Home > News & Events > Suzanne Galvin talks to St. Louis Public Radio about providing crisis counseling to Ukrainian refugees
Suzanne Galvin talks to St. Louis Public Radio about providing crisis counseling to Ukrainian refugees
March 8, 2023
After 15 years of providing counseling to survivors of earthquakes, tornados, wars and civil unrest — including two trips to Ukraine last year — what is Thompson Coburn partner Suzanne Galvin left with?
“More faith and more hope,” she told host Elaine Cha during her March 7, 2023, appearance on St. Louis Public Radio. “When things are taken away from you in an instant, you learn that it’s really the other things in life that matter.”
Listen to Suzanne's interview: How a Chesterfield nonprofit is training crisis counselors in Ukraine
Suzanne discussed how she and her husband John Galvin (also a Thompson Coburn partner) became FEMA-certified crisis counselors, their on-the-ground experiences providing similar training to Ukrainians, and how her experience as an attorney has strengthened her ability to listen compassionately and provide care.
“When you take depositions, you listen to the witness and think about how their responses impact your case. When you’re counseling victims of trauma, you listen to what they have experienced, and then you can address that with prayer.”
Suzanne and John traveled to Ukraine on behalf of the Ukraine Partnership Foundation, a Chesterfield, Missouri-based nonprofit that supports the mission and work of the Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary (UBTS).
Suzanne recently joined the UPF’s board. She and other UPF leaders will focus on providing refugee housing and support, and establishing WeCare Centers throughout Ukraine. The centers provide clothing, meals, psychological and emotional support, and building supplies and generators to the public.