Clinician and Professor Karolina Treats a Soldier who Psychologically Felt He Could Not Lift His Arm

Professor of Psychology stands by her framed certificate from the May 2024 Mental Health Seminar hosted by the Arlene Campbell Humanitarian Foundation with grant funding from the United Methodist Committee on Relief.  

Clinician Karolina works at Shevchenko University and also has a private therapy practice. She attended the May Mental Health Seminar sponsored through grant funding from the United Methodist Committee on Relief. She proceeded to implement the prolonged exposure treatment in her private practice with two of her patients when she was interviewed in July, 2024 by Lena Denman, the President of the Arlene Campbell Humanitarian Foundation. Karolina told Lena about her patient, a soldier.

A Ukrainian soldier was hiding in the frontline. He raised his hand to motion for his friend to run to him during an attack. The friend ran to him but was killed. Now the soldier felt he could not lift his arm again, after what happened to his friend. It’s a difficult situation with this soldier because he received antidepressants over a long period, which unfortunately did not improve his condition. He cannot lift his arm. He experienced panic attacks and flashbacks. In the long term it is not good that the flashbacks are occurring. He is stuck in his trauma and his brain is not effectively processing this trauma.

Before coming to work at Shevchenko University Karolina worked at the hospital and helped many patients like this man who didn’t feel like he could lift his arm. The man was not very mortivated to change and left after only 25 minutes saying he was going home after his first therapy session. Finally, the man started staying longer in sessions. He agreed to the homework involved in prolonged exposure. Then he got upset about the prolonged exposure, although he had been willing to keep a diary in alignment with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). As of July Karolina was still meeting with him, working with him together for 2 sessions 2 sessions a week.

 Karolina and the man will both take vacation and Karolina will resume therapy with him in one month. Presently the man cannot return to the front as he is not in a mental state to do so. With the soldier, Karolina’s hope is that his change in psychiatric medicine will assist him. She hopes he will change from his current drug, as she thinks it is not the most effective medication for him.