Counseling and Coronavirus: 5 Things for Counselors to Remember
If it's in the news, it comes into the counseling office. Coronavirus is no different. Are you ready to talk with your clients? Here are the 5 reminders so you can be your best clinical self when your client brings it up coronavirus.
Remember Your Role.
You are a health professional but you're not a medical provider. Be careful about getting caught up in talking about the medical and health side of the issue and don't get caught trying to give health advice. There's plenty you can work on without trying to teach them about dealing with viruses.
Remember To Be Informed
You aren't a medical provider but it sure is helpful to know the basics of what is going on. For example, do you know the difference in the terms "coronavirus" and "COVID-19?" Do you know whether there are cases in your area? Are you aware of how the public is reacting and what kind of stresses that is putting on people in your area (such as shortages of items, isolation, etc.)? What about at the national level? You don't have to follow every news story that pops up but be aware of the basics so your clients don't end up having to educate you or even surprising you.
As you do some reading, it would be a good idea to compile a brief list of some reliable, authoritative sources of information on hand about coronavirus and appropriate precautions. Some resources might include the CDC's webpage on coronavirus, the Johns Hopkins webpage on coronavirus, or their local county department of health.
PS: coronavirus is the virus, COVID-19 is the illness it causes.
Remember Basic Anxiety Management
It isn't just coronavirus in the air, anxiety is in the air too. From news reports about statements by government officials and the stock market to stories from friends who were just at the store, there is plenty of material to bring on anxiety. If a client is talking about coronavirus, be sure to explore whether it is just part of the opening small talk or if they are experiencing anxiety around the issue.
I had this come up yesterday in a session. A client started off just joking about the toilet paper situation. We laughed about it and I asked a few questions about his thoughts about what was going on. The entire rest of the session was taken up exploring and addressing the uncertainty and consequent anxiety about not just coronavirus but about how society is reacting and the runs on supplies.
Discuss basic anxiety management with your clients and explore how you can support them in minimizing the impact of coronavirus anxiety on their lives and their clinical progress so far.
Remember To Have A Plan
How are you handling coronavirus when it comes to your office? Clients are likely going to be curious, especially as things develop.
Build your clients' confidence in you by keeping them up to date on how your practice is responding. For example, you might send out an email talking about how frequently you wiping down the office with cleaner, that you are washing hands between clients, that you will be practicing social distancing with clients including not shaking hands, or other efforts at minimizing the spread of the virus.
It would be wise to also plan for how you will be working with clients as coronavirus spreads further. As you develop your plan for this, it would be prudent to update clients on these items such as encouraging clients, as appropriate, to switch to working with you via a secure televideo platform, informing them of what circumstances might cause you to suspend seeing clients in-office entirely, or notify them of whether there are any changes to your cancellation policy due to illness during this time.
If you'd like to see a copy of the email Pivotal Counseling sent out, you can see that here.
Lastly, Remember To Capitalize Therapeutically On The Topic
Remember, process not content. So even if you are talking about coronavirus, the underlying processes and issues are still present. Stay aware and recognize where the underlying disorders or issues are manifesting in this new area of content.
For example, I saw a client earlier this week who struggles insecurity and self-doubt on a frequent basis. As she was talking about coronavirus and how she and those around her were reacting, we started to examine her perceptions of her reactions and her criticism of herself as opposed to others. We were able to address both the current issues topic and anxiety there while also digging in to the focus of her clinical work.
With these reminders, I hope you are better prepared for coronavirus to come into your counseling office. Hopefully, it will only show up as a topic.
