Introduction.
The full-scale war in Ukraine has transformed the mental health system, particularly adapted to the needs of children who have experienced loss, traumatic events, and forced displacement. This study aims to analyze the experience of founders and leading psychologists of three charitable Ukrainian organizations working in the field of children and adolescents' mental health affected by war. The main focus is on organisational barriers, the impact of a multidisciplinary team, and the specificities of psychological support.
Method.
The research uses a qualitative multiple-case study design. Each participating organization was treated as an individual case, with founders and leading psychologists serving as units of analysis. Information was collected through semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, first within each case and then across cases to identify shared and divergent patterns.
Results.
Thematic analysis revealed several interrelated themes. These include the specifics of working with children in the Ukrainian context, structural and resource barriers to psychological services, and ethical dilemmas when working with traumatized children. Other themes include the role of multidisciplinary collaboration in providing comprehensive services and the strategic decisions made by founders. These decisions focus on adaptation, sustainability, and maintaining the quality of care in crisis conditions.
Conclusions.
Findings highlight that psychological care for war-affected children is shaped not only by clinical knowledge but also by organizational demands, contextual pressures, and ongoing adaptation to rapidly changing conditions. Understanding the experiences of those who design and lead such projects provides valuable insights for improving future interventions, informing training and policy development, and supporting the sustainable development of the mental health sector in war and post-war settings. Moreover, by capturing and analyzing the experience of these organizations, this paper contributes to cross-organizational learning about child mental health support during wartime.