Moving into week 5 (4/13 to 4/17), I am tired from the training over the weekend and also surprised that I was able to sit through 7.5 hours on Saturday afternoon (4/11) and signed up another one for this coming weekend.
I tried to use the technique I learned from the weekend training (Flash Technique), and it was surprisingly well! I felt very encouraged to continue to do so.
Some clients who realized that the pandemic is not going to be over soon. They started to call me for the sessions. It’s interesting to see they presented the same emotionsal reactions similar to those clients who have stayed in therapy (see week 1 notes). They also presented distress, anxiety, uncertainly, and lost of control.
The bad news is that there have been some problematic issues popping up with the couple therapy sessions. Some couples started back to the meeting this week after finally settling down with the routine. Because of their children at home, the couple therapy session didn’t go as well as I planned. Those couples were scared of their children listening to them, and I was hypervigilance as they did. I have no way to help them because they can’t come to the office either.
The other troubling news were some former clients called for the sessions because their relationship has been deteriorating since the social distancing and working from home order. From their description, the treatment received from their significant others is in the borderline of emotional abuse. I felt very concerned and powerless.
The other troubling situation were some of the former clients who were first respondents started to call for the sessions. Their voices sounded so anxious and unsettling. We scheduled the appointment, and I am beginning to get very concerned.
These are the situations that made me feel very powerless.
Some of my friends also started to voice their anxiety and depression after working from home for a month. Yeah, it’s been a month, and there is no sign of those virus slowing down. I feel the weight of my clients’ emotional adjustment and coping and my anxiety all on my shoulder.
This is a tough week, and I feel tired and exhausted.
Check out my practice of the Flash Technique on myself.
Check out these articles about the couple relationship issues and copings during COVID-19 pandemic.
Love in the Time of Coronavirus—6 Tips to Protect Your Marriage While Quarantined
Coping with Uncertainty During COVID-19
Why the Increase in Domestic Violence During COVID-19?
How COVID-19 may increase domestic violence and child abuse
