The International MHPSS Capacity-Building Initiative with Nationwide Children’s Hospital is designed to strengthen Ukraine’s professional and institutional capacity in child and adolescent mental health within the contexts of war, crisis response, long-term recovery, and societal resilience. The initiative builds a sustainable international collaboration that brings together evidence-based clinical expertise, academic education, interdisciplinary practice, and applied psychosocial interventions into a unified, scalable model.

The initiative focuses on developing a resilient MHPSS ecosystem that supports children, adolescents, families, educators, healthcare professionals, and vulnerable communities affected by prolonged crises. Particular emphasis is placed on trauma-informed, developmentally sensitive, and culturally adaptive approaches aligned with international standards and the evolving needs of Ukraine’s recovery landscape.

Core components of the initiative include:

• integration of expert-led lectures, workshops, and clinical discussions into continuous professional education and university-based training systems;
• implementation of a train-the-trainer model to ensure national scalability and long-term sustainability of expertise transfer;
• interdisciplinary case-based forums, supervision sessions, and applied consultations for psychologists, educators, social workers, rehabilitation specialists, and healthcare professionals;
• development of educational modules and microqualification pathways in child and adolescent mental health;
• adaptation of global clinical expertise and evidence-based MHPSS methodologies to Ukrainian realities and trauma contexts;
• strengthening institutional cooperation between academic, medical, rehabilitation, and social sectors;
• support for the development of psychologically safe, resilience-oriented, and healing-centered educational and community environments.

The initiative isn't just a series of isolated training activities; it's a strategic ecosystem for knowledge transfer and systems development. It contributes to long-term workforce development, institutional resilience, interdisciplinary integration, and the modernization of mental health and psychosocial support services in Ukraine.

Through international partnership, capacity-building, and sustainable educational integration, the initiative supports the formation of a new generation of professionals equipped to address complex trauma, crisis-related mental health challenges, and long-term psychosocial recovery. It also reinforces Ukraine’s transition toward accessible, evidence-informed, human-centered, and scalable MHPSS systems integrated into healthcare, education, rehabilitation, and community support structures.