Eric Kussin

Founder and CEO, #SameHere

Eric Kussin is an in-demand public speaker on mental health ranging from media and professional sports teams/league offices to corporations and colleges/universities, including CNBC, On The Money, USATODAY, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, NBA, JP Morgan Chase, USC, Michigan, Cornell and more.

Eric started his career in professional sports and never expected to become a mental health expert. He spent 18 years in the industry, including five years with the NBA League Office followed by many years of senior management positions with a number of professional sports teams, including the expansion Chicago Sky, Phoenix Suns and New Jersey Devils. By age 33, Eric was Chief Revenue Officer of the Florida Panthers.

Then, a debilitating mental health crisis stopped Eric’s career and life in its tracks for more than two and a half years. After many failed treatment modalities – including trying over 50 combinations of psychotropic drugs, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) as well as Electro-Convulsive Therapy (ECT or “Shock Therapy”) – he was lucky enough to learn healing practices that enabled him to dig out of his abyss, and found a higher calling. In 2017, he launched The #SameHere Global Mental Health Movement, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to normalize society’s perception of mental health and make it part of our everyday conversation.

The #SameHere Movement provides in-person events and long-term group programming for schools, businesses, sports teams and first responders/military to build open and safe environments. Championing the message that mental health lives on a continuum and everyone is impacted at varying levels, The Movement has gathered celebrities, advocates, practitioners and the world’s leading experts in STARR (Stress & Trauma, Active Release & Rewiring) Exercises to empower individuals to share and build their own mental health routines. A directory of Integrative Practitioners from across the globe is also available for anyone in search of total patient care.

Eric's Presentations

keynote

Shifting The Paradigm

Using Integrated Mental Health Care To Heal And Save Lives

Eric Kussin was in the midst of an ascending career in professional sports when a debilitating mental health crisis stopped his life in its tracks. Due to unresolved personal life traumas that he failed to appropriately address at a younger age and life experiences he was unaware were affecting his mental health –Eric experienced a major crash that left him almost permanently in bed, and with severe cognitive impairment, for over two and a half years.

Eric underwent many failed treatments– including trying over 50 combinations of psychotropic drugs, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) as well as Electro-Convulsive Therapy (ECT or “Shock Therapy”). Eventually, he told that he has a treatment-resistant mental illness. It wasn’t long after hearing this that he was introduced to an integrative psychotherapist as well as a psychiatrist who used both traditional and holistic approaches to treat his mind, body and central nervous system and that is when he began his journey to wellness and getting his life back.

On his path to mental wellbeing, Eric was determined to share his story in effort to help others, and at the end of 2017 he launched a nonprofit, #SameHere Global Mental Health Movement. The organization is comprised of athletes, celebrities, expert practitioners, advocates, and everyday heroes who’ve come together to normalize society’s perception of mental health and make it part of our everyday conversation.

In this discussion, Eric will share why using an integrated whole body approach is critical to effectively improve overall mental wellness and resilience no matter where someone is on the mental health continuum.

Speaker

Eric's Presentations

Shifting The Paradigm

Using Integrated Mental Health Care To Heal And Save Lives