Links and Attachments
- Communication Card infographic from the PA Dept of Health
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: third wave mindfulness and values-informed approach to managing COVID
- Mind (a UK non-profit): useful ‘Take care of your mental health and well being’ section including managing hand washing and anxiety, daily activities and anxiety more generally: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/
- NAMI guide: managing anxiety, being quarantined at home, sources of support, practical tips
- CDC Managing stress and anxiety: ways of supporting others and taking care of yourself, including healthcare professionals and normalising post-quarantine responses: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/managing-stress-anxiety.html
- WHO guide: broad ranging mental health and psychosocial considerations
- Positive Psychology: 2020 crisis kit, including mindfulness meditation and explorations of control/being out of control and positive action
- Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing COVID-19 Resources
- COVID-19 Resource List from Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Loss (AMPHL
Initial pointers in relation to supporting clients (see attachment on the psychological impact of quarantine).
Some of the things that make this situation challenging include: being unclear how long we are going to be in these circumstances, the way daily life has been shifting rapidly, and the fact that we are also caught up in the situation. Basic ways in which we can help clients are:
- normalising emotional responses, which are very comparable to trauma-related responses (see attached paper on the psychological impact of quarantine)
- facilitating purpose and goal-oriented behavior
- creating predictability where possible (daily routines, sleep hygiene)
- supporting them to get creative about ways of connecting socially
- finding ways to increase activity and decrease boredom
- facilitating agency and experiences of being in control, even if about small choices or decisions
- problem solving around how to attend to basic needs, from health to accessing food
- clarifying information when possible
- staying in the present moment (as opposed to dwelling on future concerns).