Dear all,

Happy Saturday from Generation Ukraine! I hope spring has brought light and scents into your lives to fuel the upcoming months.

One of my favourite poets, Odysseas Elytis, once wrote, “If you can’t find spring, you make it.” Translating poetry to reality, in our age and area, in my opinion, there is no greater way to bring spring to your life other than being kind to yourself and others, loving and being loved, and doing psychotherapy to overcome traumas and learning yourself better. This is why I want to introduce you today to Anna Lissova, psychologist, co-founder, and chief therapist of Pleso, a mental health support platform.

Some years ago, Anna, while working at a hospital as a psychologist, spotted a need for more quality psychotherapy in the Ukrainian market. Although the idea of taking care of your mental health was flourishing, the number of unqualified “therapists” grew in parallel. In 2020, she joined a mission with a team to fill this gap by creating a tailored matching system between psychologists and clients. This is how Pleso was born. After February 2022, things came up and down. Back then, the core team of 10 plus 50 psychologists had to stand up for themselves while at the same time being available to help others. Their motivation was strong, and they made it: they helped Ukraine by supporting Ukrainians. They offered free private and group therapy sessions – something against the psychologist’s professional ethics in times of peace.

Unstoppable since then, Anna is one of the therapists someone can match within the platform, first because she identifies as a therapist and then as a businesswoman, but also to test how the platform and the processes work. Hard work brought great opportunities. Pleso made it to get supported by Google, and after successful operations in Poland, they now expand also in Romania. Through our discussion, I admired her devotion to her profession and company. It is not simply that which made me admire Anna, but also her open mind and kindness in discussing women and how she approaches polarisation in Ukraine.

She sees it as the outcome of anxiety and depression caused by the inability of people to express their aggressiveness for the war; there is not much they can do with their anger. Anna suggests a) psychoeducation for people to understand what is happening to them mentally and b) volunteering so they can offer by actively participating in community work. She also pointed out during our discussion that this is in the framework of ongoing trauma therapy, where you need to work on decisions, and it differs from the post-trauma therapy process. So, this is Anna’s tip to the women who have stayed in Ukraine: think about your protection and needs, understand what is going on with your feelings, and Тримайся. To the Ukrainian women abroad, she suggests the same with an extra note: explain the Ukrainian history and culture to your children and acquaintances; you are the fighters of the cultural war that Russia is also attacking Ukraine with.

Finally, if you want to read a book to understand better how our mental world works, this would be Сказати життю так by Віктор Франкл, and always remember: it is normal to feel like this.

As for us, we will stay in touch.

P.S. Anna’s personal pages: Instagram, Facebook & Linkedin. 

You can follow Pleso’s work through their platforms: Instagram & Facebook.