Reflections from Counselling

Melissa: “Having newly joined the service in February 2020, I was just beginning to find my place in the team when the pandemic hit Britain. Reflecting on what it has been like for myself and the counsellors over the past few months naturally brought a metaphor to mind. Starting a new job can sometimes feel like one is stepping onto a rollercoaster. Kathy: “We had the dilemma of how Being in a new job when Covid-19 we could provide care to the many hits is like that rollercoaster has vulnerable patients and families been set on fire.” accessing our service, as we were no longer able to offer face-to-face “All of a sudden, we were not able counselling sessions. As a team, to counsel people in the way we we decided to offer telephone have always done, we were counselling, this has proved an separated from many of our invaluable way of offering colleagues, and we could not run psychological support. For some the formal and informal groups clients this felt like a good option, that our service users find so for others, this has not felt so valuable. We quickly had to adjust comfortable. Later we were able to to using remote technology to keep offer video counselling. For many of the service running. We got the patients and families, feedback involved in supporting our frontline suggests that it is a close second to workers, and the need for ourselves face-to-face sessions. I am aware to apply the principles of self-care that meeting with a counsellor, we were teaching others, came into online or over the telephone, does sharp relief. I really felt honoured not appeal to everyone, and I to be part of a team that worked so wondered how these patients are hard to keep themselves in a coping. Because of this I developed position to be able to support a short video presentation about patients, families, carers and the psychological impact of a staff in amongst their own personal cancer diagnosis. turmoil and still be creative with what they could offer.”

This aims to normalise feelings, provide information and support from a more comfortable ‘safe distance’.” Dania: “The grieving journey in normal time can already be very complex, clients who had just started to go out and join activities Some clients with no local families or children have gone for days without talking to another person. For elderly clients it has been difficult to manage food shopping, errand, effectively having Melissa: “Even though the flames on my roller coaster seem to have gone out and the ride is levelling

had to go back and self-isolate. picking up prescriptions, etc. There many of our patients and families. was a need to keep informed by We are seeing increased levels of watching the news, an activity in anxiety and depression as people itself that created more anxieties. are worried about contracting the During the lockdown families virus, the impact on their haven’t been able to have a proper treatment, and are more isolated funeral or to get the support and and cannot do the things that they physical contact from loved ones. enjoy. Some difficult decisions are Speaking to people by telephone having to be made when weighing who haven’t been able to connect to up the risks of contracting Covid a webcam, just hearing the distress vs the risk of depression and or the long silences and not being emotional pain in self-isolation. We able to see clients, trying to continue to provide support and concentrate so hard on just the deliver new, safe ways of offering voice is very challenging. Some support: group therapy online, clients were interrupted during the informative and instructional counselling answering the door bell videos, and looking forward when or children needing something or we can gradually open face to face might have gone out to run an sessions.” off, know this is not the case for counselling ‘on the go’.” Dr Melissa Girling Clinical Psychologist and C&P Team Lead