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therapy
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2023-07-19
COVID-19 Archive Story_H. Crowder
I have uploaded a personal story of how COVID-19 impacted my life; and how, in my mind, there is a before and after, two different sections of my life. I also observe the changes that were influenced by the Pandemic. -
2021-06-12
Meeting my Girlfriend
Below is the email I sent to my therapist about meeting my now girlfriend at a party. "Dear Mr. Gabe. So I'm not exactly sure if I listened to your advice or not but I found someone and it was in the most unlikely of places. We meet at a mutual friend's party, she's really nice, loves History, Art, and stuff like that. Tomorrow morning ill be meeting up with her at her house and we're going to visit a historical site in town. I'm not really sure what to expect, what will happen, or where it will go from here so we'll see! -Nolan" -
2020-07-13
The Last Man on Earth
I run almost every day. During the summer of 2020, I was undergoing prostate salvage radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is sometimes proscribed after one has their prostate removed. I ran no less during the prostate radiation therapy. I've always eaten healthy food. Still, I drank water more regularly during radiation therapy. Driving from my home to the Anderson Cancer Center was an enjoyable experience, mostly because the freeway was so deserted–there were almost no cars on the road. I live in uptown San Diego, so my long runs take me through downtown San Diego. Before each run, I spend a few minutes practicing martial arts. I imagine the neighbors watching me thought I was having some kind of fit. After warming up with martial arts, I start my run. The first place my run takes me is through the Hillcrest community, usually a place with the lively hustle and bustle of people moving about, but on this day, Hillcrest was deserted. Most restaurants were closed, and a few people were milling about–Hillcrest was a ghost town. It reminded me of the town portrayed in the 1973 film High Plains Drifter. Folks were hiding, hiding from COVID by hiding from each other. From Hillcrest, my run took me through downtown San Diego where the streets were equally deserted. The deserted streets reminded me of running through another movie, the 1964 film, The Last Man on Earth. I imagined inhuman monsters were preparing to spread COVID that would spring into action without warning. Of course, all this fantasizing made my daily run even more fun and pleasurable. I could let my imagination wander momentarily, then return to the peaceful meditation of running through deserted streets. The COVID protocols made possible the escape from the COVID reality itself. I'm convinced the long runs played a vital role in mitigating the effects of radiation therapy. -
2021-12-01
Graduate Clinicians and Teletherapy
I am currently a senior majoring in communication sciences and disorders. Last year, student clinicians provided services entirely online through teletherapy. For clinicians, the transition to online was very difficult. It required relearning how to implement services that were just as engaging and effective as in-person therapy. For clients, some struggled immensely. Furthermore, sometimes the clients had trouble staying focused and supports could not be implemented the same way they normally would be in person. Some clients excelled online and have chosen to continue teletherapy even after in-person therapy was offered. For the future, I think SLPs and student clinicians will have to view the way they provide therapy differently. It is now expected that any clinician can successfully provide therapy in multiple different modes. -
2020-05-23
Abascal_Carlotta_
C19OH -
2021-05-22
Meet Grover, a golden retriever bringing calm to Alaskans anxious about their COVID-19 vaccination
Grover and his owner, Karen Loeffler, are with the group NATIONAL Crisis Response Canines, which has teams that respond to crises and anywhere that people have stress and anxiety. Loeffler, the former United States attorney for the District of Alaska, regularly brings Grover to court to calm people when they are testifying in a trial or grand jury. The Anchorage OEM connected Alicia with Loeffler’s group, and Lillian sat with Grover on the floor of the Alaska Airlines Center for an hour, petting him, brushing his fur and giving him treats until she was calm enough to get the shot. A majority of children exhibit needle fear, along with up to 20-30% of young adults, according to a pre-pandemic meta-analysis. The 2018 study noted that 1 in 6 health care workers avoided the influenza vaccine because of a fear of needles, and the authors encouraged further study of approaches that could alleviate fear during injections. -
2020-06-22
Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix’s ECMO program reaches 10-year milestone
In the last 10 years, a team of doctors and nurses at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix has grown and expanded what is now one of the largest ECMO programs in Arizona and the southwest region of the nation. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, is a life-saving therapy used to help patients with acute respiratory failure who have not responded to the usual lifesaving treatments like a breathing machine. -
2020-03-30
quarantine puppy
My family ended up adopting a puppy right at the start of quarantine in March. This led to two things, first a source of joy and distraction while stuck at home, and two, a puppy with a LOT of separation anxiety. I am a person who struggles greatly with mental health and I can say with much confidence that quarantine would have been extremely difficult had it not been for my dog. My dog is actually now in the process of being trained to be a therapy dog for schools and I am happy to have been the first person she could help. I think there is something to be aid however about getting a dog during a pandemic. They get really confused now when their humans are no longer home very moment of the day, and I suppose I feel thee same way to some extent. -
2021-03-21
How does the pandemic affect children?
This link provided showcases the severity of the pandemic's effect on children's mental health and it becoming the next "wave" in the pandemic -
03/14/2021
Layne Williams Oral History, 2021/03/14
Layne Williams is a Physical Therapist Assistant who was working in a hospital during the pandemic. Her role shifted during the early months of the pandemic and she found herself doing any job that was needed to help with the increased numbers of patients coming into the hospital. She recalled the surreal feeling of walking into her first Covid positive patient’s room and how the mentality of healthcare providers shifted as more information came out about Covid. She also discussed the challenges of being a healthcare provider while living with her husband who is not in healthcare. Her job certainly exposed her to increased risks and those risks spilled over to impact her home life. However, her overall impression from the pandemic is that it showed what the healthcare field is capable of achieving when challenged. -
2021-03-09
Covid Saved My Marriage
Before covid hit my marriage was in big trouble, after years of sitting on "little" problems and ignoring relatively big issues I got tired of living complacently. My husband and I were essentially living a lie, we lived and acted like we were the picture-perfect couple living a perfectly happy life. In the summer of 2019, a tiny issue finally broke the camel's back and we separated. A few months into our separation divorce papers were drawn out and signed by me, he was in Arizona and I had moved in with my parents and children in California. By January 2020 we had already begun hearing about covid but we still didn't think much of it since it was an issue halfway across the globe. All signed and ready to file for divorce we got hit with a quarantine order in California. My husband asked me to move back home so he can be with our kids since we didn't know how long quarantine would last. I agreed and he drove to pick us up. Living together was odd, especially because we had both gotten used to being without one another. After thirteen years of being together, the separation made us realize we hardly knew each other. We had to try extra hard to get along in front of the kids and at least be cordial with one another. Our state of amicability turned into an odd level of friendship. Six months later he asked if I would consider therapy. I agreed and we started therapy virtually. Things got worse in therapy before they got better (as expected) but the divorce papers were eventually torn up. A year later, I can't say were picture-perfect but I can say that we're happy in this phase were in. Since there was a palpable sense of fear last March, we were forced to think about the reality of life without one another, how would we cope with life/death issues alone, and whether we truly wanted that? Quarantine forced us to face years of issues that had seeped into the foundation of our relationship. Divorce would have been much easier, but this outcome we are living in today is so worth it. In short, I'd say covid saved my marriage. -
2020-05-16
Covid-19 The Challenges of a Mental Health Provider #AZHISTORY
Covid-19 changed the way we deliver Mental Health Services. This is my personal story of how it felt and what it required to provide Trauma Psychothery during the Pandemic. -
2020-08-22
The Difficulties of a College Student During a Pandemic
During the start of the school semester of spring 2020, talks of a very contagious illness stated to spread. Most students on campus believed COVID-19 to be a threat nut one month later, all colleges across the world shut down. While moving out, my friend's dad said we would be back that same semester. I believed him until infection rates increased across the United States. States started to shut down including the one I lived in. Restrictions, isolation, and guidelines were enforced to ensure public safety. Instead, thousands of people went into depression including me. Not being able to leave my house during the pandemic was difficult. Not only was I hundreds of miles away from my friends at school, but I couldn't see my friends at home too. My experience with online class didn't make interacting with people any easier. Most of my classes didn't require the camera to be on, while the other class didn't even meet online. This was very difficult for me because I was used to being around friends everyday. I started to become depressed as I spent 2 months without interacting with anyone but my family and my teacher. Fortunately, restrictions eased up as the spring semester came to a close. I was able to get a job at a donation center for the summer. I still wasn't allowed to see my friends which made for a disappointing summer but working helped the time go by. When it was time to go back to college, I was relieved. My college was fortunate enough to have students on campus for the fall 2020 semester. I was overly excited to see any friends after months. I counted down the days until we moved in. But I knew the semester would be different. When arriving on campus, I learned that several rules and regulations were implemented to "keep the community safe." Some of these included no visiting anyones dorm room, scheduling when to eat, certain doors were entrances while others were exits, no guests from off campus, must wear a green bracelet at all times, must get randomly tested, etc. I made sure to read the rules and regulations but unfortunately, my roommates didn't. The very first night on campus, my roommates decided to have friends over. I told my roommates that it wasn't allowed but it did not matter. The guests stayed until there was banging at the door. The Resident Assistant working that night wrote us up, and we had to meet with the Dean. While meeting with the Dean, I explained how it was not my fault and I was against having guests over, but I was charged with a $200 fine. Completely upset, I change all my classes to online classes and moved back home. I did not trust my roommates enough to stay. The last thing I wanted was several fines that weren't my fault. When I got home, I was really depressed. I was the only one home out of all my friends and I was back to remote learning. I couldn't see anyone while home and I felt betrayed by my roommates. I felt like my life was crumbling as another semester of my college experience was being wasted. This caused me to have a mental breakdown, and lose all motivation to do work. Four months passed by slowly and I escaped the semester with mediocre grades and a crippling mind. Fortunately, my parents noticed I was not in the best shape of mind. They had me see a therapist and find new activities to do during the pandemic. This got me back on my feet and my friends from home started returning from school. The gap between semesters when well and I was joyful again. However, it was time to decide if I wanted to return to campus for the 2021 Spring Semester. I was torn because some of my friends were staying home that semester and I still did not trust my roommates. I thought rationally and contacted them to see our their semester went. To my surprise, they received 4 fines and one of them had to quarantine. This gave me reassurance that I made the right choice on leaving campus during the fall semester. Currently I am taking the 2021 Spring Semester all remotely and I am happy. I am seeing friends and have synchronous classes. I am confident that I will keep seeing my friends at home and keep a good mindset throughout the semester. I wish for everyone to stay strong during the pandemic and seek help if you're depressed. -
2021-01-31
Venturing Outside My Comfort Zone
I moved to Ohio shortly before the pandemic hit, and quickly felt both trapped and lost when stay-at-home orders went into effect. I did not have enough time in the state to learn my way around, and actually grew somewhat agoraphobic, convinced something bad was going to happen if I left my neighborhood, which was the only place I felt familiar with. Throughout the entire summer, I rarely left the ten-mile radius around my house. As the summer ended and I recognized how fearful my life had become, I reached out to a therapist and began meeting with her virtually every couple of weeks. She encouraged me to venture out in the safest way I could, exploring the nature around me and getting more comfortable in Ohio. Autumn came and I chose one park a week, going on short walks and hikes, and I fell in love with the colors Ohio offers in the fall. Pictured here is one of my favorite adventures I’ve been on, Cuyahoga Valley National Park outside of Cleveland, where I got to see the most gorgeous fall colors. While the world is still frightening at the moment and we still have to be safe in public spaces, I was able to feel more at home here by connecting to nature. -
2020-12-01
Journaling Through COVID
It was probably late March this year when I realized the pandemic was much bigger than anyone could have predicted. On the 16th, when my school district and the whole of the country went into emergency lockdown for three weeks, it just felt surreal, as if there was no way any of this was actually happening. Still as cases started rising day by day, I’d watch the graph as it went up and down, counting the COVID cases as they happened. I’d track the global progress in dealing with the pandemic, taking in every new piece of information about it, my mind buzzing and eventually pounding with everything happening around me. To say the least, it wasn’t long before I quickly became overwhelmed with the weight of everything around me, beginning April. It was around that time when I found my journal, a small navy colored book, probably costing about a dollar, yet worth so much more. Before the pandemic began, I rarely used a journal or any physical book to organize my thoughts; I’d just sometimes use the notes app on my phone. But, as the pandemic snowballed into what it is now, and I felt my relationship with the world around me changing, I quickly realized I needed an outlet specifically designed to help me process my thoughts. A new news story in this crazy year would pop up. I wrote something down. I graduated high school in a cramped car packed with my family in a traffic line of people I couldn’t really recognize, instead of a crowded stadium with everyone I’ve known since I was eleven. I wrote something down. I celebrated my 18th birthday in a socially-distanced way, instead of going out with my friends. I wrote something down. Starting college, two states away from my school, beginning what’s supposed to be one of the best experiences, alone. I wrote something down. And, yet, feeling guilty, writing all of this, knowing and understanding that I am still incredibly fortunate and lucky to be surrounded by those who love me, and I them. I write something down. Whether I realized it or not at the time, journaling really became a therapy to calm my already anxious mind from overthinking, as it slowed me down enough to process the surrounding changes. My journal was one of the few things, one of the few spaces in this new lifestyle, that I felt I had complete control over. No matter what was going on outside, and as much as I’m trying to learn more about everything that comes up this year, taking it in while still also taking care of my mental health, I suddenly found this space where I could just think, say, and write what I feel. More than just a place to process my thoughts, which is what I usually take from writing, my journal just became an extension of myself, a comfort that I didn’t know I needed, as I was able to take things one step at a time. In a world of judgement and chaos, I could return to a place where there was order, and I could say what I wanted, how I really felt about so many things changing at once, all out of my grasp. I’m safe there. And, when I wasn’t writing what I was feeling or thinking at that moment, but still needed an escape, I'd use this journal, alongside my sketchbook, adding in aimless doodles or spending time actually sketching. In the same way one reads books to learn a new truth or escape reality, I did so too for just long enough to gain control of my feelings before diving back into a world too big to understand. It was, and still is, the middle ground connecting my quarantine space with the world around me. But, perhaps one of the biggest advantages of documenting this journey is that now I have this time capsule of what I was feeling, what I’m still feeling about this entire crisis and how I’ve been dealing with it. It’s a piece of me that will always reflect my own perspective amongst everyone else’s voices and stories throughout all of this chaos, and I get to hold onto it forever. So going forwards, journaling is something that I hope I can always return to, especially in times of stress or anxiety, for the value and journey of reflecting on self-identity is one that will always remain priceless. -
2020-03-26
The day it all went south
From the beginning of quarantine till now the simple, everyday things I used to do has now become a difficult. Such examples would be going to the bodega or going to my therapy appointments or even going to work. There’s now so many extra steps and protocols as if my job wasn’t already stressful enough. While I personally haven’t been affected by corona virus in terms of health, I can still say that it has turned everything upside down. I still can hang out with friends but I’ve missed so many events that I was looking forward to. Anime event to birthday event, all of those experiences missed. The biggest thing about COVID for me was that it showed me just how selfish and ignorant others are by not only people refusing to wear masks but some even denying it’s existence. -
April 9, 2020
Local psychiatrist offers insight into how isolation can effect us mentally
Dr. Matthew Berger offers some tips and check on how to handle isolation concerns -
2020-06-14
Arizona State University Mental Health Resources
A month or so ago, Arizona State University sent out some of these magnets to online students. The magnet advertises ASU's "360 Life Services" which allows students to connect with counselors and explore different resources to allow students to cope, especially during this time. We stuck this magnet on the side of our fridge. I'm grateful to be a student at a university that cares about the mental health and well-being of its student body, and that has the resources to provide students in need with help. This is particularly important during these times, and especially makes me think about students with inadequate access to healthcare and LGBTQ+ students, people of color, and other minority communities whose mental health has likely been disproportionately impacted by this pandemic. -
2020-05-30
A Garden Grows in Danville
At the start of the Bay Area's shelter-in-place orders, there was a lot of uncertainty about the food supply chain. Given that we live with a couple of high-risk individuals, we wanted to ensure that we had access to fresh food without risking exposure to COVID-19. We quickly got to work and planted squash, tomato, pumpkin, peppers and pea plants. We involved our children from the beginning and have had a lot of fun gardening as a family as it has brought us comfort and has been incredibly therapeutic during these trying and uncertain times. Preparing Garden Soil: March 28, 2020. Plants Begin to Sprout: April 15, 2020. A Garden Grows in Danville: May 30, 2020. -
2020-04-09
Zoom Meetings Are Weird
The illustrator depicts the 'weirdness' and discomforts of doing therapy sessions over the screen using Zoom. The pandemic has forced everything online and mental health is at its most volatile for many people around the world. -
2020-04-27
REL: Catholic Prayer Groups During Coronavirus Pandemic
I recently had the chance to observe a Catholic prayer group, done remotely due to COVID-19. The meeting lasted about an hour. The group was made mostly of women and they performed the rosary, as a devotion to Mary. After this was complete the women went into discussion. What I found was that many of these women were struggling due to recent events. Unemployment, anxiety, and sickness were all cited as problems for them. They asked each other to pray for them. This sort of group therapy, creates a sense of security, belonging, and hope. Many expressed how important the meeting was to them, as they needed an outlet to express their fears. The talk therapy, coupled with the ritual of rosary, helped these women during a difficult time. It is a testament to how many religious people may cling to their faith in times of distress. Karl Marx famously called religion “the opium of the people”. This experience showed me that in a way this is true; it did place these women at ease with their situation. Marx expressed this in a negative light, but what I saw was a necessary attempt to seek out community amidst an ordered isolation. To these women, it seems not an opium but rather a medicine for mental and spiritual well-being. -
2020-04-20
Domino Sound Records Closed Sign, New Orleans, LA
Domino Sound Records closed during COVID-19 stay-at-home order. Sign on the front door reads: "Hello record lover this here store will be closed until who knows. We're looking forward to having the doors wide open, the music pouring out, and records available for much needed music therapy sooner rather than later. Check in by walking by, phone [###-####], or on the website, dominosoundrecords.com. Best to ya, thanks for the support. - Domino Sound" -
2020-04-03
Therapist over the phone
a joke about people losing their grip on reality during quarantine