What therapists need to know:
COVID-19
in 2024
Olivia Belknap, AMFT
Erin Batali, AMFT
Who are we? Who is this presentation for?
Olivia
Erin
While this presentation was created specifically for therapists, much of this information is relevant to other health care providers, or anyone interested in learning more about COVID!
Resources and contact forms are available at the end.
Intention
A lot of the information presented today may be new for you, and some of it might be upsetting or stressful
You may experience feelings of anger, fear, anxiety, sadness, defensiveness
Notice what’s coming up for you and acknowledge it without judgement
Notice how your nervous system is responding, and do what you need to do to regulate so you can stay engaged
The goal is not to do anything differently right now – just to stay open and listen
Curiosity
What feelings come up when you consider the possibility that the COVID pandemic never ended?
The possibility that COVID is worse than many of us thought?
The possibility that the impacts of COVID are not going away?
If you used to wear a mask in public and no longer do, why?
What do you know about how the COVID virus has changed over time?
What may be preventing you from considering you might be wrong (or at least missing something) in calculating the risk/negative effects of COVID?
What’s in this presentation
01
What is COVID?
02
impact on the brain
03
Impact on the Body
04
Social justice concerns
05
clinical implications
06
Advocacy & resources
Misconceptions
Now we Know...
The pandemic is over | The public emergency has ended |
“It’s just a cold now”/“It’s mild” | Leads to significant long term health problems |
Spread through droplets | Airborne |
Masks don’t work | N95s are best protection |
Vaccines are all we need to be protected from infection / “Vaccines don’t work” | Vaccines reduce rates of death, hospitalization, and infection. Important to get boosters. Best used alongside other safety measures. |
Only X people are impacted | Anyone can get long COVID |
You can only get COVID once | There is no limit to the number of times you can get COVID; damage is cumulative; no lasting immunity |
Only spreads indoors | Outdoor spread |
Only need to isolate for 1-5 days | Continue isolating if symptomatic or testing positive |
Covid & the Brain
Davis et al., 2023; Nouraeinejad, 2023; Rouquette et al., 2023
Long covid
“Experiencing symptoms within three months from the initial infection that last at least two months”
Pollack et al 2023
American Medical Association
Weiss (2023)
Neurological
Heart
Lungs
Immune system
Gastrointestinal
Reproductive systems
Long Covid
Davis et al., 2021; Demoliou et al., 2022; Donders et al., 2022; Dorobisz et al., 2023; Li et al., 2023; Polly & Fernandez, 2022; Ripa et al., 2022; Seyfi et al., 2022; Jason & Dorri., 2022
Other symptoms
Potential Causes of Long Covid
Proal & VanElzakker, (2021). Al-Aly & Topol (2024)
Long Covid
Who is high risk?
According to the CDC
(data from 2021)
Ajufo et al. 2021
Psychiatric disorders are associated with increased risk for being hospitalized and/or having subsequent health complications from COVID
Schultebraucks et al. 2023
(Some studies show higher rates)
Long Covid
Bowe et al., 2022
Gasnier et al. 2023
Between 10-30% of those who have had COVID will develop Long COVID
Highleyman, 2023
Over 125 journal articles have been published addressing the psychological & neurological impacts of COVID infection
CDC
Pause
How is your body reacting to this information?
What do you need to regulate your nervous system?
Social justice Considerations
“The more people perceived there to be racial disparities, the less fearful they were of COVID-19, and the less they supported safety precautions to prevent the spread” (NPR)
Smith (2023)
Social justice Considerations
White people are significantly less likely to take COVID precautions in order to protect themselves or others
Social justice Considerations
COVID is a workers rights issue
Kromydas et al., 2023
CDC 2022
Social justice & community care
Mills 2023
“Being chronically ill right now means navigating systems with constant reminders of how little the people in those systems value you. We emotionally support each other when the world seems to want to forget that we exist.”
–Kimberly Vered Shashoua, LCSW
COVID-conscious therapist
“I believe therapists have an ethical obligation to develop an awareness of how the mental health of diverse clients, including clients with disabilities, has been affected by this pandemic.”
–Briana Mills, LMFT
COVID-conscious therapist
“Many in the disability community have been and continue to be seen as expendable, as if their deaths are understandable, expected, or even written off as unavoidable because of their multiple comorbidities.” (Mills 2023)
Social justice & community care
Wong 2024
Pause
How is your body reacting to this information?
What do you need to regulate your nervous system?
How might COVID / Long COVID show up in therapy?
Zakia et al. 2023
Chow et al. 2023
Craparo et al. 2023
US Department of Health and Human Services
Covid
and
Mental
Health
Couples & Relationships
,q
-Kathryn Adams-Sloan,
MSW, RSW
Pollard & Rogge, 2022 (Other quotes sourced from social media)
Couples & Relationships
(quote sourced from social media)
Fitz-Gibbon et al. 2024
Long Covid Kids
Buonsenso et al. 2022; Ding & Zhou 2023; Flaxman et al., 2023
Signs of LC in kids:
Rao et al., 2024
Clinical work:
Case example
Clinical work:
Scope of Practice
We CANNOT:
We CAN:
Clinical work:
recommendations
Screening
Recognize grief/loss
Get training/supervision
Believe your client
Accomodate access needs
Pathologize
“Exposure therapy”
Ignore/minimize the pandemic
Clinical work:
consideration
& caution
Gaslighting
Complete deference to medical field
COVID Protection
How to make your practice safer and more accessible to all
Telehealth
Masks/respirators
Clean air
What can I do?
Advocacy, Harm reduction & Community care
https://maskbloc.org/
KN95 or better for optimal protection
Advocate within your community spaces
Resources
Information
Covid prevention & care
community care
References
References
References
Discussion
What feelings came up for you?
What’s something new you’ve learned today?
How will you implement what you’ve learned today in your own life- either personally or in your professional practice?
Do you have any questions?
Thank you for listening!
Feedback + Contact
We welcome any feedback, questions, or comments you would like to share. We hope to keep this resource up-to-date so it can continue to be used and shared.
You can also reach each of us at our websites: