Trials and Tribulations faced by Counsellors within an Epidemic

Over the course of 2020 it was clear that the landscape of support and mental health services was to change dramatically. How people engage with seeking out mental health services, and the way they think about their own mental health has been an important part of our new perspective on life. With struggles around hope, fear and helplessness people have been at odds with facing what their new realities look like after the pandemic.

With the need to social distance therapists and counsellors have been forced into adopting new methods of delivery for their therapeutic services. The levels of distress that people experience will increase exponentially as large amounts of people experience persistent fear, illness, social isolation and economic stress (Rosen & Glassman, 2020). Therapists acknowledge the increased need for psychological services to be offered, however they are also aware of the potential risks posed as part of this delivery of service. Teletherapy now has become a prominent platform when working with clients. They understand the challenges of needing to continue to provide an efficient service and how best to do it.

All clinicians are required to be progressive in the fact that their means of engagement with their clients may look significantly different. They are now required to be flexible in how they work, calling upon and integrating the knowledge from PTSD treatment research, and disaster mental health to inform how they address and work with their patients (Rosen & Glassman, 2020). Each day poses significantly different challenges and understanding the new method of engagement has become a necessary part of a counsellor's role.