Inspiration | Katie Eastman

Dr. Katie Eastman’s Inspiration

When a very young Elisabeth Kübler-Ross left home to go help during World War II, she went behind enemy lines in Poland and almost died. Why? Because she passionately wanted to help, to make a difference…

When the invasion of Ukraine occurred, a group of brave fierce Ukrainian women created a mental health crisis program. Some of them fled for their lives leaving their homeland behind, and others are still located in Ukraine. In the midst of their own personal trauma, they reached out to help others. Why? because they needed to make a difference…

I have been blessed to have been working with this group of talented women providing mental health care in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, their Psychology Center THE SOUL has been providing support to many people affected and traumatized by the war. They were running a free Crises Center, organizing group sessions, and recently implemented a holistic mental health recovery Program called the Ukrainian Circle.

Katie Eastman and Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Lighting a candle.png

Lighting the candles for peace with Alexandra Shymanova, Co-founder of the Ukrainian Psychology Center THE SOUL (France, Autumn 2023)

The team of THE SOUL Center has been part of my life. We met through the Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Foundation.

The EKR Foundation is a non-profit organization inspired by the life of psychiatrist, humanitarian, and hospice pioneer, Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. Its mission is to further the acceptance of death and dying as a part of life and enhance the compassionate care available to those in need around the planet. Whenever there is a humanitarian crisis, it is likely someone from their major global network has been involved.

I am currently the clinical supervisor working on the Ukrainian mental health project, Ukrainian Circle. We have regular mentorship sessions with the co-founders of THE SOUL Center, Alexandra and Mariya, and with their sponsor, a generous philanthropist, Santosh Govindaraju.

Katie Eastman and Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross.png

Meeting with THE SOUL: Dr Katie, Mariya, Alexandra, and Santosh.

THE SOUL TEAM

Why it is important to support mental health in Ukraine?

Why do I believe in the work of THE SOUL?

We know from research related to war and trauma that if left untreated the symptoms can worsen impacting relationships and influencing family members, work relationships, and community members. These trauma effects can impact generations.
Conversely, standardized trauma treatment including educational materials, therapeutic interventions, and group support has been successful in eliminating the intergenerational effects of the traumatic impact of war to align your health.
Post-traumatic growth refers to an approach to treating trauma victims that optimizes their potential to heal from the effects of trauma. The results: the ability to maintain hope and recognize new possibilities, to maintain healthy relationships, to develop a sense of spiritual change meaning an inner sense of resilience, personal strength and appreciation for life, and a sense of gratitude.
Together with THE SOUL, we have developed a group approach to providing effective evidence-based treatment, and the first pilot run in 2023 has shown the effectiveness of the Program.
By providing educational videos, group and professional interventions we maximize the potential for greater numbers of individuals, families and groups to have the tools necessary to heal from the effects of trauma.
This is a sustainable model because it is unique and will produce more evidence-based data that can be used for long-term research and clinical practice in many countries.
It is a model with materials that can be distributed to the site of any humanitarian crisis easily in exchange for a reasonable donation. As it expands, the donations can increase, allowing Ukrainian NGO THE SOUL to continue its work and make an impact.

If you are interested in supporting mental health in Ukraine or developing partnerships with the Ukrainian Psychology Center THE SOUL, please send me a message or connect with them here.

If you would like to support the work of the Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Foundation and become a Friend of Elisabeth Kubler Ross, you can do that here.

Even the smallest support can make a difference in the lives of many.

Testimonials from THE SOUL Team

Mariya Vynnytska,
Co-founder of THE SOUL Center

“When the full-scale war in Ukraine started, it was scary. Millions of people left the country, I decided to stay in Kyiv. I was desperately looking for ways to support our team in the Psychology Center THE SOUL, as we started providing free mental health support to people affected by the war. There were many… and we were running out of resources, external and internal, let alone the fact that we ourselves were severely traumatized.

I met Dr. Katie on Zoom in April 2022. I think it was a turning point for all of us. Since then, Dr. Katie has been a true beacon of compassion for us and a huge source of strength and ability to persist, no matter what. She was always there, she was always encouraging and uplifting, sharing her knowledge and caring heart. Her empathy coupled with a deep understanding of the nature of loss, provided our team with a real safe space to express our fears, anxieties, grief and pain. Dr Katie became to and my partner not only a professional coach and therapist, she became a great mentor who helped us design effective mental health programs for Ukrainians, she became our friend and an incredible pillar of support.

I have so much admiration for her professional expertise, her sense of humor and ability to connect with people, truly understanding their needs. My heart is filled with gratitude to Dr. Katie for her genuine warmth and kindness, for the countless hours of coaching and mentorship sessions that she has provided, and for her courage to speak up and tireless efforts to make a difference in the world. She is truly a mover and shaker! Dr. Katie can really help you to rise from the ashes, restore your faith and hope for the future.”

Alexandra Shymanova,
Co-founder of THE SOUL Center

“I'm a Ukrainian psychotherapist and co-founder of the NGO, Ukrainian Psychology Center THE SOUL. I was honored to get to know Dr Katie Eastman in the most difficult time of my life and professional career as well. Due to the war, the work of our Center and my own existence were under a threat.

With the professional help and support of Dr Katie, thanks to her clinical supervision, mentorship and coaching sessions that she was generously providing to my colleagues and myself, we were able to renew the activities in our Center and continue doing our work. We managed to help many Ukrainians affected by the war mostly because we ourselves received help from compassionate people like Dr Katie.

Dr Katie taught me and our team how to stay connected to our own strength no matter what and find resources even in the most desperate times. I am endlessly thankful for her work and professional guidance. I believe that anyone who will have a chance to work with Dr. Katie will be truly blessed.”

Inna Volvak,
Manager of THE SOUL Center

“My daughter and I fled from Bucha during the war, we saw many terrifying things, and experienced many losses and grief. Before the sessions with Katie, my daughter Katya rarely would leave the house, she often cried and got addicted to mobile games on her phones. It was her escape and she got extremely isolated. When we would leave the house to go for a walk, she would usually say almost immediately “I want to go home, I don’t want anything, I don’t want to go anywhere.”

When we started working with Katie, my daughter did not get involved straight away. But over time, Katie miraculously managed to get her interest through the toys she woud bring to the sessions, through different stories and emotions. After several meetings, my daughter asked to walk the dog in the park and since then she has been doing this constantly.Then she asked to go to the amusement park, so gradually she began to return to life. I am so grateful to Katie, she is the best professional I have ever met in working with children. She is very positive, bright, kind and sensitive!”