration with the Lviv IT Cluster community in establishing a Mental Health Center for adults can be transferred to the opening of a similar facility for children and parents,” added Oleh Bereziuk, Head of the Psychological Department at the UNBROKEN rehabilitation center.

We would like to thank Leobit for already joining the creation of the Mental Health Center for Kids. We encourage other member companies to support the project. 

Just a reminder, in October 2022, within the UNBROKEN ecosystem, the Mental Health Center for adults was launched. It consists of 12 therapy rooms and a group therapy hall. The Center already has 8 professionals providing assistance to anyone in need, including participants of military operations and their families. So far, 5,200 people have received treatment. All expenses for the renovation and equipping of the Center’s premises were covered by the Lviv IT Cluster community, amounting to over ₴6 100 000.