Human Rights Vector NGO Participated in the IV International Congress “Building Mental Health Services in Communities”
On 4–6 June 2026, the IV International Congress “Building Mental Health Services in Communities” took place in Khmelnytskyi, bringing together more than 800 professionals from 5 countries.
The Congress provided a space for professional exchange among representatives of national and local authorities, civil society organizations, mental health, social work, education, veterans’ policy and healthcare professionals, international organizations, and other relevant fields.
Participants discussed contemporary approaches to developing mental health services in communities, working with trauma, support for veterans and their families, deinstitutionalization, the Recovery approach, the mental well-being of children and young people, international experience, and current challenges faced by professionals working in wartime conditions.
Representatives of Human Rights Vector NGO actively participated in the Congress.
Valeriia Rybak, Director of Human Rights Vector NGO, and Iryna Ratzke-Rybak (Ukraine–Germany) — an expert at Human Rights Vector NGO, author of the “Leadership Experience Development Group: Reflecting on Leadership” Programme and a trainer, psychologist, supervisor, training analyst, group analyst, couples and family therapist, and head and author of a number of international programmes and the “Life Competencies” organization in Regensburg, Germany — presented the Organization’s work supporting professionals in the helping professions within the “Help for Helpers” programme area, including its work on developing supervision in Ukraine. Ms Ratzke-Rybak also presented the work of the “PSS and Peacebuilding” section.
Supporting people who work every day with the consequences of war, trauma, loss, and other crisis situations is one of the important areas of Human Rights Vector NGO’s work. We believe that the resilience of the psychosocial support system largely depends on the extent to which the system itself is capable of supporting the professionals who work within it.
That is why the “Help for Helpers” programme area combines direct support for professionals in the helping professions, the development of professional communities, research, the development of methodological materials, and the advancement of supervision as an important tool for professional support and the quality of assistance provided.
The Congress also featured the results of an annual study of the needs of professionals in the helping professions conducted by Human Rights Vector NGO.
The findings of the study have been published in the report:
“Resilience of Those Who Help: Challenges and Systemic Needs of Helping Professions in Ukraine, Burnout and the Role of Supervision in Wartime” / Rybak V. V., Ratzke-Rybak I. V. Human Rights Vector NGO. — Kyiv: Human Rights Vector NGO, 2026.
We invite you to read the report and share it with colleagues and professional communities: https://hrvector.org/zviti/26-03-09-superv
The report is available in Ukrainian and English, and we would greatly appreciate its dissemination among international partners and colleagues working in the fields of mental health, psychosocial support, supervision, and the development of helping professions.
For Human Rights Vector NGO, participation in the Congress was an opportunity not only to present our own work and expertise, but also to contribute to a broader professional dialogue on how to develop mental health services and support systems in communities amid the full-scale war.
We believe that the development of helping professions requires a comprehensive approach — from the training and professional development of specialists to the creation of sustainable mechanisms for their support, including supervision, professional reflection, and cross-sectoral cooperation.
We thank the Institute of Psychosomatics and Trauma Therapy for organizing the Congress, as well as all participants, speakers, partners, and colleagues for the professional dialogue, trust, and joint work.
By supporting those who help, we strengthen the capacity of the entire support system.
Together, we are stronger!
The Congress provided a space for professional exchange among representatives of national and local authorities, civil society organizations, mental health, social work, education, veterans’ policy and healthcare professionals, international organizations, and other relevant fields.
Participants discussed contemporary approaches to developing mental health services in communities, working with trauma, support for veterans and their families, deinstitutionalization, the Recovery approach, the mental well-being of children and young people, international experience, and current challenges faced by professionals working in wartime conditions.
“Human Rights Vector” — Supporting Those Who Help
Representatives of Human Rights Vector NGO actively participated in the Congress.
Valeriia Rybak, Director of Human Rights Vector NGO, and Iryna Ratzke-Rybak (Ukraine–Germany) — an expert at Human Rights Vector NGO, author of the “Leadership Experience Development Group: Reflecting on Leadership” Programme and a trainer, psychologist, supervisor, training analyst, group analyst, couples and family therapist, and head and author of a number of international programmes and the “Life Competencies” organization in Regensburg, Germany — presented the Organization’s work supporting professionals in the helping professions within the “Help for Helpers” programme area, including its work on developing supervision in Ukraine. Ms Ratzke-Rybak also presented the work of the “PSS and Peacebuilding” section.
Supporting people who work every day with the consequences of war, trauma, loss, and other crisis situations is one of the important areas of Human Rights Vector NGO’s work. We believe that the resilience of the psychosocial support system largely depends on the extent to which the system itself is capable of supporting the professionals who work within it.
That is why the “Help for Helpers” programme area combines direct support for professionals in the helping professions, the development of professional communities, research, the development of methodological materials, and the advancement of supervision as an important tool for professional support and the quality of assistance provided.
Research into the Needs of Helping Professions
The Congress also featured the results of an annual study of the needs of professionals in the helping professions conducted by Human Rights Vector NGO.
The findings of the study have been published in the report:
“Resilience of Those Who Help: Challenges and Systemic Needs of Helping Professions in Ukraine, Burnout and the Role of Supervision in Wartime” / Rybak V. V., Ratzke-Rybak I. V. Human Rights Vector NGO. — Kyiv: Human Rights Vector NGO, 2026.
We invite you to read the report and share it with colleagues and professional communities: https://hrvector.org/zviti/26-03-09-superv
The report is available in Ukrainian and English, and we would greatly appreciate its dissemination among international partners and colleagues working in the fields of mental health, psychosocial support, supervision, and the development of helping professions.
From Individual Initiatives to Systemic Change
For Human Rights Vector NGO, participation in the Congress was an opportunity not only to present our own work and expertise, but also to contribute to a broader professional dialogue on how to develop mental health services and support systems in communities amid the full-scale war.
We believe that the development of helping professions requires a comprehensive approach — from the training and professional development of specialists to the creation of sustainable mechanisms for their support, including supervision, professional reflection, and cross-sectoral cooperation.
We thank the Institute of Psychosomatics and Trauma Therapy for organizing the Congress, as well as all participants, speakers, partners, and colleagues for the professional dialogue, trust, and joint work.
By supporting those who help, we strengthen the capacity of the entire support system.
Together, we are stronger!
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