On March 31 and April 7, 2025, Alla Kolodyazhna and Rimma Kirichenko, Candidates of Psychological Sciences and Associate Professors of the Department of Professional Education in Technology and Design, took part in the Mental Health Academy training program. The online training was organized and conducted by the Family Circle Charitable Foundation as part of the National Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Program, with the support of the Americares Foundation, in partnership with the Coordination Center and the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program initiated by Olena Zelenska, “Are You OK?”.

The educational goals of the project are to familiarize students with common mental health problems and ways to help young people and adults, and to realize the importance of taking care of mental health.

The speaker of the event was Kateryna Katrashchuk-Сaruana, a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and leading specialist at the Family Circle Center. She works in cognitive behavioral therapy and schema therapy, has been trained at the Combat Stress Clinic (Kliniczny oddział psychiatryczny i leczenia stresu bojowego) in Wroclaw (Poland), and worked for more than three years in camps with refugees from Iraq and Syria in Kurdistan (Iraq) as a psychiatrist and psychotherapist with children and adults.

The online meetings addressed common mental health disorders, challenges in providing mental health care for children and youth, and the vital role of educational institutions within a comprehensive mental health care system. Educational institutions play a crucial role in providing support – they are often the first to notice behavioral changes, can facilitate psychological assistance, and help coordinate efforts with families and mental health professionals.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Ms. Katrashchuk-Сaruana for her effective communication! 

15.04.2025