Commencement of the Project "Implementation of a Pilot Trauma-Informed Approach to Mental Health, Psychological Support, and Mediation" at Karazin Kharkiv National University

Kharkiv National University named after V.N. Karazin has launched a new project "Implementation of a Pilot Trauma-Informed Approach to Mental Health, Psychological Support, and Mediation" under the auspices of the UNICEF Children's Fund.

The project involves representatives from the Karazin Business School, Medical and Sociological Schools, and the School of Psychology. The project implementation period is from April 1, 2024, to April 30, 2026.

The project consists of two components:

1. The "Trauma-Informed Approaches to Care Improvement" component aims to enhance mental health care for children, particularly those in alternative care settings; optimize mental health support for children at the community level in the Kharkiv region; develop competencies among relevant professionals; and integrate such support into a comprehensive package of social services provided at the community level.

Key outcomes of this component include:

• Development of an e-learning course for psychologists, psychotherapists, and social workers on mental health care and psychosocial support in collaboration with representatives from Ulm University (Ulm, Germany).
• Implementation of a mental health skills development program for families affected by war.
• Conducting a series of supervisions for education seekers in relevant training profiles, social workers, and psychologists, drawing on national and international experience for further implementation of targeted mental health protection interventions, safe identification, and redirection of children.

The realization of planned results will strengthen the protection system, ensure every child's upbringing in family-based care, and enhance the accessibility of an integrated package of social services at the local level through the provision of psychosocial support to children and caregivers.

2. The "Implementation and/or Enhancement of Mediation in Kharkiv Region Communities" component aims to reduce conflicts in the community by training social workers, lawyers, psychologists from social protection institutions, managers, and members of community organizations in the field of social protection and local government in a basic mediation course and specialized course on "Social Mediation in the Community" and provision of mediation services in the Kharkiv region communities, considering the mental health of war-affected population.

Key outcomes of this component include:

• Conducting research to determine the level of conflict and nature of conflicts in communities.
• Development of a "Basic Mediation Course" and a specialized course on "Social Mediation in the Community" taking into account the mental health of war-affected population.
• Implementation of the program in Kharkiv region communities providing mentorship support, supervisions, and legal consultations.

The project page is available at the link.